There's a large solar-powered food dehydrator in Sebastian, Florida. It is located on the 80-acre property of Sustainable Kasha Ashram. The Ashram has existed for over 35 years and only recently started a permaculture project, headed up by the children of the original founder of the Kasha Ashram. Their project is aimed at having year-round producing gardens, a food forest, and edible products from their animals like milk, cheese and eggs.
Back in February, of this year I went on a tour of the facility with several members of Slow Food Gold And Treasure Coast chapter. We were all participating in a self-driven farm tour day.
Sustainable Kashi grows most of the food they eat using permaculture practices that emulate natural growing conditions as mush as possible. They do this by using compost, and worm casting teas for fertilization, natural pest controls like neem oil, hand weeding, and symbiotic plantings like placing bananas and sweet potatoes side-by-side (the potatoes capture nitrogen for the bananas and the potatoes vines grow up the bananas stalks).
To make the most of what they grow, because sometimes they grow more they can eat and sell, they dehydrate their produce in their outdoor solar powered dehydrator. They named it El Solar Dehydrator.
The dehydrator is triangular in shape looking slightly like a plastic vending machine sandwich container. However this container is made out of wood and glass and stands over five feet in height.
Inside are several movable screen-trays where fresh produce can be placed. On one side is a sloping pane of glass with air vents both at the bottom and top. The lower vents let in cool air and the upper ones let out sun-heated, moisture-rich air. Temperatures inside the dehydrator can get as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit even on a cloudy, cool day. So it is necessary that the air constantly be moving and through the wonder of physics it does because cool air when heated always rises.
This means that without any outside power source the fruits, vegetables, herbs and berries that are placed on the movable trays can have their moisture wicked away from them in a matter of hours and they can be transformed into flavor rich, edible morsels.
During the Florida growing season (October to May approximately) you can buy Sustainable Kashi produce at a on-property market the 2nd Sunday of each month.
You can find out more about Sustainable Kashi or go to their Facebook page.
Or you can visit them at 11155 Rosalind Rd., Sebastian, FL 32958
Phone (321) 445-1395
To find out more about Slow Food Gold And Treasure Coast Farm Tour and other events go to http://www.slowfoodgtc.org/about.html
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| Sustainable Kashi Permaculture project, Slow Food Gold & Treasure Coast Farm Tour, Kashi Ashram, Sebastian, Fla. Copyright 2017 by Helen A Lockey |
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| Worm casting fertilizer, Sustainable Kashi Permaculture project, Slow Food Gold & Treasure Coast chapter Farm Tour, Kashi Ashram, Sebastian, Fla. Copyright 2017 by Helen A Lockey |
To make the most of what they grow, because sometimes they grow more they can eat and sell, they dehydrate their produce in their outdoor solar powered dehydrator. They named it El Solar Dehydrator.
 |
| El Solar Dehydrator, Sustainable Kashi Permaculture project, Slow Food Gold & Treasure Coast chapter Farm Tour, Kashi Ashram, Sebastian, Fla. Copyright 2017 by Helen A Lockey |
Inside are several movable screen-trays where fresh produce can be placed. On one side is a sloping pane of glass with air vents both at the bottom and top. The lower vents let in cool air and the upper ones let out sun-heated, moisture-rich air. Temperatures inside the dehydrator can get as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit even on a cloudy, cool day. So it is necessary that the air constantly be moving and through the wonder of physics it does because cool air when heated always rises.
This means that without any outside power source the fruits, vegetables, herbs and berries that are placed on the movable trays can have their moisture wicked away from them in a matter of hours and they can be transformed into flavor rich, edible morsels.
During the Florida growing season (October to May approximately) you can buy Sustainable Kashi produce at a on-property market the 2nd Sunday of each month.
You can find out more about Sustainable Kashi or go to their Facebook page.
Or you can visit them at 11155 Rosalind Rd., Sebastian, FL 32958
Phone (321) 445-1395
To find out more about Slow Food Gold And Treasure Coast Farm Tour and other events go to http://www.slowfoodgtc.org/about.html
