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Gardener’s Gift Guide: Kitchen Edition

Kitchen Gifts for Gardeners

This is my fourth year doing a gift guide, and I have to say this guide is my favorite so far. These kitchen gifts for gardeners make life easier, the food tastier, and harvests last longer. I hope you like them as much as I do. 

The goal with most of the vegetables, herbs, and fruit I grow in my garden is to harvest them and bring them into my kitchen. Through the years, I’ve appreciated quality products that last a long time and helped me use and process my garden harvests.  

If you want even more garden gift information, head to my previous gift guides. I share other garden favorites there.


Kitchen gifts for gardeners: Harvest Baskets​ 

I love these harvest baskets so much that after buying the square-shaped one, I bought the rectangle size too. They are perfect for gathering garden harvests and look good sitting in the kitchen. During tomato season, they are usually filled with ripening and ripe tomatoes on my kitchen counter.


Kitchen gifts for gardeners: Herb Scissors

Herb Scissors

Chopping up fresh herbs is so simple with these scissors – no cutting board required. The 5 blades slice the herbs easily and quickly. They are easy to clean and durable too. I bought my herb scissors in 2016 and they look (and work) as well as the day I bought them.


Kitchen gifts for gardeners: Breville Citrus Press​

Citrus season around here is no joke. We process large amounts of lemons, oranges, and grapefruits every year. I bought this citrus press in 2012 during citrus season here in Arizona, and I’ve used it every year sinceThe durable die-cast juicing cone and stainless steel parts are well-made. It is quick, and thorough, and squeezes every drop.


Kitchen gifts for gardeners: Iced Tea Maker​

Iced Tea Maker

I love making large batches of roselle tea all summer long in this pitcher. Put dried roselle in the center infuser and then fill the pitcher with water — about 12 hours later the tea is ready to go. It is easy to clean and durable.


Kitchen gifts for gardeners: Keurig K-Supreme Plus Coffee Maker

Keruig Tea Maker

My kids love this coffee maker for making hot chocolate, but I love using the included “My K-Cup” for making single servings of hot / iced roselle tea and other herbal teas all year long.


Kitchen gifts for gardeners: Produce Saver​

An abundance of fresh produce lasts so much longer when I store it in these containers in the fridge. It’s like magic! They stack easily for storage, but they are usually in my fridge keeping garden harvests fresh.


Kitchen gifts for gardeners: Excalibur Dehydrator

kitchen gifts for gardeners

I recently upgraded to an Excalibur dehydrator. This was a much-needed upgrade. There are plenty of trays, making it easy to process large harvests. Some of my favorite things to dehydrate are gingerpeppersapplesonionstomatoesgreens & herbs.


Kitchen gifts for gardeners: Vitamix Blender​Kitchen gifts for gardeners

After many years of buying and replacing broken blenders, I invested in this Vitamix in 2015. It’s been used almost daily since that time for morning smoothies, grinding dehydrated herbs, chopping veggies, and much more.


Kitchen gifts for gardeners: Compost Bin​

Kitchen gifts for gardeners

This kitchen compost bin earned a spot on my counter in 2015. It looks good and doesn’t smell or attract bugs (the carbon filter helps with that). This makes adding kitchen scraps to my vermicomposting or compost bins easy.


Kitchen gifts for gardeners: Cast Iron Pan​Kitchen gifts for gardeners

Cast iron skillets are classic and last nearly forever. Don’t underestimate the size of this pan. It’s huge! (Make sure it will fit in your oven). But its size is the thing I love most about it. I always use this pan when making large meals for my hungry boys (and their friends). I’ve had my pan since 2012.


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371 comments on "Gardener’s Gift Guide: Kitchen Edition"

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  1. I need a little compost bin! Every time I throw away scraps I wish I could save them for my raised garden bed. And of course I need a dehydrator, I am growing so much garlic for the first time and would love to make my own garlic powder out of it!

    1. I use lots of dried herbs in cooking, especially dried mint and l am growing my own herbs. I purchased a dehydrater hoping that it saves me time and it did but all the smell and flavor was gone. It was a disappointment for me and l hope the Excalibur dehydrater can keep the flavor and the nice smell of the herbs while drying them.
      Also, a little composter bin would be a perfect gift for me.

      1. Definitely will be dehydrating everything I can if I won the dehydrator! Love Citrus, lemons, lime, oranges! Possibilities are endless!

  2. Loving the idea of this dehydrator. I think I would try to dehydrate just about everything haha! First order of business: herbs! Preservation and stocking up!

    1. The dehydrator looks slick and amazing! If we win this, we will use it to dehydrate fresh figs from our black mission fig tree!

    1. I have been seeing this dehydrator all over YouTube. I would love a chance to win one. Thank you for this opportunity!

  3. Thanks for sharing this gift guide! I would love a dehydrator for all the herbs and fruit in my garden. I also would love to make some jerky.

    1. Honestly- I would want to dehydrate grapes first beccccause I think my kids would get a kick out of that result. Other then that- other fruits especially and peas!

  4. I would LOVE to dehydrate our chamomile in a tray that doesn’t have huge holes for the flowers to fall through!

    1. Love all of these ideas Angela. I had no idea there were so many things! Also your Insta account is what led me here.
      Hope to be in the running for the dehydrator!
      Keep up all the wonderful inspiration!

      1. A dehydrater that big…wow.. Sun dried TOMATOES!! Honestly everything everyone has already commented on is also on my list to dehydrate too

      2. I’ve been wanting want of these for quite some time now! I would definitely use this to dehydrate my grapefruit, blood oranges, lemons and navel oranges.

        1. I grew up with a dehydrator and would love to have one myself! I would dehydrate my apricots and peaches, herbs, and figs, and also make “fruit leather” from scratch like my mom used to do. :))

    2. I would love a dehydrator to dry herbs and fruits! It will be the answer to helping me store the garden crops for year round use!

    3. We would love to have this dehydrator. So many things from the garden to dehydrate. Right now I would use it for peppers.

    1. This is such a wonderful gift. We would love to add this to our kitchen to extend our love of using everything we grow such as apples, kale, radishes, tomatoes, and much more. Our kids(4 in the brude) love to experiment with the foods we grow, from cooking to canning, this would be a great addition.

  5. Ooh I would love to get a dehydrator going. I really think I would put tomatoes and carrot slices in there. And maybe banana?

    We also have loads of chili peppers, it would be great to dry them out!

      1. I’ve wanted and infamous Excalibur for over 15 years! I would dehydrate lots of things (tomatoes, plums, apples, grapes) but smoked peppers are at the tippy top of my list!

  6. Oh boy, need that dehydrator. I had so many apples this year that I totally would put it to a good use! Love crisp apple chips!

  7. Hello you! It would be amazing to win the dehydrator for all different kinds of foods, but especially tomatoes, mushrooms and apricots! Greetings and lots of health 🙂

    1. I would love the dehydrator! I would try to make fruit leathers and of course dried apples and bananas. I would also try to dehydrate tea flowers and roselle! This was my first year growing roselle after seeing you grow them, so I decided to try it out.
      For gifts, I love the basket and citrus press. I always end up using my shirt when I go for “just a walk” through the garden! We live in Arizona too, so there’s pretty much endless lemons and you never know how much you need a press until you actually need it lol.

    1. As a child I remember my grandmother & aunt would dehydrate fruit for all the kids. I’ve always wanted a dehydrator of my own. I was planning on getting one until severe autoimmune disease took over my life and I lost my wonderful career. I would so love to make home made fruit leather & dehydrated fruit for my grandchildren the way my dear grandma did for me!

  8. So many good kitchen items! I’d dehydrate lots of things But peppers, fruit, mushrooms, & venison jerky are some of the first things that come to mind

  9. Great gift guide! I would love the dehydrator, my kids love dehydrated fruit. Would love to dehydrate any excess garden goodies!

    1. Living in Arizona now, I miss my fruit orchard so I would dry all the tree fruit I could find at the lowest cost I can find. Apples, apricots, peaches and plums are on the list plus all the herbs from my new flourishing herb garden. Thank you Jenny for all your amazing help adapting to Arizona gardening!

  10. I would love to dehydrate our herbs and citrus peels. Most importantly though, being able to make dried fruits and fruit leathers with my toddler. He loves helping and this would be a great way to keep the gardening interest growing strong!

  11. Thank you for sharing! I have a cheap nesco dehydrator that I use for citrus slices, zest, apple chips, pepper mash into flakes, and all types of herbs. I would love a bigger one for plantains and rosemary!

  12. We’d love a bigger Excalibur! We’d dehydrate peppers, garlic, and herbs from our garden to keep the pantry stocked with our own spices and herbs!

  13. Great list and what a fantastic giveaway! I would love to start dehydrating cherry tomatoes next season as well as various peppers to make my own spice blends!

  14. I love this guide! I need a compost bin! I’m a newbie gardener of 2 years and recent chicken owner! I’ve done vermicomposting also but want to try in ground this year. I’d love to have a dehydrator for longer term storage and using up my items before they go bad! I’ve had an abundance of peppers & jalapeño. I’d also love to make jerky, do dried fruits, heck I’d love to dehydrate my sourdough starter to have some for long term and sharing!

  15. I would love to dehydrate my herbs and we have a ton of fruit trees I’d like to be able to store in different ways!

  16. Love this, thanks so much. I’d use to dry freshly harvested herbs to keep their nutritional/medicinal content and of course do the same with mushrooms. Havr not tried using a dehydrator yet✨✨

  17. Oh such great ideas. I’ll be forwarding this blog to my husband for Christmas ideas. Lol I think with that dehydrator I’d help my Mom preserve her bountiful garden. She just bought a property in Arizona that has 15 stone fruit trees and about 8 apple trees !! Possibilities are endless !!!

  18. Thanks for sharing! This was my first year REALLY gardening and had such an abundance or peppers and tomatoes! The dehydrator would be a great option to preserve those. Oh and herbs would also be on the list.

  19. Great guide! I would love to dehydrate my herbs. Also planning to try growing roselle next year and definitely would dehydrate some of those.

  20. Would love to dehydrate different plant medicines I gather around my home. I use the sun drying method during summer but colder months I need a dehydrator.

  21. What an amazing giveaway! Thank you!!

    If I win this dehydrator, I plan on using it for everything. Literally.

    However, I’m most excited to use it for my home grown persimmons. The tree has been on our property for over 40 years. My grandma brought a cutting from one of her prized persimmon trees before she moved her family here from South Korea.

    The tree is prolific and produces amazing fruit. My Grandma has passed, but every year we share our bounty with dozens of families and it keeps her memory alive in all our hearts.

    I would love to try the persimmons in a different form and hopefully be able to share dehydrated persimmons as well!

  22. I would dehydrate everything! I’ve been looking for one to dehydrate all of the Seville oranges we get and can’t ever eat and all the excess winter greens so they don’t go to waste

  23. I so enjoy your posts and videos and have made many gardening changes and improvements to my space as a result (zone 9b). That Excaliber dehydrator looks next level! I love to dehydrate things from the garden that my dogs can eat, such as apples, carrots, eggplant, etc., and use them as treats. Keep up the great information!

  24. If I had an Excalibur dehydrator I would dehydrate my Fresno peppers because I harvest so many at once and it would be nice to make them into a powder. I also plan on making some hibiscus tea leaves for my wife.

  25. I would absolutely love to have the dehydrator and the compost bin! I have a small dehydrator I got used years ago and I just told my husband the other day that with how much I use it, I need a nice one!

  26. Been a fan ever since I saw your Roselle video. Have been obsessing over how attractive the red is on the plant. Can’t get enough of it! As for the Excalibur Dehydrator, the first thing I would dehydrate would be lemon slices. My friends grandmother brought some over a year ago, and who knew that they’d be so tasty?!

  27. I would love the dehydrator- I used to dehydrate fruits with my grandma in her kitchen when I was younger. It’s one of my fondest memories. I’ve been expanding my garden and now having my own dehydrator would be so beneficial to help preserve my fruits and veggies. It would be an amazing gift to win.

  28. We would dehydrate our peppers, onions, carrots and any thing else we have extra in our garden. What an awesome looking dehydrator!

  29. I’ve been dehydrating for years using my oven and dry screens. The Excalibur Dehydrator would be a game changer. I’d love to make fruit leathers, fruit chips, dehydrated veggies for backpacking meals and long-term storage, jerkies, dog chews made from dehydrated sweet potatoes & carrots, and the list goes on. Thanks for posting. What a great gift guide!

  30. This Excalibur Dehydrator looks amazing! I have a very old small one. I use it to dry fruit mostly, but used it to dry Okra for the very first time. I am so excited to add it to soups this winter!

  31. The dehydrator would be an amazing gift! I could dry hibiscus for tea and all the variety of peppers I have been growing along with tomatoes so I can store in olive oil. So many uses!

  32. I would love to dehydrate fruits for leather and some herbs. Having my first baby in January and would love this to make healthy treats for her!

  33. This gift guide is amazing! I’ll be sharing it with my family. We have so many uses for a food dehydrator now that we’ve been inspired by your Growing in the Garden Youtube channel. I’m looking forward to dehydrated veggies, herbs, and strawberries. We went a little crazy.

  34. Hi! I would love to dehydrate my roselle hips, peaches, apples and nectarines if I had a dehydrator. I could also use it to make cured egg yolks with eggs from my garden chickens!

  35. This gift guide is amazing! I’ll be sharing it with my family. We have so many uses for a food dehydrator now that we’ve been inspired by your Growing in the Garden Youtube channel. I’m looking forward to dehydrated veggies, herbs, and strawberries. We went a little crazy.

  36. These gift ideas are amazing! That dehydrator is what dreams are made of! I would be dehydrating everything! Haha and I know my kids would want me to make beef Jerkey!

  37. I would definitely dehydrate peppers this upcoming summer! I’m going to grow about seven or eight different varieties, some for grinding into spices.

  38. I’d love to dehydrated my peppers! That thing looks amazing! Such a great list for all the gardening people in my life!

  39. So many great gift ideas!! If I had the dehydrator I would try dehydrating everything in my spring/summer garden just to see what tastes best and preserves the longest. Peppers, tomatoes, herbs, roselles, the sky is the limit!

  40. I love your gift guide! All great ideas for people who love to garden! I’d use the dehydrator for my herbs and tomatoes ❤

  41. Hello from SanTan Valley..Wow such amazing gift ideas and wants on your guide. I would love to get my mom a great dehydrator as a gift! She talks about all the stuff she wants to dehydrate fruits, veggies and herbs. But id love for her to make Jerky. Lol thank you for everything you do and have a great Thanksgiving.

  42. What wonderful gift idea suggestions!! I truly think I would dehydrate everything I could think of! 🙂 Jerky is on my list as well as more fruit varieties- bananas for sure.

  43. If I won the dehydrator , I would dehydrate homegrown chamomile, garlic scapes, tomato slices, and apples! I love your channel and blog, keep it up!!

  44. So much good stuff on this list! Would love to get the Excalibur dehydrator. Lots of Roselle, peppers, moringa leaves and more… all can use the dehydrator!!

  45. I (@flourishinginwellness) look forward to winning your dehydrator contest so I can start making yummy dehydrated fruit snacks and veggie chips soon! Pick me.

  46. Snacks and treats for my kiddos and our pets :)!!! I would love to have such an amazing dehydrator, which would normally be way out of my price range so I can better preserve my garden veggies and herbs as well. Thanks for your time!

    1. I have only been gardening for a whole year now and I have learned so much from you, so thank you! I would love to try and dehydrate my yellow peppers and apples to start.

  47. Great gift ideas! Would love to win a dehydrator to dehydrate all of my edible landscape and the garden fruits and veggies. Oh what a great gift!

  48. What a lovely idea . Boy if I won I could dehydrate all the things – herbs for cooking medicine and tea .. peppers lemons etc I garden at a non profit garden and would love to be able the use for our members
    Thanks for opportunity ❤️

  49. If I win, I will use this for drying herbs, they grow so fast and don’t want it to go to waste. I love using herbs in almost everything. And I would like to try dehydrating fruits too.

  50. Everything that grows in my ever expanding and changing garden!! Herbs for cooking and medicine along with the fruits and vegetables in season would all find their way to this dehydrator. ( fingers crossed)

    1. I’m doing that right now. I’ve been freeze drying and dehydrating some of the same things. I’ll share what I’ve learned in future posts. Some things are better dehydrated and others are better freeze dried.

  51. I would make jerky and would love to learn how to dry my own herbs. I’m glad I found your page on IG. I can’t wait to learn all the things I just subscribed to.

  52. I would use the dehydrator for all sorts of things! Basil, tulsi, rosemary, jalapeños, mint, grapefruit, pumpkin, and so much more!

  53. I would love one of these dehydrators!! I backpack a lot and being able to bring more veggies with me would be so ideal! What an awesome blog! I live in the Chihuahuan desert and learn a lot from your arid gardening insight!

  54. I’d love to grow roselle and make tea, how lovely! Also, I would dehydrate greens to powder and add to smoothies/recipes.

  55. If I had a dehydrator, the first thing I would try is dehydrating tomato skins to make tomato powder. What a great way to use the whole tomato!

  56. This is such a great list for gift ideas!! Honestly, I want one of each for myself. It has given me a couple of ideas for other people a well. The dehydrator looks like a great way to experiment with an abundance of crops.

  57. I’d love to dehydrate my roselle abundance and my stevia. It’s my first real successful gardening year after years of aggravation. Thanks for all your posts!

  58. I have heard incredible things about Excalibur dehydrators. A friend of mine from high school swears by hers. She told me that she dehydrates mushrooms amd makes mushroom powder for a yummy umami kick in her cooking!
    I’d love to dehydrate some of the peppers I grow for home made chili powders. Not to mention all the tomatoes I grow. Would be awesome for dehydrated soup mixes

  59. I think I would start dehydrating cherry tomatoes for salads etc and also basil and strawberries- that tea / infuser looks good too !

  60. Love all these suggestions! I would dehydrate sourdough starter, peppers, tomatoes, elk and deer jerky, so many things!

  61. A dehydrator is definitely on my list. I have so much roselle and lemon grass to preserve and I want to make my own tea stash. Not to mention all of my shiso peppers.

  62. I accidently grew a lot of little, hot peppers this year! A friend gave them to me as 3″ seedlings, and now they’re 6 feet high bushes with so many peppers. That’s what I would dehydrate.

  63. I would love to dehydrate my oranges and other citrus and just about everything I grow in my home garden!!! Would love this dehydrator as I have heard it is amazing!!!

  64. This dehydrator would be really put to work in this house: meat jerky, greens to make green powder, onions, garlic, bananas, beets to name just a few. Thank you for the opportunity to win it!

  65. I love the list and the giveaway! If I were to win I would dehydrate our fig crop in the summer and would probably also learn how to make beef jerky. We make our own coconut and almond milk so it would be lovely to put the pulp in the dehydrator and have it as flour for baking! There are so many possibilities…

  66. I recently discovered what a joy dehydrated persimmons are! With a larger dehydrator like this one, I could corner the market on all the persimmons available in New Mexico and be able to enjoy them all year. In addition to mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes, apples, onions, peppers, corn, peas, basil, mint, dill, scallions, shiso (I make my own furikake), papayas, and pretty much everything!

  67. Thank you so much for the information you share! As a new to AZ gardener who has spent most of my gardening years in many other climates, I didn’t expect the learning curve here to be so tough…You are helping me!
    I love to dry all kinds of things. From fruit leather, tofu jerky, herbs, fruit, seaweed to backpacking food. Happy Thanksgiving!

  68. Love this gift guide! I’ve been super grateful for your site & perpetual planting guide this year. Thanks and cheers to a bountiful Thanksgiving!

  69. We currently dehydrate persimmon slices, tomatoes, whole fruit and lots of herbs. We have a small dehydrator and a growing garde, thanks in no small part to growinginthegarden.com, so an upgraded dehydrator is already on our wishlist.

  70. I would love to use the dehydrator for oranges, lemons, and grapefruit from our trees! They seem to ripen at the same time and I can’t keep up with juicing and freezing sometimes! Also, peppers, tomatoes, parsley, mint, basil…so many things! Thank you for the opportunity to possibly win such an awesome machine. I love your website, bog and YouTube videos! You have such a great way of presenting so much information in such a clear and easy to understand manner. Thank you!

  71. We’d love to use the dehydrator to dry fruit for our little one, as I’d love to try making salmon jerky! Wonderful gift guide, thanks for all your work!

  72. I have been longing for an Excalibur dehydrator! I’d love it for herbs and fruit, and also for making jerky from our homegrown beef!

  73. I would dehydrate meats and fruits! With kids it’s nice to have a quick easy snack to take when we go exploring and on road trips!

  74. If I win the dehydrator I would use it for so many things but definitely on my tangelo rosemary salt I make from my garden.

  75. I’d definitely dry up all my basil and other herbs, peppers for chili powder, garlic for garlic powder, etc. Basically everything I need to keep my spice drawer stocked up. There are also tons of other great ideas on this list that I’ll be looking into! Thanks Angela!

  76. I would loveee a dehydrator to make my own seasonings and salves! Dehydrating your garden produce is next level for beginner gardeners and I’m ready!

  77. I would love to dehydrate the variety of cherry tomatoes I grow. My persimmon and fig trees just started to really produce this year and I can’t wait to dehydrate those as well.

  78. As a child I remember my grandmother & aunt would dehydrate fruit for all the kids. I’ve always wanted a dehydrator of my own. I was planning on getting one until severe autoimmune disease took over my life and I lost my wonderful career. I would so love to make home made fruit leather & dehydrated fruit for my grandchildren the way my dear grandma did for me!

  79. What a wonderful list of gifts. Any gardening would be happy to get these. As for the dehydrator I would process all my Roselle!

  80. Lots of gift ideas! I would absolutely love to dehydrate my garlic and onion crops each year! It’d be great to dry out my scarlet runners too!

  81. Thanks for the great ideas! Would love an Excalibur! I’d like to dehydrate garden grown herbs without burning them! Thanks so much.

  82. I just pinned this list to my wish list. I’m just getting started in preservation so a dehydrator would really help with preserving herbs and cherry tomatoes. Thank you for the great articles and this giveaway!

  83. I absolutely love following you! I would hydrate anything I could put in my snack bag while I’m hiking, on the lake kayaking or on a road trip!…
    Enjoy this Holiday Season
    Be Well

  84. If i had this dehydrator, I would use it first for herbs instead of my oven. But I’d also like to dry banana slices – their like candy! Lemon and lime slices for my husband’s craft cocktails. And then begin experimenting. Can you dry tomatoes?

  85. I would like to dehydrate many things!

    – Beef to make jerky
    – Roselle Hibiscus to make Jamaica (gotta grow it first hopefully this spring/summer when I move)
    – Strawberries
    – Apples
    – Much more!

    Romans 10:9-10

  86. I would dehydrate all of the things! Frozen vegetables, fresh garden vegetables, jerky, onions and garlic. And powder them.

  87. I would love to dehydrate the 100s of apples that go to waste every year in our garden. I’d also like to try apricots, and herbs… so many things.

  88. Man oh man I would be so happy if I won a dehydrator I’ve been wanting to get one to make dehydrated fruits and veggies my toddler (and myself) could snack on.

  89. I would love to try dehydrating herbs and flowers, as well as making tomato powder by dehydrating tomato skins. I would also like to dehydrate cayenne peppers and make cayenne pepper powder. So many possibilities!

  90. I will dehydrate citrus, peppers, onions, garlic, herbs, roselle, and tomatoes from my garden if I win.
    Thank you and Excalibur for a wonderful give-away.
    Happy Thanksgiving!

  91. We will dehydrate vegetables from our garden and make Jerky. I would also love to try dehydrating some of the citrus we have.

  92. What would I dehydrate? Too many thoughts abound! But I would definitely do fruit chips! Btw, love following your posts. Great info. Thanks!

  93. If I won the dehydrator, I would love to learn to dehydrate veggies to turn into powders! Tomato skins for less waste and a nice pop of flavor in food, dehydrated leeks would be really cool, and dehydrated veggies to sneak into my toddler’s food!

  94. As a backpacker, I always take a supply of dehydrated food on the trail. Being able to dehydrate my own food rather than buying would be a great addition!

  95. If I win a dehydrator, I would try drying some fruits, bananas, apples, persimmons, citrus (for cocktails), and veggies to make sun dried tomatoes, onions and garlic powder, and of course herbs! The sky is the limit!

  96. Oooo some awesome ideas on here! I have a small plastic dehydrator and am ready to upgrade lol. I would dehydrate my garden goods, mostly herbs.

  97. I have a much smaller dehydrator that I’ve been practicing with since I have such an abundance of gardening goodness thanks to following tour tips! I love your blog and refer your page to all my beginner friends.

  98. I have a $30 dehydrator that runs from January thru June almost daily to dehydrate our garden-grown tomatoes into sundried tomatoes. I would be able to dehydrate so much more with this super duper dehydrator. I would love to try to dehydrate strawberries and lemons.

  99. I love your gift guides – I’ve asked for several things as gifts from your lists! Excited about the dehydrator too – I’ve been asking for one for years☺️

  100. I would use the dehydrated for all the broccoli and cauliflower greens, carrot tops, and all the herbs I can. As well as fruit! Yum!!

  101. SO many great ideas that I’ve now added to my pinterest wishlist!! Thanks for putting this list together! (Also, the dehydrator would speed up my tea/tissane drying time! I love some chamomile or hibiscus tea in the winter as I dream about spring and what i’m going to grow!)

  102. I could use this to dehydrate mini things but I am really wanting to do garlic powder, onion powder dehydrate my basil my herbs. Oh I would have so much fun!

  103. Oh my! I would be in dehydrating heaven with the Excalibur. First up would have to all of my herbs. After that… endlessnesses

  104. I would dehydrate roselle, peaches, plums, make fruit leathers, tomatoes; and lots of other gleaning from my Phoenix garden if I had a dehydrator.

  105. I want that dehydrator! I’ve been wanting one forever and where to start with the dehydrating. Onions, celery & carrots for instant soup. Meats for jerky. So many things to dehydrate, so little time. Pick me!

  106. I would a dehydrator to be able to preserve fruits and veggies from my garden. Guavas and peaches would be top of the list!! I live in zone 9b and have started a small fruit forest so a dehydrator would be amazing!
    Thank you for all the great information you share with us and for this beautiful holiday giveaway.

  107. Thank you for your favorites list! You helped me out with my Christmas list.

    I would love the dehydrator – we make lots of jerky. This is my first year putting in a “real” garden so I’m learning how many uses it would have.

  108. I saw someone on YouTube dehydrate angel food cake a while back. That sounds absolutely wonderful and I would love to dehydrate some. As I was going through the gift list. I forgot that we used to have a Vitamix. Have no idea what happened to it.

  109. If i was the lucky winner of the dehydrator . i would use it to dry peppers , ground cherries and i would make lemon powder using lemons from my garden

  110. I would dehydrate all of the things. Flowers and herbs for tea, onion, garlic, and anything else I could possibly try.

  111. Starting our homestead this year, a dehydrator a way to prolong shelf life of about 80% of excess, from our fruits on our tress (we have about 2 more years for that, plenty of time to own one) ad well as peppers from bell to serono. Ever add these dehydrated veggies to stove top skillet? Give it a try. We will definitely use tomatoes since that is our prize so far. We would experiment with a few others that are not popular to use with simply to get knowledge base on longevity and cooking option of veggies since 97% of all our herbs will go in it from various basil choices we grow to mint of course.

  112. I would dehydrate any fruit and vegetables and also meat that I could get my hands on. Think it would be neat to make your own dry bouillon.

    1. I’d LOVE an Excalibur Dehydrator to dry the tropical fruits, that are finally producing, so that I can make enough homemade granola to sell at our island’s little Farmers Market.

  113. When I look down at my garden hands I think they have been in the dehydrator! But, since they are just part of my gardener’s old body I have to think positively and navigate towards all those amazing fruits and veggies in my garden that could really be dehydrated! I am amazed at the prospects of taking my garden bounty and finding additional uses. I like the idea of allowing fresh produce to take on another level of future use, which means more sustainable stewardship of my garden.

    Oh yeah… If I could cook up something that would make my hands look better I’d jump on that. Ha!

  114. If I win the Excalibur dehydrator, I would love to dehydrate the peppers I’ve grown in my garden and done tomatoes and herbs. O my gosh…. I would dehydrate everything, maybe even my house. Welll.. of course I really couldn’t my house? But the choices are endless. Sooo awesome and cool to win this.

  115. To start, I would like to dehydrate tomatoes, all my herbs and some of the fruits from my trees

    Love this gift guide! The juicer looks fun too however I’ve always wanted to have and use a dehydrator

  116. I am posting again because my original one didn’t show up. If I win, I will dehydrate peppers and tomatoes and herbs from my garden to prevent wasting them. Maybe even everything in my house… or my house… o my gosh so many decisions… how much fun would that be!!!

  117. I would love to dehydrate homegrown apples & herbs! Love the post -so exciting! Bought several copies of your book this summer to inspire my grandson & nephew to learn more about growing their own food. Keep up the great work!

  118. I would love this awesome dehydrator! I would love to dry all my excess herbs for making my own seasoning. I would also like to dry excess fruit for dried fruit throughout the year!

  119. We are about to move into our dream home on a larger acreage and I plan on expanding my garden! I would greatly appreciate this dehydrator so I can venture into dehydrating half of my storage crops instead of canning everything. Also this would be so much fun for my children to help with! Thank you for this opportunity!

  120. I would love to dehydrate anything I can, but have fond memories of my mom making fruit leather so I’d definitely need to do that!

  121. Hi Angela!

    My name is Amelia from Chicago,IL . Thank you for your content and sharing it. If I get the chance to win the Excalibur Dehydrator, I would love to dehydrate all kinds of fruits and vegetables for my family .

  122. Hi Angela!

    My name is Amelia from Chicago,IL . Thank you for your content and sharing it. If I get the chance to win the Excalibur Dehydrator, I would love to dehydrate all kinds of fruits and vegetables for my family .

  123. I drooled over this dehydrator on @deanna3cat post on IG @homesteadandchill for a long time. I would dry onions and garlic and make my own powder. Kale chips and herbs next in line. Peppers and chili’s too. The list would be endless.

  124. Thank you for the gift guide. This is my first year growing roselle. I followed your awesome guide for growing them here in the Valley and I’m looking forward to the big harvest. If I win the dehydrator, I’d dehydrate the roselle first.

  125. This is a great list! With an Excalibur I would be most excited about being able to more easily and quickly dry a lot of the herbs I grow. This year l took up all the kitchen counter space and set up folding tables while in the process of drying! I’d love to made herb & garlic dried blends in the future too and this would allow that. 🙂

  126. I have an older, smaller dehydrator that I love to use for making dried apples (I purchase heavily discounted bags of apples in the “ugly fruit bin” at a local grocer. I also use like to make onion and celery powder from the garden as a way to use up the entire plant.

  127. I think I would dehydrate everything! Work my way around the garden trying everything! See what I like best!

  128. I’d love if my husband got me the food dehydrator! I could preserve so much of our back yard harvest that way!

  129. The possibilities are endless I would dehydrate all my gardens harvest lol! Peppers, strawberry , tomatoes! This would be the best Christmas gift!!!!awesome post! Great gift ideas

  130. That dehydrator looks amazing! I have so many apples and herbs that need drying! But my husband would love to make jerky in it! I’d love to make fruit leather, too!

  131. My husband’s response to “What would you want to dehydrate if we had a dehydrator?” Was “What wouldn’t you dehydrate? We could dehydrate the whole garden for soups and powders.” I’d definitely dehydrate chiles, green onions, persimmons, candied citrus, herbs, and though we don’t raise our own meat, we’d have to do some jerky! Planning to grow Roselle this Spring, too. Love the size!

  132. The first thing I would dehydrate would be my new Bordeaux Figs, but I think I would definitely get addicted and start dehydrating everything!

  133. The countertop compost bin is a great idea! Most of my kitchen scraps go to my chickens . If I won the dehydrator I would dry my abundance of herbs and share it with loved ones. I would also preserve my favorite fruit (pineapple)!

  134. I would love to own a dehydrator! I would start with herbs, herbs, and more herbs. Then I would try apples from my tree. Love your blog posts.

  135. Would love the dehydrator and the tea pitcher, would make lots of dried guava, since we have a tree, and i heard persimmons are good to dehydrate as well.

  136. Eggs and then grapefruit. My hens are crazy layers, and while I give away eggs to neighbors, friends and family, I can’t give enough away. I want to try dehydrating eggs for long term storage. Same with my grapefruit trees…My goal is to learn to preserve all kinds of foods and reduce reliance on outside food sources. So eggs, I want to start with eggs, then in February I’ll try the citrus…

  137. I would love to have a dehydrator for my own use, but also to make “snacks” for all of my friends pups (i.e. sweet potato jerky, etc). I have an inexpensive one many years ago but gifted it to a neighbor when we moved. Thanks so much for having this giveway.

  138. Thanks for the list! There’s a few things I don’t have, but need!
    If I win the dehydrator I’d like to dehydrate the bananas from our banana tree! It’s our first year growing them & e have 2 large bunches that are slowly ripening.. it’s such rewarding feeling, growing what we eat!

  139. Great suggestions! I love my current dehydrator, and use it all the time for dried apple slices, fruit roll ups, dried herbs, beef jerky, and now dried roselle hibiscus for tea. Time to upgrade, I think.

  140. I live in a retirement community. I am the only person in my neighborhood that can still garden so I share the produce with my neighbors. I would so enjoy dehydrating the herbs and kale (kale chips) especially since these and many more healthy produce is becoming so expensive for us these days.
    Thank you for this offer for us gardeners AND teaching me how to garden in the southwest. I moved here from Minnesota and it is quite a difference! I have learned much from you! ❤

  141. Great list! Thanks for sharing! If I would to be picked for the giveaway, I would love to dehydrate fresh fruits and our duck eggs. We have more eggs than we can use, so it would be fabulous to save those for later. Thanks for your consideration. ☺️

  142. Great list! Thanks for sharing! If I were to be picked for the giveaway, I would love to dehydrate fresh fruits and our duck eggs. We have more eggs than we can use, so it would be fabulous to save those for later. Thanks for your consideration. ☺️

  143. I’m doing by best to gather the proper things to store my garden goods the best way possible. The dehydrator would be a game changer for a great way to preserve all the goodness!

  144. I’ve watched so many videos using the Excalibur. I have a small round one. My garden is getting bigger though and I’d love to upgrade to this beautiful dehydrating machine. Thank you for all the lessons I’ve learned from your website and videos. You are my go to master gardener.

  145. Angela, thank you for the gift guide and for the opportunity to win a dehydrator!! I would like to dehydrate moringa, roselle, herbs especially calendula, and so much more!

  146. I just learned about dehydrating tomato peels & making tomato powder to add to cooking…wow! I’d also like to make sun dried tomatoes. What an incredible machine this Excalibur is…would love to add to my gardening & food prep abilities.

  147. Hi Angela! I live in Vegas and I was elated when I found you on Youtube being that you garden in Arizona and we both share those treacherous hot summer days, which is challenging for keeping plants alive and thriving!
    I compost all my food scraps but they’re always put in a random bowl or bag until I take them outside…(unsightly on my countertop).
    If I were to win the dehydrator, I would begin with dehydrating ginger, onion and garlic. Those would be my first go-to’s I believe. Thanks for all your work to share gardening in the desert climate!

  148. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the Excalibur and would love to try my hand at dehydrating fruit from my trees – peaches, apricots and apples as well as peppers and herbs from my garden.

  149. Curry leaves and orange slices have been on my want to do list. Though my husband would appreciate if I dehydrated garlic.

  150. I would love the excalibur dehydrator. I would love to dehydrate roselle hibiscus and my herbs and apples in it. What a dream machine!

  151. The dehydrator looks amazing! We have a homestead and probably choose to dehydrate as much as we could but I would have today we would probably use it for our jalapeño peppers to make jalapeño powder. My husband loves to use jalapeño powder on our eggs every morning!

  152. I’d absolutely love this! My garden is so productive some years. Onions and garlic are my favorite things to dehydrate, and also tomatoes! Making onion powder out of dried onions from your garden is just the best!!

  153. I would def dehydrate apples if I had the dehydrator! My coworker brought some to share before and theyre sooo good!

  154. I’ve learned so much about Phoenix gardening from you. And now my dream dehydrator is on your list! Tomatoes! 10 luscious trays of dehydrated tomatoes. Then banana chips from my newly planted bananas. Passion fruit, is it possible? I just planted one. Maybe as fruit rolls. Guava. Basil. The possibilities are endless with the Excalibur!

  155. I have loads of super hot peppers to dehydrate! One pepper goes a very long way so I have to store the bulk of them after harvest and dehydrating is my preferred method.

  156. So many things to dehydrate! Herbs, fruits, vegetables, the list is endless. Even though it might not be grown, Jerky for us is a must too:)

  157. I’ve never owned a dehydrator but the Excalibur looks awesome, especially now that my garden is bigger. I wanna dehydrate all the herbs, peppers, and onions!!! Great way to preserve.

  158. I came for a dehydrator but there are about 9 other things on this list that might just have to find their way under the Christmas tree…as gifts for myself!!

  159. Would love to dehydrate and save more summer berries as fruit leathers and get into more homemade backpacking food !

  160. I would love to use this dehydrator on things that are growing in my garden . Peppers, tomatoes, mint, basil, cilantro and even lemons.

  161. That dehydrator looks amazing. I would dry anything I could get my hands on. Right now that is figs, peppers, and tomatoes.

  162. I love this list and am using it for early holiday shopping now! That dehydrator looks amazing. Great way to use everything from my garden!

  163. I love this little gift guide! I definitely think I need to add the kitchen scrap composting bin to my collection! I cook so often and there are so many scraps that would make a great addition to my outdoor compost bin to keep it full of nutrition! Very excited to check out some of the items listed here! If I won the Excalibur dehydrator, I would love to dehydrate my leftover tomato skins from my tomato sauce and make it into a tomato powder for soups and tomato paste substitute! I’d also try my hand at making some homemade deer jerky! Yum!

  164. I’ve learned so much from your videos and posts on social media. Thank you!
    If I am selected to win the dehydrator we would use it for much of the fruit and veggies growing in our garden. Tomatoes and herbs will likely be the first crops we dry. As our trees and berry bushes mature we will dry our harvests. Fresh dried apricots and plums are delicious! Thank you for the opportunity to win such an awesome dehydrator!! Happy Thanksgiving!

  165. I’d love to start dehydrating some of my herbs at end of season (some stick around all year) and lots of fruit!

  166. That dehydrator would be amazing! So many things to dehydrate. First thing on the list to try would be apples.

  167. I’m building an apothecary out of shipping containers here in Pittsburgh. The compact design would be perfect for the small space!!!

  168. I recently put a commercial kitchen in my store. We will be having cooking classes. I would love to offer dehydrating classes to my community as well !

  169. I currently use an old, round dehydrator that one side of the heat coils has gone out on. Turning the trays often does the truck, but i really only dehydrate easy things like herbs that are forgiving. I’d love to have an Excalibur dehydrator! I’d like to dehydrate all kinds of veg from the garden, and even try slices of citrus!

  170. I grew up with a dehydrator and would love to have one myself! I would dehydrate my apricots and peaches, herbs, and figs, and also make “fruit leather” from scratch like my mom used to do. :))

  171. Would love to have a dehydrator to use. It’s my first time growing roselle and I have plenty to harvest and it has got us all so excited. My kids aged 7 and 3 get excited with every new bloom, so it would be lovely to dry some roselle to tea and possibly even make some jelly for breakfast someday.

  172. Love the garden gift list So many ideas for gift giving my garden family and friends. I especially love the dehydrator to help in preserving the harvest of citrus, herbs, fruit, and veggies

  173. well this is a fantastic list of ideas! I would make about million pounds of apple chips with that dehydrator. That metal juicer is looking pretty sweet too. 🙂

  174. These are some amazing suggestions for holiday gifting. I wish we get that dehydrater for the giveaway. Super useful for sure. I can already imagine how I will put to use.

  175. These are some amazing suggestions for holiday gifting. I wish we get that dehydrater for the giveaway. Super useful for sure. I can already imagine how I will put to use.

  176. So many things to dehydrate but my first run would be herbs!! I’m growing thyme, rosemary, oregano (so much oregano!), basil is just finishing up, chives and several others! Love making my own spice blends!!

  177. I would love a dehydrator for herbs, teas, fruit bars, jerky and more. always wanted one but have never bought one before.

  178. I love dried whole persimmons but they take so long so a dehydrator that can accommodate different heights of foods would be wonderful.

  179. I would love to have the larger dehydrator! I recently learned about all the goodies you can dehydrate – it would be so helpful!

  180. Love dehydrated fruits and would also like to dehydrate herbs. I’ve been making jerky treats for my dog in my air fryer and would be so much easier in the Excalibur! ❤️

  181. I know exactly what I’d use it for- FRUIT!! I have an old school dehydrator that I use for apples, peaches, apricots…it’s small and slow but works. I’d love to upgrade to a larger fantastic dehydrator so I could expand my dehydrating horizons !!

  182. This dehydrator looks amazing I’ve been wanting to buy one for so long. I would like to dehydrate so many different things in the garden from fruits to vegetables to dried flowers, but I think I would like to try and dehydrate figs and enjoy them with cheese and some wine on a chilly evening.

  183. Would absolutely love to have a dehydrator! It would be great to dehydrate my surplus of basil more efficiently and would also love to try it with garlic, onions, and fruit!

  184. I would love to win a nice dehydrator! I have these “fruit leathers” I make in the oven for the kids…and me 😉 My newest mixture is a healthy guilt-free “pizza”! Pretty much tomatoes and the pizza herbs blended and sprinkled with parm cheese! Super yummy!

  185. I would LOVE a dehydrator! Every time I have fruit that starts to go I freeze it. I’d love to start dehydrating those fruits for snacks for the family. Maybe meats too?

    1. I would to use a dehydrator for peaches! My in laws have peach trees and every year they it’s fair game for all the kids. I’d love to use it for other fruits as well.

  186. Love to start dehydrating all my herbs and seasonings, along with my veggies and fruit for cooking & health treats for my bunny ♥️

  187. I would love to start dehydrating all my excess homegrown produce: Apricots, peaches, tomatoes, citrus, and flowers for my craft projects.

  188. Perfect!! I have been saying for some time that I would love a dehydrator and then this comes as an opportunity. I would love to learn what would be great to dehydrate and how to use this equipment. I would think anything from apples to mushrooms would be on the list of options. I am eager to try this out. One of my favorites are banana chips mmmmmm. I moved to Bullhead City AZ and have found that citrus does well outside and I am now growing tomatoes indoors near a west facing window. I have found that when it is not over 105 degrees, then the wind is blowing so hard, upwards of 25mph+ that you have to have a great deal of perseverance to have a garden here – other than cactus!

  189. I would love the dehydrator! My garden has grown so much and I would like a more professional one to dry my herbs and veggies. I just added saffron to my garden and would love to dry the threads for recipes. For my other herbs, I want to dry them and then grind into powder to use in recipes too. Thanks for a very informative post!!

  190. This is a fabulous guide. In the last several years, my garden has become a lifeline! I’ve been eyeballing dehydrators for awhile in order to dry herbs for our teas (in addition to all the other fruit and veggies that would go in there!)

  191. Oh my goodness if I won the dehydrator I would make sweet potato chips first, and beef jerky next! I also love all of the amazing other ideas as well. My compost bucket could use an upgrade…

  192. I would love to dehydrate the figs growing in my backyard, some citrus slices from my trees, and also the many onions from my garden. Thanks so much for this chance to win. I absolutely rely on your vlogs to help me grow successfully in the low desert!

  193. If I won this dehydrator I would be so excited! I live in surprise AZ and just planted 16 different fruit trees. I can’t wait to get fruit so I can dehydrate some! But I don’t have a dehydrator yet. So this would be great!!!

  194. Wow! Such a great article. I would definitely dehydrate locally sourced produce. Eating on the go is difficult, jerky can be so tainted with sugars, knowing that I’d be able to dry store my meals for on the run. Love it.

  195. Hi Angela! Just ordered your book- can’t wait to get started on growing vegetables. We have all fruit trees over here , so if I won the dehydrator, I would use it on apples, bananas, peaches, berries , figs and so much more .

  196. Dehydrator entry! I like to forage wild mushrooms, and big hauls require preservation techniques. This dehydrator would fit the bill perfectly!
    My IG: @its.time.to.grow

  197. I grew roselle hibiscus this year for the first time, and I would love to dehydrate these for tea if I win the Excalibur. I’d also like to try dehyating some of my greens or even medicinal herbs and flowers that I grow.

  198. We just bought an orchard in CA, and would love to dehydrate some of the fruit we are harvesting! Right now, we have huge persimmons that I know will be delicious deydrated.

  199. I have a little food forest to dehydrate. I have twelve stone fruit and fifteen fig trees plus varieties of berries such as alpine strawberries, everbearing strawberries, blackberry, boysenberry, raspberry and blueberries, then everything that can be dehydrated from the vegetable garden, herbs, tomato, etc. My gardening is evolving from season to season since I retired March 2019.

  200. What don’t I want to dehydrate? After following Angela for a few years, I decided to grow rosella hibiscus and to dry the calyxis for the fabulous jamicia tea. Beat thing I ever made! I have also begun drying my sweet peppers, all of my garden herbs as well as my poblano chilis. I want to start canning as well, but that story is for another time.

  201. First and foremost, thanks Angela for all the gardening tips and videos! Dehydrated roselle hibiscus tea is by far my favorite. But herbs, my poblano chilis, sweet peppers have all benefits from drying.

  202. I would love to dehydrate anything I can grow! Peppers, berries, flowers, greens and herbs. My little food forest is slowly growing and since I found you I’m seeing what I can grow from season to season, so hopefully I can get a big harvest and put the dehydrator to good use! Super excited!!

  203. I have never used a dehydrator, so at this point I would dehydrate most anything . A dehydrator would be a beneficial tool to add for preservation of your harvest. It can be used for preserving sourdough starter! Great way to share.

  204. Oh dear I was thinking of my sweet dot in law, Jenny when I wrote my comments. My thanks are for you Angela for making my transition to Arizona gardening as easy as possible. Happy thanksgiving and have a wonderful Christmas season

  205. Right now I can what I can find in stores at a reasonable price. Apples, peaches and berries. I would love to dehydrate those same fruits for added nutrition and ease od storage. Thank you again Angela

  206. Fruit leather! My great-granddaughter is in love with it! Peppers, onions, chili’s, herbs…the list goes on and on! There are sooo many possibilities! I have had several dehydrators in my gardening life, but I lived in a different climate. I am looking forward to starting up again, and I have a young lady that cleans my house that is learning gardening from me! I would use this awesome dehydrator as a learning tool for her. She is so eager to learn! I bought her the calendar for Christmas…

  207. I would suggest you add the long cook’s tweezers to this list. They are sooo handy all over the house but in the garden you can use them to pick out fallen pieces of prickly cactus without getting poked, pick up a scorpion and throw it over the wall, pick up slugs and slimy fallen veggies or whatever nasties happen that you don’t really want to touch even with gloves on. In the kitchen they turn individual pieces of roast potatoes in your toaster oven without burning your hand on the hot top element, pick out the food that falls out of the pot and under the hot grate (that piece of pasta you’ve been blowing on to cool off and it slips right off the spoon). I just discovered this one: pick out the food crud/keys/receipts/bits of paper that’s fallen between the console and car seat. Everyone is getting one of these this Christmas.

  208. Ohhhh I would dehydrate calendula and chamomile for sure! And any other herbs that I grow! I thought I’d season sliced cucumbers to dehydrate for a quick crunchy snack instead of chips.

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