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Using Excalibur Dehydrator - Basil Not Dry after 12+ hours
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Posted by foreverone 9 (My Page) on Sun, Jun 14, 09 at 7:51
| We got our Excalibur Dehydrator (9 tray with temp & timer) and our 1st drying attempt was to dry 4 trays of fresh basil from our garden.
The book said 95 degrees and 2-4 hours. Well after about 12 (or maybe more) hours at 95-110 degrees, the basil is still not dry. It has dried some but it seems odd that it should take this long.
I have tested the temperature and it is correct. The fan is blowing
We live in Tampa, FL area and it is humid so they may be some expectation of a longer time but something is not right.
Thanks. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Using Excalibur Dehydrator - Basil Not Dry after 12+ hours
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| I agree that something is not right but hard to tell what it may be. Can your feel the fan running, the air moving? Trays overloaded too thickly? I do our basil at 105 degrees and even the biggest leaves are done in 4-5 hours. Dave |
RE: Using Excalibur Dehydrator - Basil Not Dry after 12+ hours
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| Hmmm - I thought I was the only one with this problem. It does seem to take a long time on the low setting for herbs. So - I decided perhaps it was best to return to outdoor drying for these. I'm in the process of trying to dry my mint before late summer produces rust problems. I have a 2 screens tied together that I extend outside my kitchen window - it works better than the machine. It has air circulating from below also which seems to help. I know outside drying is not always the best. For more solid things - cherry toms, apricots, bananas, tho - I prefer the Excaliber. Bejay |
RE: Using Excalibur Dehydrator - Basil Not Dry after 12+ hours
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Are you drying them on the flat sheets ? You need mesh sheets for herbs. My American Harvest has mesh sheets for drying herbs. It only takes a few hours on them.
You can try laying them on paper towels on plates and doing them in the microwave, too. Works fine for basil for me. I am also assuming you meant you took the leaves off the stems. You wouldn't dry the plant with the leaves on the stems. |
RE: Using Excalibur Dehydrator - Basil Not Dry after 12+ hours
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| My dehydrator can take up to 2 full days to dry leaf things out. Peppers take about 3-4 days. |
RE: Using Excalibur Dehydrator - Basil Not Dry after 12+ hours
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| Try bumping up the temperature a bit. 110-115º maybe? Here, it's usually so dry that I can dehydrate about half a bushel of mint in 4 hours..... |
RE: Using Excalibur Dehydrator - Basil Not Dry after 12+ hours
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| David - I know what the desert is like for drying too - as we used to spend more time there - mostly vacationing. It was a great place for making sun tea, solar cooking, washing cars, drying clothes, etc. I loved it for drying apricots (the old fashioned way) - with a box covering the cots - and using sulfur to keep from browning. It was a lot of extra work - but the end result was quite pleasing -as the cots didn't brown and stayed plump and taste was not compromized. On the other hand, now I'm 6 blks from the ocean - and am also aware of Florida at this time of year - so to "each his own" when it comes to dehydrating. Right now, we are in our "June, July - summer gloom" period - when it can be damp, cold and foggy until noon or later - then perhaps the fog will recede and the hot sun comes out to greet my poor offerings. It is a challenge at best, but I'm sure everyone has their own Achilles in that regard. I am now praying over all my lovely squash plants - Hubbards, cukes, zukes - looking out for the first sign of mildew. Don't mind me - I'm just babbling on this a.m. (waiting for the fog to clear). Actually, I dry onions, garlic, macadamias outside now, they may take a bit longer but no problems. On the other hand, I dry lemon salt, garlic and onion salt in the oven, and the fleshy fruits - banana, apricot, plums, etc. in the dehydrator. The herbs seem to work well in the homely 2 screen contraption butterflied together - that I hang on the south side of my house from the window casing. The air circulates freely around it - and the house reflects some heat back on the screens. It works quite well - and great on energy conservation too. Bejay |
RE: Using Excalibur Dehydrator - Basil Not Dry after 12+ hours
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| Thanks everyone. We are using mesh screens, the fan is running and the temperature has been measured to be accurate. Definately not overloaded either. We did notice that the smaller leaves dried much before the larger ones. Some of the large leaves are 3-4" long. |
RE: Using Excalibur Dehydrator - Basil Not Dry after 12+ hours
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- Posted by dogear6 7 / Richmond VA (My Page) on
Mon, Jun 15, 09 at 17:31
| I had the same problem last summer trying to dry spearmint in my Excalibur. I finally gave up and hung them upside down in the hallway. It has to be something about the dryer itself - everything else dehydrated just fine including some pretty darned juicy tomatoes. |
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