| The authors of a new book, The Dehydrator | | | | Oxford American dictionary as the 2007 word of |
| Bible, recently stated to The Canadian Press that | | | | the year. Using a food dehydrator can help |
| 2008 North American sales of food dehydrators | | | | preserve fresher, local food. |
| increased 25% to about 3 million units sold. Food | | | | - Home gardening is on the upswing. Whether it is |
| drying is one of the oldest food preservation | | | | the visibility of the Obama's White House garden, |
| techniques and has been practiced for centuries. | | | | the challenging economic times, numerous high |
| However, using food dehydrators for drying, | | | | profile food safety recalls or increased awareness |
| preserving and storing food is clearly becoming | | | | of the downside of industrial agriculture, more |
| more popular. What are the factors behind their | | | | people are planting home gardens. A recent report |
| increasing usage and popularity? | | | | issued by the National Gardening Association |
| - Dehydrator quality has improved. The heat, fan | | | | stated 43 million U.S. households were planning a |
| and air flow built into today's drying units make | | | | backyard garden, or sharing in a community |
| the drying process quicker and easier. | | | | garden, in 2009, up about 19% from 2008. Drying |
| - Raw food diets have become more popular. | | | | home grown food for preservation, storage and |
| Using a food dehydrator can be an important part | | | | later use makes great use of home garden |
| of eating raw food. Raw foodists typically use | | | | harvests. |
| dehydrators to heat various foods at | | | | - Dehydrators give people control of what is |
| temperatures below 114 to 116 degrees | | | | added into their food. For example, store bought |
| Fahrenheit. | | | | fruit roll ups or fruit leather and store bought beef |
| - Supporting, buying from and eating locally grown | | | | jerky contain preservatives and extra salts and |
| food from farmers markets has increasingly | | | | or sugar. However, food dryer users control the |
| become more popular. Indeed, the word locavore, | | | | ingredients in home made fruit leather and jerky |
| defined as a person that attempts to eat only | | | | and can modify them according to taste and |
| locally grown foods, was chosen by the New | | | | need. |