Growing At-Risk Medicinal Herbs, Cultivation, Conservation and Ecology Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is essential for any serious medicinal herb grower or for those simply interested the history and conservation of at risk medicinal plants. Many of the plants addressed in this book are somewhat difficult to cultivate but Richo imparts his observations and experience accrued from a lifetime of experience in the field to the reader, effectively facilitating their propagation. The botanical information alone is much more exhaustive than anything that I've encountered anywhere else.
Besides need for individuals to cultivate at-risk medicinals for the sake of conservation, one will find that many of these plants are mainstays in the arsenal of any respectable herbalist. For those of us who prefer to cultivate our own medicinal plants, this book is an essential resource. Also Richo offers seeds, root cuttings, and live plants detailed in this book from his seed company, Horizon Herbs. In my encounters with him, I have found him to be extremely gracious and helpful in answering any questions that I have had.
I am including a list of all of the herbs which are addressed in this book as that seemingly pertinent bit of information is lacking from Amazon's description:
Black Cohosh
Bloodroot
Blue Cohosh
Echinacea
American Ginseng
Goldenseal
Kava Kava
Lady's Slipper Orchid
Lomatium
Osha
Peyote
Slippery Elm
Stillingia
Sundew
Trillium
False Unicorn
True Unicorn
Venus Flytrap
Virginia Snakeroot
American Wild Yam
Note: While completing this review, I discovered that it is no longer offered from Horizon Herbs, from whence I purchased my copy. However, it is offered on another major site that sells used books for under $20. I would assume that it is currently out of print, so please don't hesitate in securing a copy for yourself!


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This book is about plant conservation through cultivation. These plants are becoming rare because their native habitat is shrinking and because they are challenging to grow. Growing "at-risk" medicinal plants depends on conserving or creating the environment that harbors them. It is my sincere hope that gardeners and conservationists will use this book to help preserve wild places and as solid ground for fostering and protecting our irreplaceable native medicinal plants.

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Growing Herbs: For the Maritime Northwest Gardener (Cascadia Gardening Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been growing plants and herbs (and using them also) since before I can remember, but, still living in the Northwest there are a few problems when herbs and such are involved, and trying to grow them successfully. I also have a ton of books on growing cultivating etc. But in my opinion, and this is just personal mind you from being up in the foothills of the Cascade Moutains and experiencing the climatic buggaboos that you will get here, this book is the best I have found. If you live in the Northwest specificly on the western side of the Cascades you HAVE to get this book.

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This comprehensive guide is all you need to successfully cultivate, harvest, and preserve culinary herbs in the maritime Northwest. Plan your own herb garden or choose one of seven designs, from a coloful basket of edible flowers to a fragrant landscape of twenty-four kitchen herbs.

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Morel Hunting: How to Find, Preserve, Care for, and Prepare the Wild Mushrooms Review

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(More customer reviews)Last year my family and I became addicted to this sport and have been anxiously awaiting spring. While trying to learn as much as we can in preparation for the season, we came across this newly released book. I recieved it yesterday, and armed with a pink highlighter I spend several hours poring through this practical guide, reading and marking it into the late night.
The authors are mushroom "chasers" (people who follow mushrooms north as the season progresses)from the midwest, seasoned guides who conduct seminars, teachers of classes on the subject and clearly experts in their field. This book was exactly what I needed, answering many questions I have had regarding picking locations which are likely to host morels, providing suggestions and information about hunting on public land, and efficient methodologies to utilize on the hunt. Consise information regarding timing, the order in which the different types of Morels appear, along with specific information regarding where you will most likely find each variety is invaluable. Additionally, great descriptions and tips to identify trees, had me unconscientously scoping out possible locations while I was out and about this moring. Information about simple drying and storage methods and a handful of recipes help to round out this book. This book is packed with tips and information for the novice like me, but I bet that even the most seasoned hunter stands to learn a lot.

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Identifying the most popular wild mushroom and distinguishing them from false morels
Color photos and full descriptions of the 5 morel types--black morels, half-cap, and gray, yellow, and big-foot--for easy identification
When and where to hunt to find the most morels in season
Hunting morels by tree type
Cleaning, preserving, and drying morels
Basic cooking techniques--plus special recipes

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Canning and Preserving Your Own Harvest: An Encyclopedia of Country Living Guide Review

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(More customer reviews)Canning & Preserving Your Own Harvest is a no-nonsense, step-by-step guide to properly (and safely - improper canning can promote food poisoning) preserving one's food, from freezing, drying, and canning to creating a root cellar, making fruit preserves, pickling, and much more. The second half of Canning & Preserving Your Own Harvest is devoted to recipes that make delectable use of one's preserved food! A "must-have", user-friendly guide for anyone interested in preserving what they have grown themselves, Canning & Preserving Your Own Harvest is highly recommended.

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Equipped with the knowledge of when to harvest, how to harvest, and what supplies are needed, anyone can learn what it means to create authentic, old-fashioned recipes in this age of grocery-store dependence. Carla Emery's in-depth knowledge comes from her years spent with farmers and homesteaders who truly lived off the land. Organized by food categories, this book — culled from and expanding on sections in the famed Encyclopedia of Country Living — features a wealth of recipes, each preceded by a discussion of our changing motivation as food consumers along with detailed explanations of the processes behind canning and preserving. From drying to pickling to freezing, Emery's preserving methods are as broad in scope as the recipes themselves. Do-it-yourselfers can welcome summer's arrival with chunky peach jam and oven-dried tomatoes, or host a fall harvest with fresh herb bouquets and smoked chicken. Step-by-step instructions, charts, and informational sidebars make the process easy and enjoyable.

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The City Homesteader: Self-Sufficiency on Any Square Footage Review

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(More customer reviews)Every human takes up space, not just to live but for its sustenance. "The City Homesteader: Self-Sufficiency on Any Square Footage" is a guide for being as self-sufficient as possible when space is at a premium, such as in a packed city. In the modern age, rediscovering self-sufficiency may be what's needed to keep the world able to feed us all, and Scott Meyer walks readers through everything they need to know to embrace this practice through growing a little of their own, food preservation, even raising chickens and much more. For anyone who is looking to make their drain on the world a little less, "The City Homesteader" is an excellent read, well worth considering.


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The City Homesteader is the handbook for the world of self-sufficient living. It's about living tangibly in a virtual world. It's about being resourceful, saving money, reducing consumption, and increasing self-reliance. Join the many who are raising backyard chickens in the city and tilling their side yards: tapping into natural energy, managing homes more efficiently, and getting back to the earth.
Explore the homesteading arts: gardening on small and large scales, raising dwarf fruit trees, sprouting grains, smoking meats and fish, grinding grains for flour, making cheese, making wine, cellaring, heating without fossil fuel, harvesting rainwater, composting, and much moreThe City Homesteader provides all the basics, including how to find supplies and step-by-step instructions that make it easy to follow along. Original illustrations throughout help you create your very own homestead on any piece of earth.

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The Northwest Herb Lover's Handbook: A Guide to Growing Herbs for Cooking, Crafts, and Home Remedies Review

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(More customer reviews)This is Mary Preus' second book about herbs. The first, "Growing Herbs", covered the basics but was limited in scope. This book expands on the first, guiding the reader deeper into the world of herbs as well as describing 50 of the best-known herbs in detail. While the book is focussed on growing herbs in the Pacific Northwest, it would be a useful book for herb lovers anywhere.
The writer was for 20 years owner of the Silver Bay Herb Farm in Washington State. In the first 80 pages of the book she shares her extensive knowledge of herb growing basics and of using herbs for cooking, healing and crafts. She includes plenty of recipes that are both imaginative and practical. In this section also she explains how to plan and build different types of herb gardens, and how to harvest and preserve herbs.
Most of the book, however, is a detailed look at 50 species of herbs. The writer includes information about planting, propagation, pets and diseases, harvesting and uses for cooking, healing and crafts. I particularly liked the information about the chemical elements found in each species and their value in balanced healing and a healthy diet.
This is a thoughtfully written book from a knowledgeable and experienced herb gardener. The book ends with a calendar of seasonal tasks in the herb garden, a list of the herb gardens open in the region, sources for plants and seeds, and publications and societies of interest to herb gardeners.

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The soothing smell of lavender, rosemary's piney flavor,the bright colors of nasturtiums . . . herbs are wonderful things! Inthis handsome volume, Mary Preus provides a delightful entree into theworld of herbs with detailed instructions on how to grow 50 herbs andhow to enrich your life by using them everyday in an herballifestyle. Easy and delicious recipes, herbal crafts and gifts,landscaping with herbs, traditional and modern medicinal use,aromatherapy-it's all here in the Northwest Herb Lover's Handbook.

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The Urban Homestead (Expanded & Revised Edition): Your Guide to Self-Sufficient Living in the Heart of the City (Process Self-reliance Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've read various books on self-sufficiency in the past ten years, but this one is different. First, it doesn't tell you how to recreate a 19th-century homestead, which is beginning to seem to me like another version of faux chateaux, but which also is not going to work very well if it is not surrounded by other 19th-century homesteads. And it doesn't describe what you can do "some day" when you get your five acres and independence. Instead, it focuses on what you can do right now in your own city to become more self-sufficient and sustainable. That makes it unique.
The reviewer who said that this is not a compendium of how-tos is right. It is more of an idea book, although there are many references to sources of detailed info about, for instance, raising ducks. But the problem with other self-sufficiency books I have run across is precisely that they are NOT idea books--that they become absorbed with one particular way of growing food, for instance, or one particular way of heating your (19th-century farm) house. There is nothing about woodstoves or woodlots in here.
This is the first book on self-sufficiency I have seen that directly addresses the fear that underlies the desire many people have to become more independent of the economy--the fear of some apocalypse, social collapse, disaster, etc., which they here dub "when the zombies come." I loved that they use humor to address that fear. There is a LOT of humor in this book; it's almost worth reading just for that.
Other books on self-sufficiency focus on being isolated and seeing other people as the enemy. I read one that recommended you get a house in a dip that no one can see from the road. They'll tell you how much ammunition to squirrel away with your self-heating lasagne rations. This one tells you to get to know your neighbors, because there is strength not in isolation but in community, where we can trade not only stuff like food, but our skills. In that way, it is similar to Food Not Lawns, but much as I admire the ideas in that book, this one offers ideas that are much more doable, I think, for most people.
It is a bit strange that Amazon is bundling this book with Gardening When It Counts, since that book recommends using extra-wide spacing to grow vegetables in situations where you do not have irrigation, and space is a real problem when you are growing on a city lot. Gardening that is a bit more intensive works better in that situation. But Gardening When It Counts is good in the way it ranks veggies by growing difficulty.

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The expanded, updated version of the best-selling classic, with a dozen new projects.

"A delightfully readable and very useful guide to front- and back-yard vegetable gardening, food foraging, food preserving, chicken keeping, and other useful skills for anyone interested in taking a more active role in growing and preparing the food they eat."-BoingBoing.net

"...the contemporary bible on the subject."-The New York Times

This celebrated, essential handbook shows how to grow and preserve your own food, clean your house without toxins, raise chickens, gain energy independence, and more. Step-by-step projects, tips, and anecdotes will help get you started homesteading immediately.The Urban Homesteadis also a guidebook to the larger movement and will point you to the best books and Internet resources on self-sufficiency topics.

Written by city dwellers for city dwellers, this copiously illustrated, two-color instruction book proposes a paradigm shift that will improve our lives, our community, and our planet. By growing our own food and harnessing natural energy, we are planting seeds for the future of our cities.

Learn how to:

Grow food on a patio or balcony
Preserve or ferment food and make yogurt and cheese
Compost with worms
Keep city chickens
Divert your grey water to your garden
Clean your house without toxins
Guerilla garden in public spaces
Create the modern homestead of your dreams

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The Complete Guide to Food Preservation: Step-by-step Instructions on How to Freeze, Dry, Can, and Preserve Food (Back to Basics Cooking) Review

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(More customer reviews)"The Complete Guide to Food Preservation: Step-by-Step Instructions on How to Freeze, Dry, Can, and Preserve Food" is a comprehensive book covering the in's and out's of safely packaging food for long-term storage. Author Angela Williams Duea displays an obvious passion for the subject and vividly describes the various aspects of the selection, preparation, and combinations of certain foods so that they may be stockpiled. Whether you are looking to preserve food in order to save money, to have organic options at your disposal, or you are saving the extra from your garden, this book has more than enough information to get you well on the way to your culinary and storage goals.
"The Complete Guide to Food Preservation" is extremely thorough and meticulous in its descriptions of the full range of possibilities when considering what type of preservation method to utilize. I was almost overwhelmed with what could actually be done with even the simplest of foods! Williams Duea keeps her readers from being totally inundated with information by separating the methodology from the recipes; step by step directions for correct preservation processes take up most of the book, structured as easy to find chapters and sections while the actual recipes are located in an appendix. All in all, I found the book to be extremely well organized and edited but I did find two `off' spots. While very minor, one was a caption noting a picture's `bright colors' yet the picture was black and white. The other was a caption about halfway through the book naming the person pictured and what she was doing (ie. `Laura uses her juicer to make fresh and nutritious carrot juice') yet no other picture in the entire book gives such a personal indicator caption; it didn't fit with any of the other pictures and captions which reflect a very general and impersonal feel.
"The Complete Guide to Food Preservation" is the perfect read for anyone interested in saving food for the long-term, regardless of reason. As I am completely inexperienced at any aspect of canning, I found the descriptions and processes easy to follow and am excited to try some of them out for myself. Beginners will love Williams Duea's clearly motivating style and more experienced will find it a useful reference book. An appetizing read!
Reviewed by Vicki Landes, author of "Europe for the Senses - A Photographic Journal"


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Storing food can be a major challenge for any family or individual who wants to increase the amount of food available without spending additional money. With rising food costs, the advent of at home gardening and the potential represented in storing your own food, it is no wonder that freezing, drying, and canning are becoming much more popular. Freezing alone, which the National Freezing and Refrigerated Foods Association has stated can add as much as 600% to the lifespan of many common refrigerated foods, is an easy, available action to anyone, but only if it is done properly. This book will show anyone interested in storing food for future use how to do so to optimize the amount of money saved and minimize the risk of damaging food or spreading food borne illnesses. You will learn how to grow for harvest and how to subsequently handle that harvest with this book s crop by crop guide of everything that you might possibly want to store away. You will learn how freezing works and how to go about organizing your freezing. You will learn the various methods of freezing and why failure occurs. In addition to freezing, you will learn about canning and preserving and how each technically works and what problems you may encounter. All of the equipment you may need is laid out in easy to read charts and you will be shown the various final products you can expect. Experts in food preservation and storage have been interviewed and their commentary has been included here to help you understand what all you will be able to expect from your preserved foods. Learn how to create jellies and jams, pickle vegetables and fruits, dry foods, juice them after storing, and even how to create a simple root cellar for long term storage. No matter your situation, this guide will help you learn how to store multiple forms of vegetables and fruits and to understand how they perform, why failure occurs, and what you need to be successful.

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The Resilient Gardener: Food Production and Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times Review

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(More customer reviews)Incredibly this book does it! It goes into understanding what is going on and why you are doing things...
it's NOT a cookbook recipe but instead covers what it's all about and what makes it work (or not). Most garden books tell you to plant so deep, so far apart, and when. Deppe explores the "why" you plant at a particular depth (how you could alter it depending on your particular set of environmental constraints). Here you learn the intelligent approach to working within your food growing set-up.
Deppe expands the "how and why" depending on the particular planting style you utilized. Do you use a rototiller, a sm tractor, or hand tools?
The creme-de-la creme, is that she discusses growing methods, using the products, and appropriate storage techniques without it being boring and dry.
I'm so tired of the usual: take potatoes and store them. Hmm, how, and what makes a difference on getting a potato to store one month vrs 6 months.
How do I get them out of the ground without damaging them, what does light actually do to them, what can I do with potatoes that start to sprout, etc. are all questions that are covered in her topic discussion. What are the nutrient values, why would I grow this vrs another crop in terms of protein and calorie count. What about water needs: when, why, and how, instead of " water as needed".
Deppe, in essence (AND in a very readable format), brings her depth of knowledge and experience to the table, sharing it so that I have the informational tools to make intelligent decisions. I am able to fine-tune my food production, as needed, to my particular setting. That builds in the resilience that makes my process adaptable to changing conditions... some people would label it as "increased food security"!
This is one book that will fill a huge hole in my gardening library, productively speaking (pun intended)!

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CREATIVE, PRODUCTIVE GARDENING FOR GOOD TIMES AND BAD.
In an age of erratic weather and instability, people's interest in growing their own food is skyrocketing. The Resilient Gardener presents gardening techniques that stand up to challenges ranging from health problems, financial problems, and special dietary needs to serious disasters and climate change.
Scientist and expert gardener Carol Deppe draws from emerging science in many fields to develop the general principles of gardening for resilience. Gardeners will learn through Deppe's detailed instructions on growing, storing, and using the five crops central to self-reliance: potatoes, corn, beans, squash, and eggs.
Learn how to:
Grow food in an era of wild weather and climate change
Garden with little to no irrigation or "store-bought" inputs
Garden efficiently and comfortably (even with a bad back)
Customize your garden to deal with special dietary needs or a need for weight control
Make breads and cakes from home-grown corn using original gluten-free recipes (with no other grains, artificial binders, or dairy products)
Keep a laying flock of ducks or chickens, integrate them with your gardening, and grow most of their feed
And more . . .
The Resilient Gardener is both a conceptual and a hands-on gardening book for all levels of experience. Optimistic as well as realistic, Deppe offers invaluable advice for gardeners (and their communities) to flourish.

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Your Backyard Herb Garden: A Gardener's Guide to Growing Over 50 Herbs Plus How to Use Them in Cooking, Crafts, Companion Planting and More Review

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(More customer reviews)I've always been interested in herbs but I have very little gardening experience. This book will walk you though all the steps you need to take in order to grow your own herbs. I purchased this book along with another which I've never even opened because this book is so good. Talk about user friendly, the charts are simple and the photos are inspiring. You'll find information on planting, preparing, growing and caring for herbs. Also there's a whole section on enjoying your herbs with crafts and cooking. The section I've found most useful is the herb directory. This is the only book you need to get started.

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Everything you need to know about growing your favorite herbs using safe, natural, all-organic methods!Practical tips and advice on all aspects of successful herb growing.A wealth of great ideas and helpful how-to on using herbs in cooking, crafts, cosmetics, health care, insect repellents, and more.Illustrated herb directory featuring all the most popular herbs-- from aloe to yarrow-- each with complete information on growing, care, harvesting, and uses.

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Solar Gardening: Growing Vegetables Year-Round the American Intensive Way (Real Goods Independent Living Book) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book has awesome information for anyone wanting to grow all their own food and become self sufficient.
Also lots of tips for extending the season even if you only grow a few favorites.
Includes growing information on different vegetables, organized into short and long season heat-loving or cold-hardy. Also building instructions for their solar appliances and even the difficulties and learning from their decades of experience growing all their own food.

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The Beginner's Guide to Preserving Food at Home: Easy Techniques for the Freshest Flavors in Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Relishes, Salsas, Sauces, and Frozen and Dried Fruits and Vegetables Review

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(More customer reviews)In today's economy, one of family budget items that is getting more and more expensive are the expenditures for food. Therefore, one of the best ways to economize for a family's food budget is something our grandparents and great-grandparents knew well -- the home canning of fruits and vegetables in season for later consumption. For all too many modern homemakers, home canning is a lost art. That's what makes this newly updated, revised, and expanded third edition of Janet Chadwick's classic instructional manual, "The Beginner's Guide To Preserving Food At Home" is such a critically important and highly recommended addition to both family and community library collections. Here are 231-pages packed with solid and 'user friendly' instructions for canning, freezing, drying, brining, root cellaring vegetables, fruits and herbs for home consumption. Comprehensive, up-to-date, informed and informative, "The Beginner's Guide To Preserving Food At Home" will prove to be one of the most valuable additions any homemaker can acquire and one of the most popular acquisitions any librarian can add as a community resource.

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A wonderful thing is happening in home kitchens. People are rediscovering the joys of locally produced foods and reducing the amount of the grocery budget that's spent on packaged items, out-of-season produce, and heavily processed foods. But fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables don't stay fresh and delicious forever - they must be eaten now . . . or preserved for later.For all the vegetable gardeners facing baskets overflowing with bright tomatoes, and for all the dedicated farmers' market fans and CSA members, The Beginner's Guide to Preserving Food at Home has the simple solutions that turn overwhelming bounty into neatly canned tomatoes, jars of jams and jellies, and crispy-tart relishes and pickles. Organized in a friendly, food-by-food format, readers will find freezing, drying, canning, and storing instructions for each vegetable, fruit, and herb. In many cases, several ways to freeze or can a food are described, and there are often other preserving suggestions as well, such as making juice or fruit leather. Everything is written with busy people in mind: these are the quickest, most efficient methods for preserving summer's bounty. Up-to-date information and clear, step-by-step instructions show even absolute beginners the way to a fully stocked pantry.

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Sproutman's Kitchen Garden Cookbook: 250 flourless, Dairyless, Low Temperature, Low Fat, Low Salt, Living Food Vegetarian Recipes Review

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(More customer reviews)"Sproutman's Kitchen Garden Cookbook" is a great all-purpose book for anyone new to sprouts and sprouting and for the sprout vetran who is looking for more recipes and ideas. The tone is chatty and humourous. The book is a great read cover to cover, but it can also be read a section at a time, in any order.
I received this book as a gift and almost immediately I had trays and bags of sprouts in my kitchen. We've stopped putting lettuce on sandwiches and use various sprouts. Sprouts on salad, in stir-fry, in soup... I've tried several of the recipes with success. The sprout bread is really popular and so are the crunchy sprouts.
One word of caution: sprout bread has neither the flavour nor the texture of bakery bread. It is better. It is sweeter and more satisfying. It is also packed with nutrition. If you are expecting something close to regular bread, you will be disappointed. If you remember that what you are eating is something else entirely, you will love it.

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Turn nuts, vegetable seeds, grains and beans into gourmetfood! Sprouted breads, cookies, crackers, living soups, dressings,dips, spreads, sautes, alternative non-dairy milks, ice-creams, evensprouted pizza and bagels! Chapters on making sprout bread, fooddehydrating, juicing, natural sodas, alternatives to dairy and salt,smart vegetarianism. Glossary of healthy foods. Includes Questions andAnswers and seed resources. Over 150 illustrations, photos & Charts.

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Food Drying Techniques: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-197 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin) Review

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(More customer reviews)they have different ways of how you can dry food in this book. you can even dry food in your car.

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Since 1973, Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletins have offered practical, hands-on instructions designed to help readers master dozens of country living skills quickly and easily. There are now more than 170 titles in this series, and their remarkable popularity reflects the common desire of country and city dwellers alike to cultivate personal independence in everyday life.

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The Solar Food Dryer: How to Make and Use Your Own Low-Cost, High Performance, Sun-Powered Food Dehydrator Review

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(More customer reviews)If you do any kind of homemaking, preserving, growing of your own food, etc., then you absolutely need to get this book! This will give you low-cost and realistic way to preserve your food naturally and in a way that keeps it tasting great! The step-by-step instructions for building the author's food dryer are top-notch and easy to follow, even for the non-mechanically inclined.
My only wish is that the author had included plans for the other food dryers mentioned, though a quick Google will supply this, so it's not really necessary.

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The Solar Food Dryer describes how to use solar energy to dry your food instead of costly electricity. With your own solar-powered food dryer, you can quickly and efficiently dry all your extra garden veggies, fruits, and herbs to preserve their goodness all year long—with free sunshine! Applicable to a wide geography—wherever gardens grow—this well-illustrated book includes:

• Complete step-by-step plans for building a high-performance, low-cost solar food dryer from readily available materials • Solar energy design concepts • Food drying tips and recipes • Resources, references, solar charts, and more

Eben Fodor is an organic gardener with a background in solar energy and engineering. He works as a community planning consultant in Eugene, Oregon.

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STX DEHYDRA 800W-XLS 10 TRAY EXTRA LARGE FOOD DEHYDRATOR WITH 40 HOUR AUTO TIMER Review

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(More customer reviews)After reading tons of reviews on dehydrators and researching them I thought I wanted an Excalibur. I almost settled for a 30 year old Excalibur model when I found this beauty. I LOVE it. It's a nice solid model with 10 trays that fit snugly together. Came packaged very well and arrived quickly. I was weary of investing money in a product that wasn't a company I'd heard of but the other reviews of STX Dehydra models on Amazon let me know that this brand and the company I purchased from were top notch. I bought from Mercatile Station 2 on E-bay for a great price with free shipping for anyone who wants to know. It came within a few days. It comes with a drawer blank that wraps around the front so that you can remove several drawers and make yogurt or rise loaves of bread in it. Handy! Mine was broken but I called and they're shipping out the replacement free of charge. Jim was so helpful and pleasant to talk to. Honestly, the guy even offered that I can call back if I need help with learning how to use it.
I've never written a review before but I felt compelled to let others know about the awesome customer service with this brand. I always look to Amazon for reviews and saw that there were none for this model so I had to comment.
I'm making homemade granola this week from sprouted grains (just waiting for them to sprout)as well as some Neat Balls (meatless meatballs with cashews) and dried fruit. I will update on the functioning of this model and how the food turns out later this week or next when I've used it. For now I wanted to let people know that they can feel good about purchasing this beauty.

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Excalibur 5 - Tray Dehydrator Review

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(More customer reviews)I researched dehydrators for almost 3 months before making a purchase, and asked a LOT of people what features they liked or disliked about their dehydrator. I discovered that the round ones, although seemingly popular (and cheaper) will not dry evenly because the fan is at the bottom, so if you have too many things on the bottom it will not let the proper amount of air above to dry the things on the upper levels - which is a MAJOR drawback! Also lots of the smaller kinds of dehydrators do not have self-timers, which I really wanted because when you're drying something for anywhere from 8 to 24 hours, you don't want to have to remember to check on it to turn it off! Another thing some people mentioned were that some smaller types can be quite noisy, which I wanted to try to avoid as much as possible. There were a few other drawbacks to the smaller and/or cheaper models, but I can't remember them now as it's been several months. One of the things that really caught my attention on the Excalibur was the fact that many people had them from the 70's and they are STILL running - reminds me of a Kitchenaid mixer...
SO - I finally decided that an Excalibur would work best, as they have built-in timers, a very varied temperature range, and the fan is located in the back of the dehydrator instead of at the bottom (which someone has already mentioned). I was also very happy to discover that the trays are dishwasher safe, and very easy to wipe down, otherwise, as well! Well, I finally broke down and clicked the 'purchase' button, and ever since then it's been no regrets!
I have used and used and used my dehydrator for 6 months now and I still have not run into one thing that I dislike about it! It's not very noisy at all - my family often mistakes it for a small fan or the air conditioner blowing. I LOVE the self timer and I don't think I could ever live without it! I can put something in when I go to bed and not have to wake up at 6AM to keep it from over-drying. I just set the timer and 'click': off it goes! I have used it for a whole week, 24 hours a day, 7 days in a row, once before and it ran fine and kept a consistent temperature. My model came with 2 Paraflexx sheets included, and I love those as well, although in some cases I believe wax paper or parchment paper would do just as well.
I have used this to dry rawfoods recipes (although I'm not a rawfoodist, I do enjoy the recipes!), for fruit leathers, made some veggie 'chips', made some strawberry-banana granola, to re-crisp stale chips, to preserve produce that is going bad from the fridge, to make yogurt, to dry sprouted beans and grains... I'm sure there's more... :-) Once you dehydrate something you will be hooked!
Trust me - if you purchase any Excalibur dehydrator you will not be disappointed in any way!

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