The Money-Saving Technique That Got Me a Year's Supply of Dehydrated Foods

There's nothing I love more than finding great clearance deals that I can preserve to get my pantry stocked up fast. I have the best luck with greens, but whenever I find a good clearance - I stock up to get that food dehydrated and on my pantry shelves! I have food for the year and save a ton of money, too!
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TIMESTAMPS

[@annlockey8552]

I dehydrated alot of kale now I add it to soups and stews, stir-fry meals even chicken pot pie and my family who don't like kale is none the wiser😂if they ask its parsley😊

[@Lee_Proffit]

I use my green powder in bread making. It gives the bread a slight green colour - to my Grandkids it is special "Hulk" bread 🙂 Love that Salsa idea ❤

[@AGrtn]

I do this pancakes. "Hulk pancakes" are a favourite

[@Lee_Proffit]

@@AGrtn If it gets the kids eating extra greens, then I'm all for it - I will give your pancakes a go. Thanks

[@arcticcat7142]

Mrs. Darcy, THANK YOU for sharing your tip for the top mesh! I have no idea why I didn’t think about that and I was the one removing the other tray!

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

I did it for a long time, too...and then it hit me one day to try!

[@RoseBud-fk4qg]

I add salsa to my spaghetti sauce that way it gives it a little kick . Add a few table spoons to my chili😊

[@islandgal500]

Love your lessons! We have a tiny store only where I live and there are weekly sales in most sections. That's when I get more of one item. I laugh at getting so many sale items because it looks like I can't afford to pay full price. Town is small enough that everyone knows who is broke and who isn't. I tell the cashiers that I felt sorry for that broccoli (or whatever). The thing is the sale produce is sometimes in better shape than the full price stuff and it is already bagged for me. A head of iceberg lettuce right now is more than $7.00 so I grab the clearance lettuce for $2.50 and just remove the two outer leaves. I bought bags of frozen veggies on sale and dehydrated them last fall. Wow did that save space in my freezer and they taste just like fresh veg. During Covid I really started using my dehydrator, vacuum sealer, and jar sealer attachments because we had a lot of delayed shipments and out of stock items. I love looking at my large pantry because I nearly have more in stock than our store.

[@vernonbowling5136]

Give your silicone liners a lite dusting of cornstarch when not in use it works wonders when you go to use them for liquid and sticky food's you want to dehydrate.

[@1stJohn3.9-10]

Last month my Amex statement was $1,250, so this month, I only spent $126. I'm trying to eat up the food I've already got and not spend money unless I absolutely have to.

[@kathleenbell218]

Oh my goodness! I’ve never thought about dehydrating salsa! Thanks

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

You are so welcome!

[@trishaporte]

Darcy you’re the best!! Who would have thought you could dehydrate salsa! I love making my home made salsa in the summer using my bountiful supply of fresh ingredients! Now I know how to save mine for the winter months when prices are higher for the produce to make it! 💖

[@monicalamontagne7888]

Thank you, Darcy! Even at my age I'm still learning!

[@katherinewaity-fontanetta992]

Those silicon trays love/hate them at times. The only issue I notice is if the food is "wet" going in (such as frozen chopped onions that are defrosted), I have to gently use my bench scraper to get the stuck on items off after rolling the silicon trays side to side and top to bottom. But I really do like the silicon trays with the lip on all sides

[@roki5337]

I start with the clearance section. I stocked up my freezer.

[@grlnexdoorable]

I started dehydrating salsa, salsa verde, Texas Pete hot sauce, and Frank's Hot Sauce. The Texas Pete and Frank's makes outstanding powder!

[@almirria6753]

I actually get my meats from a local farm & I also dehydrate all our left overs for a future emergency meal/s

[@terryfurtado2767]

I'm so happy I found your channel. I have been through this surgery, please take care of yourself. Take the time you need for physical & mental health. It's all inner twined together. Sending prayers & positive thoughts your way. 💐🙏💐

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Thank you!!

[@AuntNutmeg]

I have very hard water as well. I have learned not to run anything silicone through my dishwasher as it never comes out looking clean. Silicone holds onto grease/oil like nobody's business, and hard water deposits stick like glue. For the oily residue, wash by hand with Dawn Platinum Foam (it beats regular Dawn all hollow for stubborn grease cleanup). And for hard water deposits, apply some undiluted white vinegar. Soak if you can for 10 minutes (longer for heavy or long term deposits), scrub a bit if necessary. Edit: I've found that silicone washed in the dishwasher isn't as non-stick afterwards. Washing by hand fixes that!

[@manfredthewonderdog]

Please read the science on dawn. Environmentally incredibly damaging. Saving wildlife with it Is nothing other than a successful advertising campaign.

[@RoseBud-fk4qg]

Older powders check if your dogs and cats can eat add to their foods , make milk shakes with a teaspoon of your greens add to Roman soup , I mixes my veggie dried soup mix plus onion powder tomato powder and low sodium chicken bouillon and have a 2 cup of the mix for a light lunch lost a few extra pound ❤😊

[@mssixty3426]

I have a batch of frozen mixed veg in my dehydrator right now - needed to re-stock after sending most of my jar home with my daughter when she visited from out-of-state.

[@lindamckeny876]

Thanks for the Salsa tip, I never thought of doing bottled food items to dehydrate. My family loves salsa. You have such great tips

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

I'm glad you found it helpful!

[@RoseBud-fk4qg]

I bought gv tomato soup didn't like dehydrated will add spoon fulls to my chili and spaghetti dinners for extra sauce and vitamins, or add a little to Roman soup , or add it to a glass of tomato juice for more vitamins

[@kaystarnes269]

Thank you!😊 am on my home. Have some onions to dehydrate today. Well, going to get them into the dehydrator. Live that you showed us how to make our own onion powder and garlic powder. They taste so much better than store bought!

[@suzieo8230]

I put diced dehydrated onions on salads for crunch instead of croutons.

[@Northland11899]

I do the same exact thing when shopping the grocery store. Shop the clearance deals first . Vacuum seal/freeze or can the excess.

[@dianeiverson3727]

Tip: I store my Bright Kitchen silicone trays inside the Cosori. It helps to prevent dust.

[@DawnBarb]

Right! And upside down

[@limitedaxcess]

thanks for the tip on using the mesh on top to allow that extra tray rather than be forced to take one out. I will be using that this season. God Bless!

[@susantelchik5986]

I chop the spinach in food-processor it drys fast, and I add the small bits to a lot of things. Even add to my homemade dog food. Love the Simple Truth mushrooms. I grab them all the time and dehydrate. Have mushrooms available all the time.

[@bekegibson9603]

Thanks for sharing this info. My family is notorious for not using the entire container of salsa. So I asked everyone to use marker to mark lid with date of opening. I learned we do not eat it fast enough. Now, when we have salsa, I DH the leftover amount the next day (adding another jar if needed to fill tray.). No more wasted salsa!!!

[@valerierobinson8872]

Where do get the pastic mesh sheets?

[@bekegibson9603]

@@valerierobinson8872 Amazon is where I fund the soft mesh sheets that I use for other things, not salsa -search for Silicone Dehydrator reusable mesh mats. For salsa, I use harder plastic trays called dehydrator fruit roll sheets, also from Amazon.

[@shockingdocumentaries4255]

First like and comment. 🎉 My goal this year is to focus on dehydrating food and making more nutrient dense foods. Currently I’m using my oven. It works better than I expected it to for dehydrating. Thank you for the helpful tips. Seeing people do stuff like this in a simple way, inspires me. ❤

[@deborahwoods2361]

Newby from Australia here! Thank you for all your informative videos!! 💜

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Thanks for watching!

[@robingirven4570]

Freeze drying seems to be easier than dehydrating but I’ve ever dehydrated jerky. That salsa looked yummy!

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

It's not really easier...it's just different :D Some things are much easier and quicker and more convenient in the dehydrator - some are easier in the FD (raspberries happen to be one of them).

[@kerihess6689]

I'm so very glad I found your channel. Thank you so much for posting videos. I just purchased the Excalibur that you showed not too long ago. I've never done this before and I'm super excited that I have someone who knows what they are doing to teach me. So thank you!

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

You can do this!! Be sure to ask any questions you might have!!

[@kerihess6689]

@@ThePurposefulPantry Thank you, I sure will.

[@jtamsmom5]

I love the clearance produce. I try to find spinach on clearance, I grind it and put in empty gel capsules and make a vitamin.

[@47retta]

I loved the plastic mesh tip!

[@sueelliott3206]

Thanks for doing these demos! I would never have tried dehydrating anything liquid if I hadn't found your channel. Great information!

[@tammypoling9618]

I write a list but I don't stick to it.Cause if I see something that's a good deal.I'm buying it up

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

That's being smart!

[@susanparrott5175]

I just made today tomato 🍅 chips, OMG! Those are amazing. Clearance rack, hard tomatoes turned into sweet potent chips. Thank you so much for all the information. My mother didn't preserve, didn't really even cook, you're teaching me what I should have know and been taught. Thank you ❤ Much love

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Mine didn't, either! And I'm still not great at it, but consider myself functional for my family :D

[@susanparrott5175]

​@@ThePurposefulPantry you do great! Thanks

[@ontariogardening]

So many great tips! We have been on a dehydrating deep dive since Christmas. Like almost every day we are running it. Poor thing LOL.

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

It'll be fine :D

[@imjusthereforthecomments4920]

If you have Meijer in your area always check the produce cooler for markdowns. I currently have a pound of Earthbound organic spinach in the dehydrator. Original price was $5.99 but I paid $1.25. I have a small grocery budget but can almost always find dirt cheap things to dry.

[@WhiteCatShirataki]

Great tip about using a second mesh to hold the greens in place. Thank you!!!

[@user-tg6et5nq9y]

Thanks, Darcy. You always give the viewers great information!

[@KittyMama61]

Add some salsa or diced tomatoes when you are cooking green beans. One of my go-to's.

[@sheilagaleano365]

I just ordered that vacuum sealer through your link. Thank you : ) and an opener that's not supposed to harm you lids.... and about a $100 of other cool items : )

[@pkinman31]

I use the sandwich method with the spinach and other leafy vegetables also. Works really well.

[@roki5337]

Now dehydrated Salsa.. I have not tried that yet. Good Idea for the dehydrated Spinach for alfredo!!

[@IOSALive]

The Purposeful Pantry, Your videos are fantastic! I just had to subscribe!

[@deborahnarendorf7106]

Once again you’ve us such good tips! I praise your name every time I use my dehydrated tomato paste. Oh my gosh! I would have never thought to do this, but you suggested it! Thanks so much!

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

You are so welcome!

[@debbiesykes5491]

I will start looking on the clearance rack for veggies Right now I am drying oregano from my garden Thanks for sharing this video Darcy

[@StringfieldRidgeFarm]

Great ideas i dehydrate but never thought about doing salsa

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

It's so good in so many ways!!

[@WorldOfWonder66]

I just found your channel and I love it already. Thank you for these great ideas. I never thought about dehydrating salsa. I'm putting that one on my list now 🙂

[@sewpretty13]

Thanks for the tip! I have extra plastic!

[@selenadansfield1305]

Dehydrate the spinach. Ground it up. Put in gel capsules. GREAT for iron (I grow swiss chard instead).

[@sheilagaleano365]

¡Salsa! Genius.... thank you. Love all your videos.... always inform and motivate me : )

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Awesome!

[@cathyd.williamssaltlight5373]

Thank you, awesome video! I need a square dehydrator, too😊❤

[@marilynparmelee]

Thanks for sharing your tips! Your book is a godsend, so glad I bought it. Have a great weekend.

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Thank you! You too!

[@southwesthomestead1234]

As always you motivate me to up my dehydrating game !

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

You can do it!

[@angelinagarcia3748]

I love your channel ❤️❤️❤️

[@tammywhite9229]

I found big bags of stuffing at aldi clearanced for .29 each. I bought 9. They had a ton of them.

[@susanchamblee1190]

Love it 🤩

[@thatonegirl1837]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing this!

[@homesteadmccoy]

Great tips!

[@lindabohl2454]

Great video! Thanks !❤. Iam going to dry spinach it seems easy! Nice information! California here. Oh didn’t know you could dry very WET salsa!!🙏🏻😇🕊🧂💕

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

You can dry almost anything!

[@susanparrott5175]

Awesome thank you ❤

[@patty9265]

GREAT TIPS THANKS DARCY

[@theresagarcia5403]

Brilliant! I have also been able to build a purposeful food supply using this strategy. Families and individuals can use this strategy to build a delicious, diverse and affordable food supply! Thank you for taking this to a new level by adding dehydrating. People who live in small places can dehydrate to make more storage space. Yes, we can build a healthy and nutritious food supply.

[@sort_of_a_homestead]

I love the salsa idea! Can’t wait to try this.

[@tracymorrison1584]

amazing idea

[@elizabethcoates3024]

So many great ideas. 😊

[@peterpiper487]

With this technique I don't see any need for a grocery list. If it's not on sale, just don't buy it and then when you get home, look at the sales items you bought and figure out a meal you can make that incorporates some of them and anything you already had at home if needed to make the dishes you want to make. This would save a lot of list making and money spent on items that are NOT on sale.

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

This method doesn't cover everything we use -- I always shop my pantry first (because I keep an extensive deep pantry), and then go from there. I alter what I can from shopping this way - but I still have things I replenish when they go on sale all the time. This won't always work because things aren't always be available - or are one time shots. But it definitely helps save a lot of money and build my stock!

[@jhannon9495]

good ideas

[@Cyd1057]

I'm new to dehydrating and your hannel is a godsend!

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

I'm glad you're finding it helpful!! Let me know if you have any questions!

[@user-ym9il3np9z]

I live zone 9b my growing season is mostly done. I am dehydrating my all my greens for green powder for my smoothies. What temperature did you dehydrate the salsa at and about how long. Thank you

[@tamieschimpf9214]

I use the silicone mesh on the bottom and the Excalibur mesh on top of the greens. Then I only have to buy the silicone sheets and not extra harder mesh

[@eabird4358]

Great ideas. How would you store dried black mission figs? In a jar or leave in the plastic container they come in.

[@firequeen2194]

I prefer glass, air can still get through plastic. I keep all the glass jars that have (typically metal) lids with a rubber seal. Toss in a moisture absorber and voilà! Saves my canning jars and I have a variety of sizes so no wasted air space. Hope that helps. 😉

[@patricialawlor1644]

best before never means rotten day of. lol

[@louieshmooie7930]

Thank you for sharing so much for us! But I wonder if the jar sealer will be strong enough for liquis??? Thanks agai

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Yes, but not to make them shelf stable. They still have to be refrigerated. Most come with instructions on how to do it.

[@4zooflorida]

Where do you shop, our grocery store doesn’t do that.

[@amygriffith3598]

Ours doesn’t either.

[@dgarnett4220]

As long as no oil in salsa , it works read label

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

It works even if there is a small amount of oil - it just won't be reliably shelf stable, but would certainly be fine for short-term use like camping/hiking trips.

[@Tinkerbell31326]

Darcy, I need a blender that makes powder. Please share the model you are using. Thank you do much.

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

I use a Cosori coffee grinder, a NutriNinja bullet blender (but it's not a model they make any longer) and a low-end Vitamix.

[@Tinkerbell31326]

@@ThePurposefulPantry thank you Darcy

[@kellyname5733]

Ohhhh, that salsa looks like a pain after drying. Still good for longer storage.

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

It was those sheets - if I'd used regular fruit leather it would have been much easier.

[@juditrimble2604]

Is the silicone mesh the same as “shelf liner”?

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Nope. It's less thick and spongy

[@melodylamour6123]

Can you use parchment paper for the salsa drying and stuff? Would that stop it sticking to the mats????

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Parchment paper can stick more as it absorbs the moisture. If I had used my regular fruit leather sheets, it wouldn't have been a problem.

[@melodylamour6123]

@@ThePurposefulPantry good to know. Thanks

[@user-uz8sn1qv8y]

my family has been laughing about water expiring!! well, i just found out, the date on the bottle is for the PLASTIC BOTTLE, not the water inside!! after that date, MORE microplastics will get into the water!!

[@pde442]

Awesome video

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Thanks!

[@carriecreates1207]

I use parchment paper. Things come off very easily.

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

I hate it, too :D I prefer regular fruit leather sheets if I need a solid sheet for anything.

[@Makeitbymandy]

Are you using an Ever jar sealer? Thanks!

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

And ever jar sealer? Not familiar with that name, no, I use a Kitool vacuum jar sealer.

[@diannebusch2841]

I am just wondering about the cost of running the dehydrator and if the grocery savings is used up by the cost of electricity. I’m sure that if you grew the produce it would make more sense

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Sure - if you grew all of your produce - do you have a garden that big that can provide all you need? I certainly don't, and can't, so I take advantage of those sales, stock my pantry and pay today's price for eating a year or two later. It's certainly worth it to me when my dehydrator costs about $1/day to run. And gardening has it's own share of investment, so you have to count that as well.

[@diannebusch2841]

If that is even close to accurate, it is an absolute bargain. Thank you for encouraging me. Because I was always concerned about that.

[@jennifercline6866]

😊

[@tammiemonahan9644]

Did I miss if she said how long that took? I do need to go back and listen again because I was working while watching ...

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

I never give you time - you have to judge by when it's dry based on your machine, your home's environment, and what you have in it. It took at least twelve hours - but I run overnight to make sure it's good and dry.

[@tammiemonahan9644]

@@ThePurposefulPantry That's exactly what I needed to know! Thank you so much.

[@robynloaf4014]

What about canned meats like tuna? Do they last potentially for years too? I do understand to look for bulging, bubbling, bad smells, etc. 8:54

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

I wouldn't give them forever for my own personal preference, but yes, they do last past that best by date.

[@kellymae2421]

Would going in part way through the drying process and ‘stirring’ the salsa help? I’m sure you’ve tried this but I can’t see why that wouldn’t help

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

No need to - it's going to start drying out pretty quickly and still stick against that silicone.

[@JoLe-df8yy]

What about putting some parchment paper on the silicone.

[@sudeshchauhan6575]

Ma'am pls send the link of your dehydrator.

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

It's in the description box of the video.

[@monicalamontagne7888]

Why do people put the rings back on after vacuum sealing?

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Because seals fail. And you still have airtight containment if the ring is on, saving your food. But if there's no ring, it's not airtight, and your food is exposed to air and moisture. Rings off for canned items, on for dehydrated.

[@user-xc9sv5hk2d]

So I am new to dehydrating but I have seen videos where they say nutritional value is lost with dehydrating and freeze drying is better? Idk Just curious what your thoughts are?

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

Freeze dry companies like to say that. Yes, you lose Vit A & c when dehydrating with extended expsore to heat (so dry low and slow), and Vit B is lost when anything is blanched (same with Freeze drying). You also lose all those same nutrients with either process when you cook the food.

[@user-xc9sv5hk2d]

@@ThePurposefulPantry Thank you for the quick response, I was going to just not dehydrate but then after careful thought decided to tell myself why are you doing this, and then watched another one of your videos that validated my reasoning, why am I trying to dehydrate, what was my original intention? It was to preserve food and incorporate flavor in my dishes without processed additives so now I will stick to my original decision. It is hard to not fall down the rabbit hole. 🙏

[@loucilehall9281]

That’s what I don’t like about the lipped trays. They never look clean

[@ortizle1]

Wow, I didn't know you can dehydrate salsa. Awesome tip. I just got a small dehydrator. I am hoping on learning to get more veggies into my family's meals. This is such a good way to start. Great video.

[@ThePurposefulPantry]

You'll be surprised at how much you can sneak into all meals with vegetable powders, etc! My family knows they are there, but it doesn't affect how things taste and they're happy to get the extra nutrition --- as long as they can't taste it :D

[@carolynlouise6566]

😂

[@BUY_YT_Views_611]

Absolutely fantastic!

[@firequeen2194]

😮 now I’m going to do salsa! Perfect for camping 🏕️, yum.

[@marygallagher3428]

Great tips!