A solar drying shed removes moisture from fruit, vegetables, herbs and thin-sliced meat in 1-3 days at 45-65 °C, and an ice house keeps winter ice through the summer in a drained, insulated, shaded pit or outbuilding. Dehydration is the oldest food preservation method, and both buildings are ways of controlling heat and moisture around food.
Drying sheds and ice houses are two storage buildings that preserve food by removing water or by removing heat.
One Building Adds Heat To Dry Food; The Other Hoards Cold
A drying shed collects the sun’s heat, warms a stream of air, and passes it over food on racks. A solar drying shed reaches 45-65 °C on sunny days, enough to dry fruit, vegetables, herbs and thin-sliced meat in 1-3 days. That is much faster and more hygienic than open-air drying. An ice house does the opposite: it holds winter’s cold into summer, so that dairy, meat and drinks can be kept cool.
| Building | What it does | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Solar drying shed | Warms air passing over racks of food | Solar Drying Shed Design |
| Ice house | Holds harvested ice through the warm months | Ice House Construction |
| Herb drying corner | Slow dark drying of leaves and roots | Herb & Medicine Drying |
The ice house is written up in full as Ice House Construction, which covers both the pit and an above-ground outbuilding form, so it serves a reader arriving from a general outbuildings page. See also Ice Houses and Cold Storage.
What You Need
- For a drying shed: screened sides, a dark roof, an angled south-facing glazed panel, slatted drying racks and ventilation at the bottom and top
- For an ice house: a source of ice, an insulated and drained structure, and sawdust or similar insulation; see the linked page
- Dry food, clean racks and a clean site for drying
Method: Choose
Step 1: Ask what you need to preserve. Fruit, vegetables, herbs and thin meat: a drying shed. Dairy and meat kept fresh through summer: an ice house.
Step 2: Site the drying shed in full sun, near the garden or orchard. Maximum sun exposure is the point.
Step 3: Site the ice house in shade. Shade on the north side of a building or under trees, away from sunlight.
Common Mistakes
- Drying shed in the shade — no heat, no drying.
- Drying thin-sliced meat in warm, humid weather — the meat spoils before it dries; see Sun Drying.
- Ice house with no drain — meltwater destroys the ice.
Safety
Pits, heat and food safety
An ice house pit is a deep hole that can collapse or hold bad air; see Ice House Construction. A solar dryer glazing panel gets hot enough to burn. Meat that dries too slowly spoils, so use only thin slices and dry them quickly.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Solar Drying Shed Design — building the dryer
- Combine with: Herb & Medicine Drying — drying plants that need shade