If I remember correctly, some had problems with mold if there was any moisture left in the food. For dry storage, you can place the contents in a jar and if any condensation forms, then they will be prone to mold and should be frozen. Again, someone else could probably clarify a little more.

I love my dehydrator. It's cheap and old, but gets the job done. I dehyrated lots of apples and tomatoes this season. I freeze mine. Takes up very little space and then I don't have to worry about mold.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/harvest/msg070031334063.html - Storing Dehydrated Tomatoes

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Robberson's Orchards here makes most their year income from huge supplies of dehydrated fruits, tomatoes, and nuts and they don't freeze theirs either - just rows and shelves of stacked, sealed plastic bags.

Dave

I have had an Excalibur dehydrator for years, love it. They are more money than those round ones, but they have a temperature control, some models also have timers, I just use a plug in one for mine. This brand with the square slide out trays you can use it to dry crafts and make yogurt. I also like that I can check the trays without taking apart the entire unit.They have booklets that come with the dehydrators for tips for length of drying. I picked up a round one at the SalVal this summer for 8.00 and they had a booklet in there with some intresting recipes. (kept the book, gave away the dehydrator)

Personally, I have never had a issue with mold, I store my dehydrated veggies and fruits in either vaccuum packs or in Mason jars. If properly dehyrated and stored there is no need to freeze

Most herbs are easy, and for me, I dry them in a sunny window, to which I have 2 window screens tied - butterfly fashion - together - and with good sun exposure can expect to be done in 2 days. This includes dried onion/garlic scapes, thyme, mints, etc. I also put harvested onions and garlic there for a few days to start them - then hang inside or braided together, and placed in a dry area - near the ceiling for longer storage.

This year, we had a lot of foggy/smoggy summer weather, so invested in my Excaliber - works great. I did a lot of cherry type tomatoes and felt they were dried sufficiently to go in a sealed jar in the pantry. No signs of mold.

The dehydrator also worked great for helping to get a good rise from my sourdough breads.

The toughest things so far to dry - are peppers. They want to curl over and create perfect tight areas for mold to harbor. This last batch I sliced long thin strips - as I just want to grind them for powder anyway. It seems to be working much better and faster.

Have also used the dehydrator to facilitate peeling and drying nuts. When they are dried, hulled, and shelled, I freeze them in baggies - then place inside a freezer half pint container. They can be toasted and ground right from the freezer that way - tasting fresh as can be.

I dried some pineapple - then baggied and put in freezer containers also - this prevents ice crystals from forming, especially if only a few are removed from time to time.

Just my 2 c's.

Bejay