I copied the following diagram from a 1917 booklet called
War
Food:
Practical and
Economical Methods of Keeping Vegetables, Fruits, and Meats.
It points out that even if your resources are limited, you
can still dehydrate foods for next to nothing in the sun. Use several layers of cheesecloth stretched
between frames pounded into the ground (or put on a stand of some sort, however
you can manage it).
The spikes might be nails pounded into the underside of a
narrow board to hold the cheesecloth in place.
Of course, this works best in a sunny, arid climate.
Linda's Note: My recommendation would be to drape an additional layer of cheesecloth
across the top bars of your racks so that they hang down below the cloth
supporting the food. This should help
prevent flying insects from landing on it.
I have heard stories of my great grandmother drying fruit on the roofs in old bed sheets during this time period and earlier. We got into canning and just stopped drying at some point.
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