In this economy, it only makes sense to preserve surplus food, whether it’s seasonal produce (grown yourself, foraged, or bought on sale), wild game, or even fish. You can always can or freeze your extras, but these methods require a lot of time and space. Quick to use and compact to store, a food dehydrator can also broaden your food-preservation horizons, setting you up with vacuum-sealed beans, herbs, vegetables, fruit leathers, and even entire dehydrated meals for backpacking.