Making banana chips using a solar dehydrator is fun, healthy, cost nothing (except for the cost of the bananas), literally, and from a process perspective comes with a handy energy description tag that reads "carbon-free". Bananas after all are healthy, act as an important source of vital nutrients, minerals and vitamins and cost virtually nothing.

The health benefits of bananas include, but are not limited to the following:

· Good source of dietary fibre-an average banana provides approximately 10-15% of the recommended daily dietary fibre requirement for adults

· Good source of vitamin B6-an average banana provides approximately 20-40% of the recommended daily requirement for adults

· Good source of potassium-the average banana is rich in potassium and provide 10-15% of the recommended daily requirement for adults. Potassium provides various health advantages including improved blood pressure

· Bananas are a good source of vital amino acids including tryptophan which plays an important role in the production of serotonin in our metabolism

· Bananas assist to combat diarrhoea, especially when the banana is initially mashed up and allowed to oxidize

· Bananas also have a pectin content which assists with digestion

· Bananas have a high iron content which is particularly helpful in combating anaemia

· Bananas contain no fat, cholesterol or sodium

· Bananas have a high carbohydrate content and when digested, our internal enzymatic system breaks the complex carbohydrates down to provide us with energy

In terms of the actual chip-making process go out to a fruit grocer and purchase a bunch of ripe bananas. Choose bananas that have only just ripened and are still reasonably firm. Avoid over-ripe bananas and ensure the fruit is not bruised and free of any obvious visible contaminants (dirt, mould etc).

Peel all the bananas and thinly slice each banana into slices that have the thickness of two large coins stacked together. Pour about a cup of lemon juice into a large, shallow bowl. Dip each individual slice into the bowl for about 30 seconds, and then briefly allow any excess lemon juice to drip off the slices. The lemon juice acts to add some additional vitamin C back to the slices and reduces the browning of the banana chips caused by oxidation. Depending on how adventurous you are you could add the slices to an additional mix of honey, water and cinnamon to impart extra flavour (half a cup of honey added to half a cup of water with two teaspoons of cinnamon).

Layer the banana slices (chips) in a single layer in the solar dehydrator on sterile, food-grade parchment paper in an insect-free environment. Expose to full sunlight for at least 12 hours. After 12 hours check the texture and consistency of the banana chips and when the correct moisture level is achieved (the chips will be leathery and crisp), remove the chips from the solar dehydrator, allow to cool and then store in sterile packaging preferably at ambient conditions in a cool environment out of sunlight.

Just be aware that sometimes banana chips can take as long as 24 hours (or longer) full exposure to sunlight, depending on individual circumstances. If you find that you struggle to achieve the correct dryness, then experiment with turning the slices over, in other words dry for say 6 hours and then turn each individual slice over to allow the bottom side to also get the full exposure to the sun as well. Alternatively experiment with using slices that are only as thick as a single coin.

About The Author

Lee Elliott is an Author on Solar Cooking and related solar cooking activities. As an Author on the subject, he is at the forefront to provide solutions to information related to solar cooking and using solar cookers.

For more articles on Solar Dehyrators or to get your FREE Mini Course on Solar Cooking go to http://www.solarcooking.mobi/.

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