First Attempts at Dehydrating

I'm having so much fun with my new dehydrator.

So far I've dehydrated more herbs, lots of apples, peppers and onions.


The children are loving the apples. I think most of what I dried are already gone. They were perfect for stuffing in a pocket for a hike.


As usual, my onions were starting to go bad.


Dehydrating them will hopefully give me some onions over winter.


I blended them to add to soups and casseroles.


I am amazed at how much less space dried vegetables take.


I started with a sink full of colorful peppers,


chopped them up, dehydrated them,


and they all fit in a pint jar!

For those interested, the dehydrator I was given is similar to this one. (You can click on the picture to get more info from Amazon.)

I have been very pleased with the speed and the ability to choose different temperatures.
But now I need help. I know how to use dried herbs or apples, but how I do I use something like dried peppers? Should I soak them in boiling water before cooking with them?

I'd appreciate any information you can give on dehydrating, especially on re-hydrating. If you have written about it or know where to find good web info, I'd love if you share the link!