Dryed peas, the dry legume kind do not need dehydrating. They have a shelf life of years.
I have nearly quit using canned or frozen tomatoes as the paste tomatoes are quick and easy to dehydrate and we are using some right now done in 05 which are indistinguishable from last falls. I make other things like juice, soup stock etc out of the centers and grind them with a grinder just prior to use. The flavour and nutrition are better is powdered immediately prior to use.
Celery (leaf) and onion also dehydrate easily and store well. One year the celery was dried on a window screen on the spare bedroom bed with an old sheet throun over the top. It worked well.
Around here the great cost and labour saver is "seasonal"; lots of recipies taylored to seasonal food. Then during the growing season we eat straight out of the garden. During the winter months we eat primarily out of the root cellar (cold room). Changing the menu to maintain nutrition and ease of availability reduces both bordom with a more limited diet and the effort required to produce most of our own food.
