Dehydrating Cantaloupe, Honeydew, and Watermelon

[@dianedazzle241]

Dehydrated melon, yum 😋. That's the world's best candy!!!

[@ColettesGarden]

We dried green apples yesterday, then made apple scrap jelly with the peels and cores, no added pectin required. Then the chickens got the mush, less the seeds. No waste.

[@traceybennett8053]

Jelly sounds good do you share recipes?

[@villagesteader3552]

Since I recently discovered I’m allergic to berries, I’m going to add melons to my dehydrating shenanigans! Thanks Darcy! ♥️👍😎

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

You're so welcome! And bummer about the berries!

[@jennifercline6866]

Tajin also goes well on mangoes dried mangos. I partial freeze first so they are easy to peel and cut. 😊

[@patriciacox8169]

Darcy, you ARE my dehydrating BFF... Hugs from Texas.

[@ernestinebyrne9912]

I tried these and they are heavenly. Oh my goodness. So amazing. Better than candy. And the peaches I dried are wonderful also.

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Glad you like them!

[@jennbasil]

Perfect timing Darcy! Thank you! 🍉

[@hollish196]

I am really happy to see this as both the cantaloupe and the melon I planted are just thriving. . .as in VIGOROUS growth! I am going to need this so very much in about one month. And I love the mesh screens--use them for almost everything!

[@lilac2484]

I dehydrated 2 triangles of watermelon. I had bought 4 and ate 2. I dehydrated them and they did not last a week. They were gone in two days. Now You gave me a idea on catalope, and watermelon with Tajin. Can not wait to do this again. Thanks

[@jackiechavarria7453]

Thank you for this video! I've never thought about dehydrating melons. I'm going to try it.

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Hope you like it! It's one of those love/hate kinds of projects. I hope you're on the love it side!

[@PatDoolittle]

Love dried cantaloupe

[@babsblan]

My grandkids love dehydrated fruit! I have given them dehydrated citrus, apples, cranberries and strawberries...now I want to try this after I finish the growing mountain of zucchini and cucumbers I need to put up.

[@taxdragon]

What a great idea. I live alone, so I almost never buy melon. The risk of melon going off is virtually guaranteed. I will give this a try and might start buying melon when it's on special.

[@staceyford6733]

That's exactly what I did.

[@serenitysealed485]

Interested! Yum. I have only dehydrated veggies. Looking forward to trying fruit!

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

So much fruit is great dehydrated and useful for eating and pie making and putting into oatmeal and powdering...oh my!

[@serenitysealed485]

@@ThePurposefulPantry sounds like a fun new project!

[@lcm0578]

My mouth was watering ... really interested in trying this! I have about a half of a large watermelon (needing to use) in the fridge! Thanks!

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

You're welcome!

[@marycook9607]

Watermelon, yummy

[@lindachandler2293]

Love dehydrated fruit. In particular, I puree and dehydrate it to add to my second ferment kombucha. I use smaller swing top bottles and chunks of anything doesn't come out easily. Pureed fruit adds the sweetness needed to feed it, yet pours right out.

[@carriekalbus1415]

Watermelon rinds make awesome pickles.

[@traceybennett8053]

Great video! Love the rapid prep with voice over tips. Subscribed!

[@BellaLaLuna1726]

My 6 yr old grandson would have the entire jar gone in one sitting. He absolutely LOVES trail mix and will eat raisins first, then everything else :)

[@jamiescountryliving]

Thank you so much Darci😋

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

You're welcome!

[@staceyford6733]

Oh, I'm definitely trying this!

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@Lee_Proffit]

They looked really yummy - something else for me to try 🙂 They would be good chopped into 1/4" cubes and used in overnight oats

[@mrdarlington82]

Thanks for this video!!

[@beckysteinmiller338]

Great snack suggestion! I see these disappearing quickly at my house! By the way, you look great! Keep up the good work!!

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Thanks so much! 😊

[@siftingsomesoilandmore]

Thanks for sharing 👍🏾 😊

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

You are so welcome!

[@janking3355]

Where did you get your cutting board? Also, I can't wait till the melons start coming in. I'm going to dehydrate a lot! I have learned so much from your videos! 😊

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

I don't even remember - Walmart or Target, most likely.

[@gorelowjeff5054]

Thanks for the video. It looks like you didn't vacuum seal at all just tightening it like that will keep it fresh for 9 months?

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Yep. Vacuum sealing is not necessary, just helpful.

[@danrayner4450]

Or vacuum seal in clear bags

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Whatever works for you.

[@suegiesige8320]

I love your channel! I do have a question: have you ever vacuum sealed honey (in the mason jars) to see if it delays crystallization? I have started an experiment comparing the vacuum sealed honey vs regularly sealed honey and have them labelled and stored and wondered if that has already been done and if it helps at all. Sue 🐝🐝🐝🍯🍯🍯 💌💌💌

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

No, I haven't - let me know your results!

[@taxdragon]

I have a question. Does dehydrated melon keep well in the freezer? Would that extend its shelf life?

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Why bother? It stores for a year or more on the shelf.

[@taxdragon]

@@ThePurposefulPantry Well, you said you can store them in the fridge to prevent mould. I have had plenty of stuff go mouldy in my fridge, but I never had anything grow mould in the freezer. ;)

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Storing in the fridge to prevent mold if you do them soft - because they still have moisture. If you fully dry, they are shelf stable and no need to take up freezer space. But if you want to store them in the freezer it's fine.

[@taxdragon]

@@ThePurposefulPantry Ah, fridge is for the less dried melon jerky. That makes sense. Thanks for explaining.

[@danrayner4450]

Can you rehydrate them

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

They won't come back like fresh, no.

[@tessa35]

💙

[@janarichards5511]

Have you tried making tropical or mixed fruit drinks with powdered fruit? If so where would I find it?

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

The powder doesn't dissolve the way drink mixes do. If you want something that is more dissolvable, use freeze dried powders. You can certainly do it with the understanding that you're going to have some solids left behind as they infuse the water.

[@janarichards5511]

@@ThePurposefulPantry Thank you for your reply. I wonder if it could be “brewed” and strained through a coffee filter. What do you think?

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Yes - the same as putting it in a tea ball in a cup and letting it infuse.

[@janarichards5511]

@@ThePurposefulPantry Sounds good, it will be fun to try. Thanks for your input.

[@danrayner4450]

Where can I get the mesh trays

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Amazon. amzn.to/45XiAiI

[@jolilley5234]

I've been given a dozen cantaloupe that I'm planning to dehydrate. Can the dehydrated cantaloupe be powdered?

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Sure - just remember that it will get sticky with humidity, so use moisture absorbers to help mitigate that in storage if you're in and out of the jar a lot. Dry it really dry, and keep it out of the atmosphere as much as possible so that it doesn't absorb. I just don't use it, so didn't show it.

[@gailreese4699]

QUESTION PLEASE. I HAVE BEEN PEALING A LOT OF CARROTS I WAS GIFTED. I ALREADY HAVE A LOT CANNED AND DEHYDRATED. I WANT TO WASH AND PICK THREW THE PEELINGS AND PARBOILING AND DEHYDRATE IT. WHAT DO YOU THINK .I CAN CREAM THEM WHEN I WANT TO USE THEM.

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Sure - they just aren't appropriate for canning.

[@gailreese4699]

@@ThePurposefulPantry Yes I know I thought I could rehydrate them and pure them.

[@karenarevalo4458]

hello, I storage for long term in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers, dehydrated bean flakes but the bags stayed loose and never tightened. Do the food got botulism?

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Oxygen absorbers only remove oxygen - not the rest of the components of air. So they aren't going to necessarily vacuum seal shut. Botulism isn't an issue with dehydrated foods the way it is with canned foods.

[@karenarevalo4458]

@@ThePurposefulPantry thank you!

[@jenk1050]

What absorbers do you use ?

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

amzn.to/3TcmM9l

[@jenk1050]

@@ThePurposefulPantrythank you

[@kathym7495]

Off topic question. Sorry, this is the only way I know to reach out to you. My dehydrator died this morning!! It only blows cold air. I ran a load of potatoes yesterday and I noticed that when they finished the lower trays in the stack were kind of golden and the upper ones were nice and white. The temp was way over where I thought I set it, but I blamed it on user error. This morning I loaded it up again with another 5 lbs of potatoes. In a an hour I checked it and it was blowing cold air. I tried everything but no luck. I have ordered a new one from Amazon and it will be here in two days. I put all the potatoes in containers in the refrigerator. Are they going to be OK to process on Monday when the new unit comes? Should I just try to freeze them instead or is it a loss? 😭😭😭

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Yes - in the fridge, but then dry as soon as possible.

[@Blissfullyunaware13]

The past week I’ve been dehydrating, nothing at all wants to work. They shrivel up, lose all taste and are just … gross. Any suggestions please?

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Yes, things shrivel/shrink - you are removing all of the moisture from it and the cells break down/shrink. They aren't going to rehydrate to fresh. I don't know about losing flavor because I haven't had that experience. What have you worked with?

[@juliaallegrini6860]

Can you rehydrate melons?

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

They don't come back as anything special..they lose too much structure, which is why I didn't show how to do it.

[@kaystarnes269]

😮😮👀👀

[@kaystarnes269]

Oh yes! I'm definitely going to try this!!! ❤

[@sheliaheverin8822]

How is your Dad's worms coming along with this heat? I really want to start worms.

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

A little rough. We're using ice-water bottles to try to keep the soil temps down. And they are in shade. But the soil temps are staying pretty high.

[@SandraLindemuth-wd6dn]

18 hours?

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

It will depend on your machine, your home's humidity, and how dry you prefer it. I let it go overnight, so it dried longer.

[@mikaeels.6477]

All that nutritious juice going to waste. You should juice them, then dehydrate the pulp.

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

There's no juice going to waste. The water is removed, and all of the other nutrients are still intact.