We make our own dryer for fruits and vegetables. Quick and easy DIY herb dryer Herb dryer

For mushrooms, apples, berries or even medicinal herbs.

With the onset of summer, the home cooking season begins. There are many ways to preserve food, among which drying occupies a prominent place. Products such as fruits, herbs, and berries can be processed by drying. The advantage of this method is that the products do not require any further processing. It is only necessary to comply with the storage conditions. To do this, you need a dry, cool room. Then their shelf life can be measured in years. Of course, after processing by drying, the products will no longer be accepted original appearance. However, this is not required. After all, dried foods are good on their own.

If you decide to make some of your homemade preparations using the drying method, then you need to think about how to carry out this process. The first thing you need to decide is the volume of products to be dried. If you need to process a small amount of food, you can do this by simply placing the chopped food on horizontal surface. If the volume of dried raw materials is significant, then it is necessary to speed up the processing process.

This requires a high-performance dryer. It should be able to handle large batches of products quickly enough. Making such a drying chamber with your own hands is not so difficult. The design is quite simple.

Of course best option– . Its principle is that when the pressure decreases, water begins to evaporate at a much higher low temperatures. All useful substances in the product are preserved almost completely. Making such a dryer yourself does not make sense. This will require quite a lot of money and therefore it will not be profitable for use at home. Our task is to produce a simple and inexpensive design that meets the needs of the household.

The design of such a drying chamber consists of several drawers with a mesh bottom and four guides. The boxes themselves are designed quite simply. They consist of four planks with a width of 50 to 70 mm and a lattice bottom. Mesh cell size 8-15 mm. With a larger mesh size, the products may fall through, and with a smaller one, there will be too much resistance to air flow. Although, if possible, you can use a mesh with different cell sizes for different products. You can simply make boxes in which the mesh will have different cells. Do it in advance required quantity various boxes. The main thing is to withstand them overall dimensions. You can choose the specific sizes yourself. To attach the mesh to the box, you can use a stapler or furniture nails with a wide hat.

The bottom drawer needs to be made slightly larger size. Make it 5 mm longer or wider than the rest. Attach it permanently to the guides, which will be 4 boards. Their length is determined by the number of drawers you have (although it is not advisable to use more than 10-12 drawers). The width of the guides does not matter. The bottom drawer should be located at a height of 30-40 cm. Making the bottom drawer larger allows you to create a gap that prevents the remaining drawers from getting stuck between the guides. A plywood roof is attached to the top of the guides. It is made 10 cm larger than the overall dimensions of the boxes. The roof provides shade, as drying in the sun is not allowed. Select the height of the guides so that there is a gap of 5-10 cm between the top drawer and the roof.

Now you need to make an air intake. Everything is quite simple here. A sheet of plywood is installed under the fixed bottom drawer at an angle (from the bottom edge of the box to the opposite bottom edge of the guides). We attach sheets of plywood to the side. That's it. The air intake is ready.

It is enough to place such a hand-made dryer “facing” the wind. The wind will enter the air intake and pass through the boxes like through a pipe. The creation of the necessary traction for drying is guaranteed. Thus, the air will dry the products placed in the drying chamber. Can be used in calm weather household fan. It would be nice if you painted the inside of the air intake matt black. Air heated by the sun will rise, speeding up the drying process. But most in an efficient way is the use of a fan heater. With his help

The issue of harvesting herbs and flowers has long been faced traditional healers. Yes and ordinary people often they knew about the medicinal or tonic properties of a particular plant and tried to prepare its flowers or stems for the winter. Most in a simple way You can prepare them by drying them.

The only difference between the past and the present is that, literally, some ten years ago for correct preparation For herbs and flowers, an urgent need was the presence of sun and appropriate weather, and quite often it was necessary to hide the plants being dried from the rain, then take them out again after the sky cleared. Today, useful vitamin reserves can be easily made at home by simply purchasing a dryer for herbs and flowers.

Harvesting herbs and flowers for the winter can be done in several ways, and each of them has its own positive aspects.

Properly dried plants have greatest number advantages such as:

— the product retains a maximum of vitamins and microelements;

— if herbs and flowers are harvested for the purpose of later adding to food, then their natural taste is preserved;

— properly dried herbs and flowers can retain their properties when stored even for several seasons;

— storage of such products will not require special dishes, and they themselves take up little space;

— the drying procedure takes a relatively short time;

— if a modern dryer is used, then the hassle associated with the harvesting process is minimal.

At the same time, you should know that there are several options for dryers; we will try to consider only the most common of them.

All currently produced dryers can be divided according to the drying principle and into two categories: infrared and convective. Each variety has own characteristics, disadvantages and positive properties.

Convection dryers

Convective dryers were the very first to appear. Their operating principle is to dry the herbs and flowers placed inside with circulating hot air, which determines the final properties finished product. A kind of dry crust forms on the surface of the dried products, which somewhat slows down the drying process of the entire plant, which makes the process quite long.

Comparison of dried products traditional way in the sun and those that have been processed in the dryer, the difference is noticeable immediately. Is different appearance(preservation of grass and flower, their color) and preservation of taste characteristics.

Particularly noteworthy is the incomplete preservation of vitamins and nutrients during treatment with hot steam, which naturally does not add to the popularity of the convective dryer. And, of course, to the negative aspects of such dryers you will have to add their high electricity consumption.

Infrared dryers

This type of dryer appeared relatively recently, but almost immediately began to replace convective dryers. Job infrared dryer can be compared to a certain extent with the work of the sun. The radiation inside such a dryer only affects the water inside the grass or flower.

Plants are processed in a very gentle manner, at a temperature rarely exceeding 60 degrees, which naturally cannot even be compared with hot steam treatment. The advantages of these dryers include relatively low energy consumption.

However, regardless of the type of dryer, its feature will be its very compact dimensions. Typically, a household dryer takes up less space than a conventional microwave oven, and you can dry about the same amount of plants in it as in five or six square meters under the sun.

There are also industrial dryers that can be used to dry huge amount raw materials.

Verified supplier industrial equipment Prointek.

We hope this article was useful to you, and you now know how to choose a dryer.

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Classmates

What types of garden lanterns and lamps are there?
8 Herbs for a Permaculture Garden.

We were at one of the projects.
What impressed me most:
Stationary solar dryer.

Fully autonomous and highly efficient.
Our guys, upon arrival, made a trial version for themselves.
Here is a review from a first tester:

“...This season I dry herbs in it. I haven't tried berries yet. Herbs dry very quickly, for example, St. John's wort - 2 hours, knotweed - a little more, fermented fireweed - in just an hour.
Traction warm air on a sunny day - gorgeous. The rain does not flood it, because... The master very competently made the ridge of the roof, and the roof itself from shingles - there are two photos on this topic.
I didn’t notice any insects there either - it was too hot, dry and windy inside. And as he says, the most unpleasant thing for insects is a draft...”

I can say from myself that the main thing here is the selection of materials for the dryer so that they do not emit any unnatural odors.
Since herbs are very sensitive to any of them.
And if - God forbid! - when heated, the material will begin to ooze odors of some formaldehyde, for example - all this will remain in the herbs.
Therefore, there is no chemistry. Only natural materials.

Some guys recommended using linden. Others - birch.
I’m not a carpenter, I don’t know, but I know that in our country there are people who can do the entire path of air passing through a dryer and heating it in such a way that not a single thing penetrates into it (the air). harmful secretion.
Air movement in the dryer occurs naturally:
The inclined plane (to the left of the body) is a tray. On top is glass. Below it is empty space. Bottom is black material.
The sun is burning.
Black material – heats itself and heats the air.
It begins to rise up the chute into the dryer body.
There are trays there. The basis is a mesh. On them there is grass or something that is planned to be dried.
Hot air, rising, the stream washes what is located on the trays and dries them.

A self-assembled dryer for vegetables and fruits will become an indispensable assistant summer resident during the season of harvesting and processing. Global network and experience craftsmen offer many such projects, a small part of which can be found here.

With the help of a drying machine you can stock up on delicious and delicious food for the winter. useful preparations from meat, fish, mushrooms, herbs, vegetables and, of course, fruits.

Drying or drying fresh products one of the ancient and still popular methods of canning. Since people first thought about preparing food for future use, many drying methods have been accumulated.

The first and earliest version of such preparation is the use of solar energy. Its main advantage is considered to be the minimum cost. Will be required inexpensive material for baking sheets and periodic stirring, which will not allow the product to stick together.

But there is a minus that largely devalues ​​all the advantages of this method. You will need an even sunny weather , and there are not many such days in our conditions.

Later, but also old method, use of a Russian stove. Several bricks are laid inside, on which a baking tray with herbs, fruits, berries, mushrooms, and other fruits is placed. Alternatively, the same products are hung in bunches near the stove. However, in current conditions, not every home has a stove.

With the advent gas stoves A similar principle of conservation began to be used in city apartments. A baking tray or wire rack is placed in the oven; the process takes place over low heat with the door open. Despite all the advantages, you have to pay for gas, it’s not too expensive, but still a minus for the family budget.

More effective option homemade dryer, collected from available funds according to one of the proven schemes. With this method, a number of nuances are observed, without which it is impossible to preserve nutritional properties any product. In this case:

• an optimal temperature regime is ensured, which removes moisture from fruits, meat or fish;
• conditions are created for the necessary circulation of air flows, which eliminate excess humidity inside the drying chamber;
• takes place rational organization her internal space, which makes it possible to correctly place the maximum number of products;
• everything that is inside the structure is reliably protected from insects, dust, and other external factors that could negatively affect the content.

At the same time Most of the vitamins and nutrients are retained, the danger of botulism, the bacteria of which multiply in a humid environment, is minimized, and the risk of mold development is reduced.

Features of drying devices

To provide listed conditions and the desired result, a homemade drying unit must meet certain technical requirements:

• the temperature inside should be maintained at no more than 70°C, this will ensure maximum dehydration, but will not allow overdrying;
• The volume of the chamber should be calculated not only from the number of products intended for preparation, it is necessary to take into account part of the space for free air circulation;
• the design of the device should allow you to adjust the drying time, with self-assembly This can be achieved by simply moving the trays closer to the source of heat or air currents.

If necessary and if possible, the device can be equipped with heaters and thermostats, electric fans, and other equipment that will make its use more efficient and comfortable.

Types of drying chambers

Do-it-yourself dryers are classified in the same way as their factory-made counterparts. First of all, they need to be divided into devices that use solar energy and electrical devices equipped with shades and fans. The first ones are different

• simplicity of design;
• require a minimum of special knowledge and experience during assembly;
• economical in terms of materials required for assembly and subsequent operation.

Despite the variety of such devices, their design is generally the same. This is a closet different sizes, usually made of wood, with ventilation holes, glass walls around the perimeter or on one side to allow heat to enter. More complex device have their counterparts that use electricity. According to the principle of operation, they are divided into conventional electric dryers of convective or infrared method heating and dehydrators, where the function of precise temperature adjustment is provided, which leads to complete dehydration of the product.

Convective

In this option, drying occurs with a directed flow of heated air. The design provides a shadow that can be located above, below or in a horizontal plane.

The easiest way to make such a device is to assemble a chamber, install a heater and a fan heater in it. However, the quality of processing becomes a victim of design simplicity. The fruits are dried from the outside, retaining moisture in the core. They are not suitable for long-term storage, because they quickly become moldy, they pose a risk of contracting botulism. This disadvantage can be minimized by longer drying times, but this leads to the loss of a significant part of the beneficial properties and increases energy consumption.

Infrared

These devices use infrared radiation, the impact of which is as close as possible to that of the sun. The effect occurs more evenly, vitamins and microelements are better preserved. Drying results are better suited for long terms storage

A serious advantage in favor of this variety is low energy consumption. But here there is a higher risk of making mistakes, drying out the products and losing their beneficial properties.

It is more difficult to assemble such a device; you will have to select a suitable infrared emitter and choose a scheme for its correct placement.

Translated into human language, installations of this type are called a dehydrator. The design of these devices is designed for maximum moisture removal. Despite the fact that the same term is often used to refer to conventional dryers, the difference between them lies in the presence of a thermostat that controls the temperature.

Thanks to such design improvements, drying occurs in optimal conditions in acceptable short terms. Such a device best suited for curing beef, pork or fish. Result: maximum free from moisture, evenly dried, able to preserve consumer properties to next harvest and longer. But to assemble a dehydrator with your own hands, you cannot do it with improvised means; you will need additional equipment.

Required materials

You need to start making your own drying unit with a drawing and preparation necessary tools. For the simplest designs, an approximate diagram is sufficient; more complex ones will require detailed elaboration. individual elements devices. The set of tools also depends on the complexity of the project, but most likely the required items on the list will be:

• hacksaw and plane;
• different types of screwdrivers and hammer;
• drill and pliers;
• soldering iron;
• level;
• brush for painting.

Materials are also selected based on the project and the selected type of device. For the convective model you will need:

• bars for the frame and sheets of plywood for sheathing;
• the same materials are suitable for assembling trays;
• fine mesh;
• canopies for sashes and screws for fastening;
• electric fans with shades or 150 W incandescent lamps;
• wire with plug for connecting to the network.

For body infrared device The same materials will do, but instead of shades or lamps with fans you will need to purchase:

• film, which is used to heat floors;
• terminals, clamps and grommets;
• insulation in bitumen and PVC versions.

The simplest structures are assembled from minimum set components. It's all the same wooden materials for the body, in addition to which glass or polycarbonate will be required.

Step-by-step construction of a drying cabinet

Since the solar and electrical varieties a dryer is enough constructive nuances, the assembly sequence of each of them needs to be considered separately.

Solar

The simplest version of such a structure consists of a plywood body with glass doors and shelves inside. It installs with sunny side at an angle so that the heat has maximum effect on the inner chamber.

1. First you need to cut the plywood sheets according to required sizes. Ventilation holes are cut out in the sheets that will be located at the top and bottom.
2. Next, the cabinet is assembled, fixing the joints with self-tapping screws, which are screwed into bars. Racks are attached to the outside of the side walls, calculating the angle of inclination of the cabinet so that the sun covers the interior cavity as much as possible at midday.
3. The back side is sutured metal sheet, which will enhance the thermal effect. The ventilation holes at the top and bottom are covered with a mosquito net.
4. On the side walls, with inside screw the supports under the shelves with self-tapping screws. They must be attached at a pre-calculated angle, in accordance with the position of the cabinet.
5. When this stage of work is completed, the cabinet can be painted. Interior must be painted black, which accumulates heat. The outer one is white, which is highly reflective.
6. While the paint dries, you can start assembling the trays. Their frame is assembled from bars with a mandatory crossbar in the middle, which will strengthen the structure. The bottom of each tray is sewn with mesh, which will ensure free flow of heated air.
7. A frame is made for the front side, the dimensions of which must correspond to the perimeter of the cabinet. A polycarbonate sheet or glass is fixed on top of it.
   When outer frame ready and fixed in working position, the dryer for fruits, vegetables, mushrooms and herbs is ready for use.

Electric

For assembly electric version You don't have to assemble the cabinet from scratch. An old cabinet or small cabinet of sufficient size will do just fine. Some craftsmen adapt old refrigerators for these purposes. Let's consider the option from a cabinet, as the simplest in terms of labor costs.

1. Depending on the location of the fan, the upper or lower plane of the bedside table must be equipped with holes; the more such holes, the better the circulation of air flows. If its fixation is provided on the back side, ventilation holes are made in the door.
2. In the next step, we line the walls with material that will maintain the temperature regime.
3. Then, on the inside, we attach the guides on which the trays will be located. We assemble the latter from slats and sew them up with mosquito netting.
4. On the back side we cut out a hole with a diameter for a fan heater or a couple of holes for incandescent lamps. If an infrared heat source is expected, we cover the back wall with a film prepared in advance. The cord for power supply is brought out.
5. To turn a regular dryer into a dehydrator, add a thermostat to the circuit and take the control elements outside.
6. You can close an improvised dryer with an old door; if it doesn’t exist or it doesn’t fit, we assemble a simple frame and cover it with plywood with a large number holes. Don't forget to install a latch or hook to prevent the door from opening during operation.
7. After this, all that remains is to place the assembled trays inside the chamber and the apparatus can be considered ready for testing.

As you can see, in order to build a dryer with your own hands, you don’t need to special effort, and there are many benefits from this device. You can make a dryer yourself from scrap materials without spending a lot of money. Use our tips and instructions and enjoy your vitamins at any time of the year.

Fruits are a source of pectins and vitamins, the consumption of which provides the body with the necessary nutrients. But fresh fruits are available only in the warm season. You can prepare them for the winter through a certain processing, which involves two options. Vegetables and fruits are canned or dried.

A fruit dryer is an excellent device that you can build with your own hands at minimal financial cost.

Today the second method is preferable. A fruit dryer is an excellent device that you can build with your own hands at minimal financial cost.

General structure of the dryer

The principle of operation of the dryer is the effect of increased air flow on crushed fruits. As a result metabolic processes in the fruits are activated, the moisture leaves, and they dry out faster. There are three types of dryers, each of which has its own device.

The design of a standard dryer consists of 4 main parts:

• fan;
• housings;
• tray for fruits and vegetables;
• electric motor.

Operation solar dryer based on the penetration of rays through transparent material and heating the sheet placed on back wall. This contributes to an increase in the temperature inside the device, when the indicator can reach 50°C. Fruits and vegetables dry out when exposed to such conditions. Thanks to good ventilation, moisture is removed outside, which prevents the formation of mold on the fruit. Cold penetrates from the underside of the structure air flow, it heats up in the body and comes out through the top hole.

This dryer consists of:

• wooden case;
• trays for crushed fruits;
• transparent polycarbonate cover.

The infrared dryer is a multifunctional, convenient device. It can be rolled up. This will make storing the device much easier. If necessary, it can also be easily transported. The potential of such a device is 58°C, which allows you to obtain high-quality dried fruits. This device will also successfully cope with the function of a heater.

The structural elements of such a dryer are as follows:

• infrared film;
• case from a box;
• transformer;
• wiring.

There may be doubts about the feasibility of making a dryer. After all, if the fruits are placed in a regular attic, after a certain period of time they will reach the required state. This option does not require effort or financial investment. But it also has a drawback. Vegetables and fruits in this case will attract insects. It is impossible to prevent this situation from occurring, since constant contact with air is necessary for the fruit to dry completely. Accordingly, they cannot be placed in sealed packaging.

It is certainly possible to process fruits special composition so that insects lose interest in them. But the taste properties of the fruit change. In addition, after such processing, fruits retain chemical components in their structure, and they can no longer be called completely safe.

Important! Drying is the most acceptable way to stockpile supplies to enrich your diet with vitamins for the winter.

Required tools and materials

For construction you will need professional tools

There are several options for making the structure. To get a regular dryer, you need to prepare:

• materials for the body. This could be plywood sheets measuring 60 cm x 80 cm or an old refrigerator;
• metal mesh;
• trays;
• fan with motor or 2 incandescent lamps with a power of 150 W;
• self-tapping screws

For an infrared dryer you will need:

• electrical cable with switch and plug;
• film 100 cm x 50 cm, intended for heated floors;
• bitumen and PVC insulation;
• 2 terminals, 2 grommets, 2 clamps;
• soldering iron;
• metal bar.

The solar dryer is made using materials and tools such as:

• wooden beams;
• metal sheet;
• mosquito net;
• black paint;
• polycarbonate or glass;
• lining or plywood;
• brush;
• self-tapping screws;
• level.

Step-by-step instructions for making a dryer for vegetables and fruits with your own hands

Each variation of performance drying cabinet has its own characteristics, so making a choice in favor of one design or another is entirely your right. Let us consider in turn the procedure for constructing each type of drying device.

Regular

To build a conventional structure, it is first necessary to prepare the body. Next you need to do the following manipulations:

Infrared device

Infrared dryer assembly diagram

The process of constructing such a dryer is quite simple and will not take much time. As heating element used Mylar film. You will also need two lattice boxes made of plastic material. All actions come down to the following aspects:

1. We trim the supporting corners and walls so that the products do not come into contact with the heating element.
2. From cardboard we cut out 3 bases for holders of infrared parts.
3. Radiation from the heaters comes in two directions. To direct it to the fruit, you should use food foil, which will act as a reflector.
4. We glue the cardboard.
5. The heating elements must be connected to the transformer. The wires are connected using flat connectors, insulation tape and pliers. This method will allow you to do without soldering.
6. The edges of the wires are connected and crimped with a connector. The electrical tape will help prevent moisture from entering.
7. When connected to a transformer, there are 4 connectors for each polarity. For convenience, wires of different colors should be used.
8. Then the whole system is assembled.
9. The transformer is connected to the network.
10. This completes the work.

Solar design

This device option makes it possible to use solar energy for drying fruits. As a result of this natural process fruit saves everything beneficial properties. So, the construction of the structure occurs in this order:

Rules for using a homemade dryer

The rules for using a solar dryer boil down to the following aspects:

1. To obtain dried fruits, they should be cut into small pieces, place on trays and place in the housing.
2. It is impossible to immediately influence them with a stream of air. Fruits and vegetables should lie in the device for 3-4 days, only after this time can the drying process begin.
3. One of necessary conditions high-quality drying of fruits is the presence of a certain temperature regime in the design. It should not be raised prematurely. To do this, the walls of the dryer are covered with thermal insulation material. The temperature level should be between 40°C-50°C and not exceed this figure. Otherwise, the vitamin content in fruits will be significantly reduced.
4. The solar structure is installed at a slight angle so that the rays fall on the structure. To do this, the dryer is leaned against any suitable surface. Can be attached to the sides of the body metal pipes, which will act as a support.
5. It is recommended to use mesh material to make shelves so that air can circulate freely throughout the dryer. A mosquito net will do.

Video: an alternative option for constructing a fruit dryer

It is well known that fruits that have been exposed to heat lose a significant part of their nutrients. Get the most healthy products will allow a method of drying fruits and vegetables. This is how they save nutritional value, being at room temperature, and take up relatively little space. We told you how to make a device that will help you prepare fruits. Use our instructions and enjoy vitamins even in the cold season.