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| “Dry it, You’ll like it" or
How to Dry Fruits and Vegetables, Meats and More |
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By Arlene Correll Food drying is one of the oldest methods of
preserving food for later use. It can either be an alternative to
canning or freezing, or compliment these methods. Drying foods is
simple, safe and easy to learn. |
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many ways of storing food for the long winters of Northern New York. Freezing and canning were the tried and true methods. However, canning took up a lot of time and space and freezing, though faster, also relied on a couple of things such as having a freezer and electricity all the time. Along the way, while working at our community food
co-op, I came across people who used another method. Dehydration of
fruits and vegetables! Further
research showed the simplicity of it, plus the ease of making any
equipment one might require and also the minimal space required for
storage, to say nothing of the expanded shelf life of the fruits and
vegetables. With modern food dehydrators, fruit leathers, banana chips
and beef jerky can all be dried year round at home.
Drying removes the moisture from the food so bacteria, yeast and
mold cannot grow and spoil the food. Drying also slows down the action
of enzymes (naturally occurring substances which cause foods to ripen),
but does not inactivate them. Along the way, Carl decided he would like to make a large, light-weight food dehydrator with about 24 shelves. He made it out of material at hand and some light bulbs. It worked like a charm and we used it for about 4 years until we felt we no longer needed it as the children were heading off to college. At that time the food co-op purchased it from us to use in their store. |
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I prefer the food dehydrator and one can find them in many places including Wal-mart or on eBay and a good used one is as good as a new one. I discovered I only needed 3 things for drying fruit and vegetables. 1. Heat - high enough to force out moisture but not hot enough to cook the food. 2. Dry air - to absorb the released moisture 3. Air movement - to carry the moisture away |
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One can dry foods outdoors and natural drying,
outdoors, requires warm days of 90 degrees F (32 degrees C) or more, low
humidity, and control of insects.
I preferred oven drying or using a food dehydrator are
alternatives for small quantities of food. The energy cost of operating
an oven is high, plus it tied up a much needed oven in a household of 7
people. Operating an
electric food dehydrator was a lot cheaper, especially the one Carl made
with the light bulbs. Today,
we would consider the small commercial dehydrators as opposed to a
homemade one. They are far more efficient and healthier. Natural Sun
Drying Dry in the sun by placing slices of food on a clean tray with sides and covering with cheesecloth or fine netting. If possible, place a small fan near the drying tray to promote air circulation. Drying times will vary as you can see from the tables below. Turn food once a day. Dry until the food has lost most of its moisture (vegetables will be brittle; fruits will be chewy). NOTE: Sun drying is not recommended in cloudy or humid weather. The temperature should reach 90 degrees F by noon and the humidity should be less than 60 percent. It takes several days to dry foods out-of-doors.
Because the weather is uncontrollable, sun drying can be risky. Also,
the high humidity in the South is a problem. A humidity below 60 percent
is best for sun drying. Often these ideal conditions are not available
when fruit ripens. Fruits dried in the sun are placed on trays made of screen or wooden dowels. Screens need to be safe for contact with food. The best screens are stainless steel, teflon coated fiberglass or plastic. Avoid screens made from "hardware cloth." This is galvanized metal cloth that is coated with cadmium or zinc. These materials can oxidize, leaving harmful residues on the food. Also avoid copper and aluminum screening. Copper destroys vitamin C and increases oxidation. Aluminum tends to discolor and corrode. The best I found was a fine mesh netting that can be found in any fabric store. One can find plans for solar powered dehydrators,
but they are usually quite big and elaborate.
Oven Drying Dry food in an oven that can be maintained at 140 degrees F or lowest setting. Leave door ajar 2 to 3 inches. Place a fan in front of the oven to blow air across the open door. Spread the food in a single layer on racks or
cookie sheet. Check food often. Turn food over to dry more evenly.
Drying time will vary. Do
not leave oven on when no one is in the house. Another good reason to
buy or make a dehydrator. You
can leave these on their own. When food is dehydrated 80 to 95% of the
moisture is removed, making the dried weight of foods much less than the
fresh weight. Most foods can be dried indoors using modern dehydrators,
convection ovens or conventional ovens. Microwave ovens are
recommended only for drying herbs, because there is no way to create
airflow in them. |
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Many fruits and vegetables can be dried. Use only ripe foods. Rinse fruits and vegetables under cold running water and cut away bruised and fibrous portions. Seeds, stems and /or pits should be removed and discarded, perhaps into your compost heap. Most vegetables and some fruits benefit from a pretreatment like blanching or dipping. Blanching is used for most vegetables. Blanching shortens the drying time, prevents enzyme action, andkills many spoilage organisms. This is a healthy and |
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important aspect of preparation. The following is a chart showing which fruits and vegetables are easy to dehydrate. You may have tried some others, however, these are the ones I was successful with. |
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Vegetables may be steam or water blanched in these easy steps as
follows: Steps for steam blanching Use a steamer or deep pot containing a wire basket that extends at least 5 inches from bottom of the pot. Add two inches of water to the steamer or pot. |
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Place basket with vegetables into pot (Vegetables should not make contact with water). Cover steamer or pot and steam until vegetables are heated for recommended time Remove basket with vegetables and place in cold water to stop cooking. Drain and place vegetables on drying tray. Steps for water blanching Use a blancher or deep pot with a tight-fitting lid. Add water to cover vegetables and bring to a boil. Boil (Blanch) for recommended time (Table 2). Remove vegetable and place in cold water to stop cooking. Drain and place vegetables on drying tray. Dipping is an alternative to blanching used to prevent fruits such as apples, bananas, peaches, and pears from turning brown. Lemon juice, ascorbic acid, or commercial products containing ascorbic or citric acid may be used for dipping. For instance, dipping sliced fruit pieces in 1 teaspoon of ascorbic acid crystals per cup of water or directly in lemon juice for three to five minutes will prevent browning. I will
mention two treatment methods here and I do not like to use either one
of them as I am personally allergic to sulfites. SULFITE SOLUTION - solution of 1 water and
sodium sulfite, sodium bisulfite or sodium metabisulfite. Soaking fruit
10 minutes in this solution effectively prevents changes in color,
flavor and nutrition. Sulfite-sensitive people should choose another
pretreatment. SULFURING FRUIT - pretreating fruits with
the fumes of burning sulfur. This method is done outdoors in a partially
ventilated container and effectively maintains food quality.
Sulfite-sensitive people should choose another pretreatment. Here is a
good chart for blanching and drying. |
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| Blanching and Drying Times For Selected Fruits |
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Apples: Peel, core and slice into 3/8-inch rings, or cut into 1/4-inch slices. Pre-treat and dry 6-12 hours until pliable. Apricots: Cut in half and turn inside out to dry. Pre-treat and dry 8-20 hours until pliable. Bananas: Peel, cut into 1/4-inch slices and pre-treat. Dry 8-16 hours until pliable or almost crisp. Blueberries: Dry 10-20 hours until leathery. |
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Cherries: Cut in half and dry 18-26 hours until leathery and slightly sticky. Peaches: Peel, halve or quarter. Pretreat and dry 6-20 hours until pliable. Pears: Peel, cut into 1/4-inch slices, and pretreat. Dry 6-20 hours until leathery. Pineapple: Core and slice 1/4-inch thick. Dry 6-16 hours until leathery and not sticky. Strawberries: Halve or cut into 1/4-inch
thick slices. Dry 6-16 hours until pliable and almost crisp. Drying produce will give you lots of room in your
pantry or storage area as the following chart will show you. Pounds of
Dehydrated Food From Fresh Fruits and Vegetables |
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Pasteurizing
and Conditioning of Dried Foods Please remember that all sun-dried fruits and
vegetables must be pasteurized to destroy insects. Another good rule of
thumb is to place dried food evenly in shallow trays no more than 1 inch
in depth. Fruits should be
heated at 160 degrees F for 15 minutes. Vegetables should be heated at
150 degrees F for 30 minutes or 160 degrees F for 10 minutes. An important rule to remember is that dried fruits
must be conditioned prior to storage. Conditioning is the process of
evenly distributing moisture present in the dried fruit to prevent mold
growth. Condition dried fruit by placing in a plastic or glass
container, sealing and storing for 7 to 10 days. The dried fruit in the
containers should be shaken daily to distribute moisture. If
condensation occurs, place the fruit in the oven or dehydrator for more
drying and repeat the conditioning process. Storing the
Food Cool dried food should be placed in a closed
container that has been washed and dried before storing. Home canning
jars are good containers for storing dried foods. Store in a cool, dry,
dark place. Many advocates
of dried foods think it should be used within 3 to 6 months as they will
lose their flavor and color to some extent during storage.
However, they will still be edible.
I feel for best results eat the dried food as soon as possible.
Store a maximum of 6 months to 1 year in airtight containers. Reconstituting
Dried Foods Apples: Add 1 1/2 C. warm water to 1 C. apples and soak for 1/2 hour. Beans, green: Add 2 1/4 C. boiling water to 1 C. beans and soak for 1 1/2 hours. Beets: Add 2 3/4 C. boiling water to 1 C. beets and soak for 1 1/2 hours. Carrots: Add 2 1/4 C. boiling water to 1 C. carrots and soak for 1 hour. Corn: Add 2 1/4 C. boiling water to 1 C. Corn and soak for 1/2 hour. Onions: Add 2 C. boiling water to 1 C. onions and soak for 1 hour. Peaches: Add 2 C. warm water to 1 C. peaches and soak for 1 1/4 hour. Pears: Add 1 3/4 C. warm water to 1 C. pears and soak for 1 hour. Peas: Add 2 1/2 C. boiling water to 1 C. peas and soak for 1/2 hour. Potatoes: Add 1 1/2 C. boiling water to 1 C. potatoes and soak for 1/2 hour. One of the things I always did with the water when
done, provided there was any left over, was to use it in soups.
I kept a container in the refrigerator and I poured in any liquid
vegetable juices left over from anything.
These froze in 1 or 2 inch layers until the container was full.
Upon removal from the freezer to the soup pot, they usually
looked like quite colorful layers of whatever?
But they made a great soup base! Our kids
loved Fruit Leathers. Fruit
leather is easy to make if you have a blender of food processor. The
fruit leather is like a "fruit roll-up" and is made out of
pureed fruit. Applesauce works great for fruit leather since it is
already in puree form. Overripe fruits can also be used since these are
easily pureed. For an added flare, you can add coconut, raisins, poppy
seeds, sesame seeds, or sunflower seeds to the fruit leather. If you add
any type of garnish to your fruit leather however, you will have to
store them in the freezer or refrigerator. Otherwise, you can store
fruit leather in an airtight container. Just roll up the fruit leather
into a roll after it has dried, wrap in plastic, and store them
altogether in an appropriate container. To make
fruit leather, puree your fruit. Apples, pears, peaches, and
nectarines should be cooked before pureeing. Pour the fruit puree about
1/4-inch deep on special fruit leather drying sheets, or drying trays
that have been lined with plastic wrap. Since the center does not dry as
quickly as the edges, Only pour the puree 1/8-inch deep towards the
center. Dry at 135 degrees Fahrenheit until pliable and leathery. The
center should also be dry and have no wet or sticky spots. One can make trail mix and dried food is great for hikers and campers because of the weight loss. |
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My brother, George, makes the greatest meat jerky. I do not have his recipe. He is always experimenting. But jerky is not hard to make. Meats should be dried at 145-150 degrees Fahrenheit. Jerky should dry between 6-20 hours until pliable. It should not be brittle. Wipe fat off of the jerky while it is drying. Jerky does not store as long as fruits and vegetables. For long term storage, longer than a month, store in the freezer or refrigerator. To aid in the curing of jerky, meat must be marinated in salt and spices. The pioneers used 1 1/2 cups pickling salt to 1 |
| gallon of water and soaked the meat strips in this for a couple of
days. As an alternative to soaking, they also rubbed the meat with salt
and spices (like garlic and pepper) before drying. You may want to use
one of the following marinade recipes instead. Marinade the meat strips
overnight. For hunters, this is a great way to do venison, elk, etc.
You can also use the tougher parts of the meat to make dehydrated
pet food.
Jerky need not be beef. You can use any kind of
meat such as turkey, chicken or whatever you like. Just be brave and
experiment. Here are some recipes for good jerky marinades. “Just
Right and Tasty” 2 Cups ketchup 1 Cup vinegar ½ Cup brown sugar 6 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce 4 tsp. dry mustard 2 tsp. salt (I like to use Kosher salt) 1 tsp. pepper (I like to use white pepper, but any kind will do) “Arlene’s
Hotsy Totsy” 8 tsp. salt 2 tsp. pepper 2 tsp. chili powder 2 tsp. garlic powder 2 tsp. liquid smoke 1 cup water “Home Farm
Herbery’s Special Blend” ½ Cup Soy sauce 4Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp. pepper (I like to use white pepper, but any kind will do) 1 tsp. garlic powder 2 tsp. liquid smoke 2 tsp. salt (like to use Kosher salt) A food
dehydrator can also be used by crafters. For those of you crafters
that own food dehydrators, and are still only using your dehydrator to
dry fruits and vegetables here are some other suggestions. Of course you
can dry your apple and orange slices to use for your craft projects, but
you can dry just about anything. Flowers- for those of you that grow your own
flowers for drying, these can easily be placed in your food dehydrator
for fast and easy drying. Some examples; sunflowers, rose petals, Globe
Amaranth, violets, pansies, straw flowers, statice, yarrow, and babies
breath. For the large “flower heads” you will have to remove the
stems. Just place them flat on the tray of your dehydrator, it is very
simple to add a piece of floral wire to remake the stem if you need a
stem for your project. You can dry fish in your dehydrator. We had an old fellow who loved to catch trout, but not clean or eat them. Here is what we did with them. Cut the trout into long strips 1/2-inch thick and marinate the fish strips in our following marinade. Trout
Marinade. 1/4 cup soy sauce 1 teaspoon olive oil 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 pound trout strips Mix all ingredients together with the exception of strips. Allow the
ingredients at least 15 minutes for flavors to blend. Add strips.
Marinate at least one hour. For longer marinating time, place in the
refrigerator in a covered container or in an airtight plastic bag.
Remove from marinade and place in a drying environment. As the oil beads
up during the drying process, pat it off. Turn the fish strips over once during the drying
process. Some Good Dehydrator recipes for healthy snacks. "Butterfinger" Bites Texas Chili Peanuts Taco Chips In a blender or food processor, blend together all ingredients at high speed. Spread mixture thinly onto Fruit Roll Sheets. Dry in your dehydrator at 130° for approximately 10 hours or until dry on one side. Lift entire corn ring off of Fruit Roll Sheet, turn over and dry in your dehydrator for two hours longer or until crisp. Break into pieces. |
| Harvest Granola 5 cups rolled oats 1 cup raisins 1 cup pecans or almonds, chopped 1/2 cup wheat germ 1/2 cup dried apple, chopped 1/2 cup dried dates, chopped 1/2 cup sesame seeds 3/4 cup brown sugar 3/4 cup margarine or butter, melted 1/2 cup honey 1/3 cup oil 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. vanilla |
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| In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, mixing well. Spread onto solid hydrator sheets and dry at 145 degrees for 3 to 5 hours or until crunchy. Store in an air-tight container. |
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Here is a picture of 3 different kinds of dehydrators you might make or buy to use. The screened food dryer kit is also commercially called a “Food Pantrie.” The “Food Pantrie” is a hanging, non-electric food dryer and sprouter. The hanging feature allows you to place it conveniently in the kitchen where you prepare your food, yet not taking up valuable and limited counter space. This convenience is apparent when you have a little extra of something, and with a few strokes of the knife, and quick access to a drying tray, you can use it on a daily basis. It requires no electricity. Without the need for forced air, it avoids sucking in dust particles floating in the air. The roof and screen also keep incidental dust off your food. The Food Pantrie's open design keeps the food the same temperature as the surrounding air, |
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thus avoiding the break-down of food nutrients that are vital to your health, according to the manufacturer’s claim. Building a food dehydrator or using any kind of dehydrator is a great project for kids. It will help them make their own food and snacks for feasts, camp outs, hikes, or for those late night munchies during that scary movie. ©Copyright 1996 - 2004 www.learn-america.com All rights reserved. |
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