Sun drying is a natural, economical method of food preservation that maintains a high level of flavor and nutrients and provides an easy-to-store supply of your favorite items. You can dry everything you see dried on the grocery shelf: Dried tomatoes, apricots, pineapple, peaches, prunes, pears, dates, garlic, onion, peppers, spices, raisins, meats, fish, and much more. The sun will turn meat into tasty and nutritious jerky which can be stored indefinitely. Dry and store surplus garden and orchard produce. The freshest, tastiest, and most nutritious food often comes from your own gardens. High quality fruits and vegetables are seasonal and only available for a few weeks or months each year. Sun drying is the key to extending the summer’s precious bounty throughout the year. Expand your garden and grow more of the things you’d like to enjoy year-round, such as tomatoes. Reducing the cost and amount of energy you use for food storage can help your budget. Sun drying is easier and requires less energy than canning. Freezing is commonly viewed as the most convenient preservation method, but freezers require a constant source of electricity and food will be vulnerable to power outages and mechanical failures. Most dried vegetables can be easily rehydrated in soups or by including a bit more water in recipes such as zucchini bread. For great additions to stir-fry and pasta dishes, you also can rehydrate vegetables by soaking them in water for 10 minutes to an hour. You can mix dried fruits with things such as hot cereal or granola to sweeten and increase nutrients. Sun dried fruits can be blended with seeds, nuts, and grains to make nourishing energy bars. Sun dried tomatoes taste sweet and are delicious when eaten plain, made into a tomato pesto, or marinated in olive oil and garlic. Sun drying can improve the flavor of some foods. Bananas are a delicious fruit, but dried bananas are delightful. A Roma tomato is very bland, but when dried, it’s a real tasty treat.

The ideal temperature for drying is between 110 and 150 degrees F. If the temperature goes over 150, it is best to open the glass door for 2 to 5 minutes to allow the temperature to drop and adjust focus so the oven is not directly facing the sun. It is better for the oven temperature to be a bit on the low side. Too high a temperature could cook the food. Many foods will dry in one day of sunshine. Wet foods such as tomatoes or pears or some meat jerky will require a second day. If the drying process is not complete at the end of the day leave the items to be dried in the SUN OVEN® and latch the latches over the glass. This will create an air tight seal suspending the drying overnight and preventing bugs from entering the oven chamber. The drying process can continue the next day.

How it works Solar radiation passes through the clear glass door of the SUN OVEN® allowing enough heat to be trapped inside of the SUN OVEN® to dry the food. As your food dries, moisture rises with the hot air and escapes through the gap between the glass door and the black gasket.