Many of us have enjoyed dry out foods : dried fruit in trail mix , raisin , many type of spice or herbs , and jerky in various flavors . Dehydrating is also a very easy and stinting way to continue your harvesting , and it assume up much less outer space than fire or freezing . It ’s one of the oldest forms of food preservation and you do n’t necessitate a fancy food dehydrator to do it . There are several blue - tech and lowly - muscularity dehydrating options .
Dehydrating preserves food by removing moisture . Without moisture , the organism that cause spoil can not originate . The food can be stored in jars , but to extend the shelf life even further , add together an oxygen absorber to the container or employ a vacuum sealer . food for thought can either be exhaust dry ( I make a enceinte mixed bag of vegetable chips to snack on ) or rehydrated by soaking in a piffling liquid before cooking .
The process is very simple . Food is prepared and placed on trays . solid food should be prune into thin slices to aid the drying process and can be prepped with spice . Use any seasonings meagerly — a small savour goes a foresightful way when dry up . Some foods require blanching before dry out .
There are several unlike technique for dehydrate food , and many are scurvy - tech and downcast - vitality . Successful drying require low heat ( usually between 120 and 150 degrees F ) , low humidness and air circulation . Three techniques are to use an electric dehydrator , air - dry ( in a shed or attic ) or sunlight - drying .
I tried each of these , and have compiled some of the goodness , the sorry and the ugly for each . I dry out both greenish bean and some banana tree peppers . I want to get the germ from the fleeceable bean , and hoped to dry out the pepper to uphold for a later repast .
1. Using an Electric Dehydrator
Procedure : Prep the food by washing it , lightly slicing it and adding any desired spices . Spread the slice on the dehydrator trays , pick out the appropriate temperature setting ( confab your user manual of arms for this ) , and sour on the car . Most dehydrators have options for different types of food , with herbs and spiciness being the low and meats the highest . Different food will involve unlike drying metre , and it is a effective approximation to check the food periodically to insure it does n’t over juiceless .
The Good : Using a nutrient dehydrator is the fastest way to dry out food for thought , and it ’s the process in which you have the most ascendency . The dehydrator turns off and on at your command , and sunny or showery day do not weigh to the electric dehydrator . There ’s also a lesser fortune of insects than for some of the other methods . You also have some choice to do more complicated projects , such as turning yield purée into fruit leather .
The Bad : This is the more expensive option , as you have to buy the dehydrator , which roam in price from about $ 35 for a Presto or Nesco brand to over a $ 100 for an Excalibur . The dehydrator can also take up a deal of kitchen space , which in my home , is at a moment of a premium .
mystuart (on and off)/Flickr
I plant using a nutrient dehydrator was overkill for drying green beans . The bean wither and dried too close to the noggin , making it difficult to remove the bean . Because I wanted to use them for semen , I did not need them in any type of clip systema skeletale , so it was also a wasteland of electrical energy . The pepper , however , turned out well . Both products were quick in a few hours .
2. Air-Drying
function : For the peppers and the green bean plant , I used a big needle and sportfishing course to string them . I tied a grummet at the end of the seam , thread the needle , and string along each veggie onto the line , pushing the acerate leaf up near the top . When I was done , I hung up each string in our shed .
I also accidentally did another method of zephyr - drying : I left some of the green beans in a paper bag on my parry and they somehow were press behind the microwave oven . I found them a week later , and they had dried beautifully !
The Good : This cost is very little : The materials I used were things I had on bridge player , and I used no electrical energy to dry the nutrient . After a week , the light-green attic had dry out very well , and it was very easy to collect the cum .
mystuart (on and off)/Flickr
The uncollectible : Time . The peppers were not completely dry to the point I feel they were ledge stable after a hebdomad . The longer the food hire to dry , the majuscule the fortune it will mold or spoilation . Not all spaces are in force for air - dry . If a room has high-pitched humidity , the nutrient will not dry in good order .
3. Sun-Drying
Procedure : Slice the food thinly , then berth on trays , such as a cookie sheet . The nutrient should be placed in full sun , but limited care has to be taken for foods , like fruit , to keep insects away . Some masses practice their auto for sun - drying , as it ’s a more controlled environment : The food can be placed on tray in the front windowpane of the motorcar . Sun - drying should take three to five twenty-four hours and requires days of back-to-back sun , a high temperature ( over 90 degrees F ) and low-pitched humidity .
The Good : Sun - drying is another low - engineering science and low - electrical energy option , and it ’s quicker than the line - dry method acting . You have all of the equipment in your house , and it leaves your kitchen free for other projects .
The Bad : There are a portion of variables to sun - drying , and not all climates are desirable to this method . In southern Virginia , where I live , we have had a very wet summertime and we always have a eminent humidity . The green beans were still able-bodied to dry , but the peppers had to be tossed after several day of abortive drying . However , if you live in a very raging , teetotal arena , this could be a majuscule option .
joyce s. lee/Flickr
Those of us who have been preserve food for a while know that one size does not agree all . Some foods are well quick-frozen ; others are delicious canned . The same is true for dehydrating . Different method acting may be more appropriate for different vegetables . The greenish beans I was working with dried attractively using the air - dry method acting , but the banana peppers did well using the electric dehydrator . Some foods , such as tomatoes , would be unmanageable , if not out of the question , to air - teetotal . In addition , the climate of the field is always a factor in dehydrating . Part of the fun in intellectual nourishment conservation is the experiment , however , so get a little adventuresome and add dehydrating to your food - preservation repertoire .
