The Beginner's Guide to Making and Using Dried Foods: Preserve Fresh Fruits, Vegetables, Herbs, and Meat with a Dehydrator, a Kitchen Oven, or the Sun

This book addresses one specific task related to the current trend of urban farming and self-sufficiency: drying your own food. Experienced cookbook author Marrone (The Back-Country Kitchen; Slow Cookers Go Wild!) covers the topic in painstaking detail. The science behind drying is explained and is accompanied by the best methods to use for each foodstuff. A plan for making a home food dryer is provided, along with an evaluation of commercial dryers. This book goes beyond the normal fruits and vegetables and includes grains, herbs, flowers, and meat, and there are considerations for different diets—gluten-free, vegan, etc. Also provided are a series of recipes and uses; the recipes are a general collection but do feature some camping mixes and gifts-in-a-jar. This title compares favorably to Sherri Brooks Vinton's Put 'Em Up! and will be useful to home and urban gardeners.