Title: How To Dehydrate Vegetables Part 3
Categories: Dehydrator Vegetable Info
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HOW TO DRY VEGETABLES Preheat the dryer. Arrange the prepared vegetable pieces on the drying trays, leaving a little space between for air circulation. Dry pieces of similar size on the same tray. Thinly layer grated or diced vegetables, or small vegetables, such as corn or peas, to allow good air circulation. Stir them occasionally.

All vegetables except garlic, onions and peppers may be dried together. Garlic, onions and peppers may be dried with each other, but tend to flavor milder vegetables. Do not dry extremely thin vegetables or herbs, such as parsley or greens, in a dryer heavily loaded with larger, more moist fruits or vegetables.

A controlled temperature must be maintained so that the internal temperature of the vegetable does not excced 140øF (60øC) anytime during the drying process. When the dryer is fully loaded and the vegetables are very moist, the actual temperature of the vegetables may be as much as 20ø to 30øF (10ø to 15øC) cooler than the air temperature because of the cooling effect of moisture evaporation. This is why vegetables and most dried foods are usually dried at higher temperatures at the beginning. After much of the water has been removed, lower the temperature. If vegetables reach temperatures above 140øF (60øC), this will cause loss of nutrients and reduced tenderness. Too low temperature will encourage the growth of bacterial mold. The drying temperatures and drying times are given for each vegetable in the charts, "Vegetables A-Z."

LEGUMES, such as shell beans, lentils and soybeans may be partially dried on the plant. When the pod turns light brown and the seeds are mature, they should be harvested. If not harvested soon enough, the pods may break, spilling their seeds on the ground.

Place the pods in a cloth sack and hang it in a warm place to finish drying, up to 2 weeks. When completely dry, shake or hit the sack to break the pods and release the seeds. Remove the pods and pour off the seeds.

Pasteurize the seeds (see below). Store them in an airtight moisture-proof container in a cool dark place.

TESTING FOR DRYNESS Near the end of drying, check the vegetables frequently and remove those that appear dried. Remove a piece, let it cool, feel and taste it. Most vegetables when dry are described as TOUGH, BRITTLE, CRISP OR CRACKING HARD. Some should shatter if hit with a hammer.

Because vegetables are dried to such a waterless state, the conditioning process which is used in fruits is not necessary.

SPOILAGE Unlike home-canned vegetables, there is no danger from botulism in dried vegetables. Once a vegetable is dried, spoilage will occur only if moisture is reabsorbed. Spoilage can be caused by the amount of moisture in the vegetables. The less moisture dried vegetables contain, the longer they will keep. Generally, they should have no more than 4 or 5 percent moisture when fully dried, compared to 15 to 20 percent in fruits. If the vegetables were not completely dry when removed from the dryer or were not packaged properly, mold and a spoiled smell will tell you they are unsafe to eat.

Long storage time, heat or exposure to air may cause some vegetables to develop a strong unpleasant taste. They are safe to eat but their nutritional value may be poor.

PASTEURIZING Pasteurize dried vegetables only if they have been exposed to insects while drying. FREEZER METHOD -- Freezing packaged dried vegetables for 48 hours will kill any insect larvae. OVEN METHOD -- Dried vegetables may be heated in the oven at 160øF (70øC) for 30 minutes before packaging, but more vitamin loss can occur than with the freezer method.

PACKAGING Cool vegetables before packaging to prevent any remaining moisture from condensing in the package. Place only enough dried vegetables in one bag to be used within one week. Every time a container is opened and the food is exposed to air, humidity re-enters, causing deterioration.

Vacuum package in glass jars if possible. Vacuum packaging retards oxidation, one of the primary reasons for quality and nutritive loss. Store in the coolest place possible, preferably the freezer or refrigerator. If space isn't available, store in the coolest darkest place in your home (a root cellar or storage area in the cellar of your house).

If vacuum packaging is not available, dried vegetables should be stored in freezer bags with as much air removed as possible. Then place bags inside of airtight glass, plastic or metal containers for long term storage. Since light fades vegetable colors and decreases their vitamins A and C content, they should also be protected from the light. ** How To Dry Foods by Deanna DeLong HPBooks, California 1992 ISBN = 1-55788-050-6

Scanned and formatted for you by The WEE Scot -- paul macGregor

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