Food Dehydration
Dried fruits and vegetables, jerky, fruit or vegetable leather, dried spices, dried herbs, and even dried flowers. Dehydrating has been a process used for hundreds of years. Today there are Modern Electric Dehydrators, back before the dawn of electricity man used various non electric methods to dry their harvests, from hanging food over a fire, to basking food in the hot sun on a breezy day. All these methods are available to us today.
What is Dehydration?
Dehydration is simply a process for removing the majority of water from a food or flower so that bacteria, yeast and mold can not survive, while leaving behind the enzymes, vitamins and minerals. Since the temperatures required to dry food in this manner does not reach very high, dried foods are still considered healthy raw foods. Water is removed, intense flavor is left behind.
What can be dehydrated?
Dehydration can be used year round to make use of your seasonal harvests. Dehydrate your extra vegetables and fruit, make jerky from that deer you bagged this season, dehydrate pineapples and strawberries in the Summer so you can have them all Winter long. The possibilities are endless.
What do you dehydrate? Comment below and let us know!
How hard is it to dehydrate?
Dehydration is one of the fastest and easiest methods of long term food storage. When compared to Canning; Having to wash and sterilize the jars, lids, and utensils, boil water, prepare the food and undergo the canning process itself. Dehydrating food is a fairly quick and easy process.
1. Slice fresh foods in to appropriate sized pieces
2. Blanch if necessary
3. Arrange on tray
4. Set the machine or set out in the sun
5. Wait
How well does dehydrated food store?
Dehydration removes the water and with that goes much of the weight of the food. Dehydrated foods take up less space and if stored properly can be kept for years; Making dehydration a simple and inexpensive way to preserve food at home.
How do you reconstitute dehydrated foods?
Reconstitution of dehydrated food is easy as well. There are four basic methods.
1. Boil: add fruit or veggies to boiling water and simmer till plump
2. Cook: add approximately 1 cup of water for every 1 cup of dried fruit or vegetable
3. Soak: place dried food in a pan with water and allow to soak for 1 - 2 hours
4. Steam: place dehydrated food in the steamer basket, the dry food will plump as it absorbs the water from the steam
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