Solar dehydrator?

I was wondering whether it is worth making and using a solar dehydrator in the UK? The other option I'm considering is an excalibur dehydrator. It would be for fruit leathers and summer garden produce harvested around now when the weather is starting to deteriorate.

Does anyone else have experience with dehydrating their own produce?

I built and used a solar drier in the UK. It was based on Dick Strawbridge’s design in “Practical Self Sufficiency” book and worked well for our family at the time. It’s a lot smaller than the designs I’ve seen here on permies. I built it in an afternoon with a kitchen cabinet I found at the tip. However, it was plenty big enough for home grown produce and when there was a glut at the farmers market. I think if I had half an acre of fruit trees I’d build the version I’ve seen on this site.

For those with less solar energy this is best.



http://www.geopathfinder.com/DryerWorkshop5-2011.pdf