DIY Garlic and Herb Dehydrator

This is the second year that we are using our homemade dehydrator.

Last year we used it to dry garlic for garlic powder and it worked amazingly well. We will still use it for that purpose, but right now I am using it to dry my herbs.

To make a dehydrator all you need is a container with shelves, some trays and some air flow. We had a big cardboard box in the shed. Ernie built an insert with scrap wood to hold two trays, then cut a hole in the top back of the box to promote air flow.

The table is an old coffee table that we had in storage, and the trays are screens from old windows that are long gone. All saved items. The only thing that is new is the heater/fan. We use it on the no heat setting to move the air. A regular fan could be used if that is what you have.

This dehydrator works very well. Obviously you have to turn the herbs or garlic occasionally to promote even drying but that’s no problem.

Yes, it looks weird and is not appropriate for some decor (lol), but who cares. It was free and more junk is not getting put into the landfill.

The garlic we use with this is what we know will not last the whole winter because there were worms in them or they drying out.

Never throw out garlic by the way, unless it is mouldy. Even if you have a small amount you can slice it into small pieces, put it on a plate, and let it air dry, turning it regularly. When it is dry, chop it in a small grinder or use a mortar and pestle.

The herbs dry faster in the dehydrator than just being air dried, but we using both methods on all of our herbs.

Isn’t it much better to know where your garlic powder and dried herbs come from and how they were processed rather than buying them?

We think so.

Happy Homesteading!