…… Making flavor powders

[kyrsyan]

Okay, I know all about dehydrating fruit etc. But it just doesn't work for water flavors, even when I powder them. They just don't reconstitute into water correctly without heat. And hot tea is not on any of our drinking lists for the foreseeable future. Right now I can make a pretty affordable water flavoring from kool aid packets and a mix of monk fruit/stevia. It actually came out a lot better than I expected. But not really digging all the extra stuff in kool aid packets.

Anyways, right now I'm focusing on son. And I was wondering, has anyone tried mixing juice concentrate and sugar without additional water? And then putting that in the dehydrator so that in the end you have flavor infused sugar that can be used like Kool Aid or Country Time or Tang? I know that the sugar will most likely have to be ground again when it is done. I'm not looking to use any heat except the low setting on the dehydrator but I may need to use some low heat to dissolve the sugar in the concentrate.

Except if I use some of our freezer fruit or dried teas. Those I might instapot with a minimal amount of water and then add the sugar after it comes out of the pot.

Or for that matter, although there aren't many he can have, dehydrating juice concentrate that is already sweetened?

I am going to take some of the freeze dried fruit and see if I can grind that, mix it with sugar, and get some success there. But that is still a pretty limited selection of flavors, unless I get into spending big money again. I can find strawberry and mixed fruit at the local Dollar Tree. I've got some mango tucked away.

I know you can buy flavor powders. I can't afford them. Pure and simple. And it's a lot of money to spend for 1/2 lb at a time of different flavors, only to possibly discover that they won't work for what I'm doing.

 

[Kathy in FL]

Hmmmm. Okay what about turning a juice into a superconcentrate by boiling/steaming off most of the water.

there’s ways of canning lemonade concentrate, etc. just go a step further for the superconcentrate.

also look up “shrubs”and homemade mocktail concentrates.

It could be a place to start.

 

[kyrsyan]

Hmmmm. Okay what about turning a juice into a superconcentrate by boiling/steaming off most of the water.

there’s ways of canning lemonade concentrate, etc. just go a step further for the superconcentrate.

also look up “shrubs”and homemade mocktail concentrates.

It could be a place to start.

For things like grape juice and lemonade, that could work. But for more delicate flavors, the boiling off will lose most of those flavors. So I can try it both ways.

I've got shrubs recipes. A lot of them. Homemade mocktail concentrates sounds interesting. I'll look at that.

One of the things here is to, for at least some, end up with a dry powder. There are just times when a dry powder that only needs water would be very helpful. For both of us now, due to me trying to avoid/delay diabetes for as long as possible. But especially for my son given his food allergies.

I do have a stash of safe purchased powders, or will once I replace the ones that he is currently taste testing and loving. But again, ingredients and expense. And supply, because quite a few things that used to be commonplace are no longer so commonplace. And because that quiet voice keeps nagging at it. And every single time I've not listened to that quiet voice, I've regretted it. (It keeps nagging at me to get a towable travel trailer and so far nothing has come my way that I can make that work with. I did get the cording in all the tent poles replaced.)