Preserving Garden Produce by Drying - Self-sufficient

There are many advantages to dehydrating produce from your garden. Most dehydration methods require very little extra energy other than that already provided by the sun. Also, dehydrated foods, if prepared correctly, retain much of their original beauty and nutritional value. And since foods lose so much of their mass during the dehydration process, they do not require much space to store through the winter and can easily be rehydrated to taste delicious months after the harvest.

Dehydration is a food preservation technique that has been used for centuries all around the world. Removing 80 to 90 percent of the moisture in food, it halts the growth of spoilage bacteria and makes long-term storage possible. Warm, dry air moving over the exposed surface of the food pieces will absorb moisture from the food and carry it away. The higher the temperature of the air, the more moisture it will absorb, and the greater the air movement, the faster the moisture will be carried away.

Temperature matters a lot in food drying—air at a temperature of 82 degrees will carry away twice as much moisture as air at 62 degrees. This process also concentrates natural sugars in the foods. The faster the food is dried, the higher its vitamin content will be and the less its chance of contamination by mold. Extremely high temperatures, however, will cause the outside surface or skin of the food to shrivel too quickly, trapping moisture that may cause spoilage from the inside out. Exposure to sunlight also speeds up the drying process but can destroy some vitamins in foods.

Often, foods should be treated before drying. Blanching as you would for freezing is recommended for just about any vegetable (notable exceptions being onions and mushrooms). Some fruit and vegetables dry best if cut into pieces, whereas others should be left whole. Coating the produce can help preserve the bright color of skins. Many dipping mixtures may be used (consult a recipe book), but lemon juice is probably the most common.

You can dry food like apples, beans(lima), broccoli, brussel sprouts, cherries, pears, peaches, peas, peppers(green), peppers(hot), squash(summer), strawberries, tomatoes.

Drying Produce Indoors

Drying vegetables indoors allows you to carefully control the drying conditions and offers more protection from insects and changes in weather. An electric food dehydrator appliance is the simplest choice for indoor drying. If you don’t have a dehydrator, the next best option is in or around your oven, although any hot, dry area will do—possibly even your attic or the area around a heater or cookstove.

If you plan to dry produce in your oven, keep in mind that the process typically takes 8 to 12 hours. Preheat your oven and check that it can maintain a temperature of 130 to 145 degrees for at least an hour—some ovens have a difficult time holding low temperatures like this, and going over 150 degrees can be disastrous for drying produce. Wash and prepare the food, then spread food in single layers on baking sheets, making sure the pieces do not touch. Place the sheets directly on the oven racks, leaving at least 4 inches above and below for air circulation. Also, make sure to leave the oven door slightly ajar to allow moisture to escape. Rearrange the trays and shift food from time to time to ensure even drying.

You may also dry food on your oven’s range by creating a chafing dish. To create a chafing dish on your range, you’ll need two baking trays: The first must be large enough to cover all burners and hold a 3-inch-deep reservoir of water. The second tray should fit on top of the first. Fill the bottom tray with water and set all burners to low heat. Throughout the process, refill the reservoir periodically to make sure food doesn’t burn, and move/turn food as necessary to ensure even drying. Place a fan nearby to keep the air moving around the room, which will help carry moisture away from the food more quickly.

How Long Does Dehydration Take?

Drying times vary considerably—from a few hours to many days, depending on the climate, humidity, drying method, and the moisture content of the food you’re dehydrating. Generally, fruit is done drying if it appears leathery and tough and no moisture can be squeezed from it. Vegetables should be so brittle and crisp that they rattle on the tray. To check for completed dehydration, you can also check the food’s weight before and after the process. If the food has lost half its weight, it is two-thirds dry, so you should continue to dry for half the time you’ve already dried. To double-check that your food is dry, place it in a wide-rimmed, open-topped bowl covered with cheesecloth fastened with a rubber band. Place the bowl in a dry place, and keep the food in the bowl for about a week. Stir it a couple times a day—if any moisture or condensation appears, you should continue to dehydrate.

Pasteurization & Storage

Regardless of the drying method used, food should be pasteurized before storage to ensure that there are no insect eggs or spoilage microorganisms present. To pasteurize, preheat the oven to 175 degrees. Spread dried food 1 inch deep on trays and bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Dried food is best stored in clean glass jars or plastic bags in a cool, dry place. Never store dried food in metal containers and carefully monitor the humidity of the storage environment. Containers should have tight-fitting lids and should be stored in a dark, dry place with an air temperature below 60 degrees.

Enjoying Your Dehydrated Food

Many foods are delicious and ready to eat in their dried forms—especially tomatoes and berries. But dried food can also be rehydrated before eating. To rehydrate food, pour boiling water over it in a ratio of 11⁄2 cups of water to 1 cup of dried food, then let the food soak until all the water has been absorbed. You may also steam fruit or vegetables until rehydrated. Rehydrated vegetables should be cooked before eating, whereas rehydrated fruits are acceptable to eat without cooking after rehydration.