Foods from your garden or local farmers market are the freshest, tastiest and most nutritious. But the access to those foods only last for a few weeks or months every year.

The key to extend summer’s bounty of local fresh foods throughout the year is food preservation. While there are several ways to preserve, drying is an outstanding method to maintain the flavor and nutrients.

Although an electric food dehydrator works fine, it does use electricity, makes constant noises and occupies countertop space. A solar food dryer, on the other hand, is quiet and uses free energy from the sun.

If you get two days of sunshine in a row, a solar dryer will work for you. It dries large batches of food in one or two days. It conserves energy and saves you money.

Dried foods are compact and easy to store. They are great to eat straight or to cook with.

You can build an efficient solar dryer easily. The book “The Solar Food Dryer” by Eben Fodor provides information on many designs and building plans for solar dehydrators. Or read his article here.