Drying question

[barbear]

Anyone tried dehydrating ( Food dehydrator) for drying bud? Just a thought.

barbear Reviewed by barbear on 11-29-2009. Drying question Anyone tried dehydrating ( Food dehydrator) for drying bud? Just a thought. Rating: 5

[420barista]

from all I have seen on here. The best way to dry and cure would not be in a food dehydrator. I recon it would'nt be because the dehydrator would simply dry the bud too quickly to properly cure. of course I may be wrong but I have done alot of reasearch. and if left in a dehydrator too long it may be too dry and brittle to the touch. I feel if your looking to smoke it the taste is what will lack drying like this. Plus how much bud could one cram in a dehydrator? the units i have seen for home use look too small to be of any use. dependent on the number of plants your going to do.

[barbear]

Thanks, I think I'll just try with one or two low qual buds and see what happens. We have dehydrators that have 32 and 16 circular trays that we use for tomatoes etc during the veg season. They retain 95% of the taste when dried. That's what got me curious. I'm hoping that controlled environment and timing might increase the quality of my bud. (Plus, I won't have to hang them in the barn for the neighbors to try!) Thanks for the input. pbwy

[420barista]

well Im not sure if you mean that your dehydrators have 16 inch or 16 trays and the same for 32, inch or trays. and how does your dehydrator work? does it use any heat or fans to hurry the drying? if so i would not use them unattended I would monitor the buds hourly and dry them till the stems cleanly snap then cure them in mason jars for 1-2 weeks to draw the remaining moisture from the center to the dried outer area. and im sure as you have read to burp the jars daily. i feel doing it this way preserves the intensity of the bud and the flavor.
What I am going to try, is once the buds are sufficently cured and dried, I read on another thread not sure if it was this board or another that vacuum sealing the jars will preserve the bud for months or years and when opened they will be as fresh as the day you vacuum sealed them.
And to vacuum seal them in the mason jars do it like your actually canning peaches or something to that effect. what I recall of the person who did this, Is that they filled the sink with hot tapp water. and let the jar sit in the pool of water which should be no more than half the jars height. I tend to think if the water level was higher the jars would float and tip over and soak the weed. but by letting the jars sit in the hot water for 10-15 min then sealing the jar and put in the freezer for 15 min. check the jar and see if he center button is depressed. if it is you have a good seal and good vacuum so when you open the jar months or years down the road the bud will be as tasty as when you stored them. if the cener buton isnt depressed then you need to redo to get it right. God I wish I could give credit to the poster I read this from but was so thrilled when i first read it cause it makes some good sense to do.

[barbear]

Thanks for input 420Barista. Our dehydrators are 14w"x16"h and 32"h. circular and each tray is 1"h. Removable so we can rearrainge the sequence for more even drying. Works great for veggies and jerky etc. Mild heat from the bottom and a small fan for circulation, (top is vented). We've canned for years and we use a wire rack immersed with the jars inserted so there is no tip-over problems. Than method will vacuum pack and keep products much longer than just having the items in a jar. However, an easier, less labor intensive method is to use a Foodsaver vacuum sealer. It can vacuum-pack mason jars (straight walled) in a fraction of the time it takes to water bath the jars. I will be trying this method with bud after I get my drying system down pat. I'm goin for maximum flavor and no mold problems. I grow Med for my wife and "Do no harm" is my motto. Thanks again for the input. I'll dry a coupla buds and see what happens. I'll keep the thread posted. pbwy

[Farmer Rich]

Don\'t use the dehydrator, you\'re bud will likely taste pretty bad.

Me, I hang it for about 4-5 days, cut the buds off the stems and put in paper bags until dry. After this, it\'s in jars for the cure..

The bud out of the paper bags will definitely be smokeable, but it will taste much better after it\'s had a little time in the jar. Don\'t forget to burp the jars 3-4 times a day for at least the first week dependent on moisture.

Peace,

Farmer Rich

[TC42o]

if you havent used the dehydrater yet - STOP IN YOUR TRACKS

the slow cure and the natural slow breakdown of clorophyll are what gives the delicate smooth flavors to top notch bud.

check the last post in this thread

http://boards.cannabis.com/outdoor-g...-dry-cure.html

[barbear]

Excellent!! Read the last post and agree. I've been harvesting/curing close to that method but qualified refinement is always welcome. Thanks for the replies. pbwy

[TruePyroman]

gotta give time for the chlorophyll to break down, otherwise if you dry out your stuff too fast it's gonna taste horrible. I've got experience.

if you need to smoke like right meow, then cut up the buds into small peices, place on alumiunum foil, and heat in toaster oven or something, I place mine for 180* for about 20 mins, I open it every 5 mins to let the moisture out.

[Cyclonite]

dehydrator is the best way as far as quick drying a smoke sample gos...keep the temp nice and low 90 is good