Wow - another dehydrator here! Welcome aboard! I haven't tried watermelon but cantaloupe is great dehydrated. I'll try the watermelon.

I am going to have to try this...though it sounds almost like a joke! :)

Ooh, trader joes sells something similar. But I bet the homemade kind is better!

To: Paul - yes, I love the cantaloupe, too. I think you'll like the watermelon a lot.
To. cardamom - I wish I had a sense of humor in writing but it's more of a up close and personal kind of humor. So, no, this is no joke. It's really good.
To Grace - I've never seen this in stores and we don't have TJ's out here in Colorado - wish we did. Dehydrating is fun and easy and you can experiment with all kinds of foods. Check it out.

Just picked up a watermelon and soon it will go into Excalibur!

To Paul - Excaliber huh? Do we all have names for our dehydrators and I'm the last one to know? And, as soon as I buy more groceries, watermelon is at the top of my list.

And, may I add a note to those who will be trying this for the first time - chopped up watermelon without the rind, just the pink stuff.

Watermelon came out different than I expected. I cut 1-inch slices, rind on, and quartered them. It took nearly two days to dry out. I was hoping the rind might be attractive, but it just turned brown. The taste and texture (it's almost like taffy!) are incredible and I'll do this again for sure, only the right way.

I also made some within the past few days. I cut 1/4-1/2 slices into triangles and they flatten out to a kind of fruit-rollup width thing. This is an especially good way to pump more flavor into a dissappointing watermelon. It's been raining so much here that the melons this season are not that sweet and by dehydrating these fruits I find they are tasting better and not being wasted.

Oh, "Excalibur" is also the brand name of the dehydrator, but I do name all my favorite appliances. A few months back, I set it to 165F and made thick-sliced bacon in it. You have to use a drip pan underneath, of course, but the bacon came out rigid and didn't shrink appreciably. I coated with the devil's sugar (1 teaspoon cayenne to 1 cup brown sugar) and broiled it for pig candy.

Paul, I now understand the excaliber reference. My dehydrator cost only 10 bucks and doesn't have any bells or whistles, including a temp. control. Anyway, any ideas about making dried zucchini and yellow squash chips taste better by adding some type of coating similar to the one you suggested? I don't eat potato chips (I can't eat potatoes) so I'm always looking for ways to crisp up my world and zing my palate - I don't know. One friend suggested honey/cayenne mixture. Have any experience?

Haven't done zucchini and yellow squash, but apple slices get a nice zing from curry powder and ginger mixed (lightly) with sugar.