Title: Vegetables a To Z Part 7
Categories: Dehydrator Vegetable Info
Yield: 1 Textfile

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** Continued from Part 6 **

PARSLEY

Dry parsley at lower temperatures so the flavoring oils and vitamins are not destroyed. Do not dry parsley or other herbs with very moist foods as they will absorb the excess moisture and take much longer to dry.

QUALITY WHEN DRIED -- Good VARIETIES BEST FOR DRYING -- Evergreen, Moss-Curled SELECTION -- Use fresh, curly-leaved bright green parsley. Before processing, store in a plastic bag at refrigerator temperature, 35ø to 40øF (1ø to 3øC), to maintain the highest quality. WATER CONTENT BEFORE DRYING -- 85% PREPARATION -- Wash lightly under cold running water. Separate clusters and discard long or tough stems. PRETREATMENT -- None DRYING TEMPERATURE -- 90øF (30øC) to 120øF (50øC). May be room dried. HOW TO USE -- Use the stems and leaves to make powder. Separate the leaves from the stems to make the flakes.

PARSNIPS

QUALITY WHEN DRIED -- Good SELECTION -- Choose fresh, smooth small or medium-size roots. Before processing, store at refrigerator temperature, 35ø to 40øF (1ø to 3øC), to maintain highest quality. WATER CONTENT BEFORE DRYING -- 79% PREPARATION -- Wash, trim tops and peel, if desired. Slice crosswise or diagonally up to 3/8 inch thick or cut into 3/8 inch dice. PRETREATMENT -- Water blanch 2 to 3 minutes or steam blanch 3 to 5 minutes. DRYING TEMPERATURE -- 140øF (60øC) for 2 to 3 hours, then 130øF (55øC) until dry. DRYNESS TEST -- Very tough to brittle HOW TO USE -- Serve rehydrated parsnips in cream sauce with or without other vegetables or mashed with butter and garnished with parsley. They may be candied like sweet potatoes or yams.

PEAS

The skins on peas slow their drying and rehydration. Home-dried peas are slightly inferior to commercially dried ones because at home we do not have the mechanical means to pierce the skins. Sulfiting by soaking rather than steaming increases storage life and helps retain vitamins.

QUALITY WHEN DRIED -- Fair to good VARIETIES BEST FOR DRYING -- Thomas Laxton, Dark Seeded SELECTION -- Use fresh, crisp and medium-size pods. They should be bright green and well-filled. The smaller sizes do not rehydrate well and the larger ones tend to be starchy. Process immediately. WATER CONTENT BEFORE DRYING -- 78% PREPARATION -- Shell PRETREATMENT -- Steam blanch 3 minutes. Soak in a cold solution of 1 tsp sodium bisulfite to 1 quart of water for 2 minutes. DRYING TEMPERATURE -- 130øF (55øC) until dry DRYNESS TEST -- Brittle and shriveled HOW TO USE -- Peas are good in soups and stews. You can serve them creamed with carrots, onions or mushrooms and seasoned with allspice, basil, marjoram, mint, savory, thyme or tarragon.

** Continued in Part 8 **

** How To Dry Foods by Deanna DeLong HPBooks, California 1992 ISBN = 1-55788-050-6

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