Money Saving Tip: a $5 old used crock pot only uses 75 Watts of electricity per hour in “keep warm” mode. Dehydration can take weeks, so the electrical cost add up. Garlic took 14 days, times 24 hours, that is 336 hours. At 75 watts per hour, that is 25 kilowatts. Kilowatt cost 40 cents in California, so $10 to dry, more expensive to dry garlic than to buy garlic.

Solution: 75 watt solar panels only cost $80, and the solar panel wire is directly compatible with your crockpot wire. Plug solar wires into cord outlet (amazon, $4) snap, plug crockpot cord into solar panel plug. You now have a free solar dehydrator. The crockpot will dry at a perfect 150 F degrees. Use a turkey roasting bag under the crock pot glass lid for your fruits and veggies to speed up dehydration.