How To Dry Food: Fruits And Veggies

Food dehydration is one of the oldest methods around to dry and preserve food. With the water removed, there is no worry of spoilage through mold or bacteria with the dry food. You can dry food using one of these three easy methods:

Sun Drying

This method takes the longest and it’s the most difficult only because you must rely on having 3 to 4 consecutive sunny days where the temperature is at least 100 degrees.

Oven Drying

If you want to dry food quickly this method works well, but you must be able to hold the temperature steady below 200 degrees Fahrenheit in order to properly dry food. The biggest draw back here is that the food does not have great flavour.

Electric Dehydrating

This is the best method to dehydrate food. It’s energy efficient, and maintains the nutrition as you dry food for storage.

Drying Guide for Fruits and Vegetables

It takes approximately 6 to 16 hours to dry vegetable and 12 to 48 to dry fruit. Wash, slice, and branch each vegetable, except mushrooms and peppers. To dry the vegetable and fruit, lay them out on the tray appropriate for how you are drying.

• Apples: Peel, core and slice into 1/2 inch to 1/4-inch slices. Dry 5 to 10 hours or until pliable.
• Bananas: Peel, then cut into 1/4-inch slices. Dry 10 to 20 hours or until almost crisp.
• Beets: Cook and peel beets. Next cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces. Dry 2 to 8 hours or until leathery.
• Blueberries: Dry 10 to 20 hours or until leathery.
• Broccoli: Cut and dry for 4 to 10 hours.
• Carrots: Peel and slice carrots. Dry 5 to 10 hours or until brittle.
• Cauliflower: Cut and dry 4 to 10 hours.
• Cherries: Cut in half, then dry 20 to 30 hours or until leathery.
• Green Beans: Break beans into pieces1/2 to 1 inch then blanch. Dry 5 to 10 hours or until brittle.
• Onions: Slice onions 1/4 to 1/2-inches thick. Dry 5 to 8 hours or until crisp.
• Peaches: Peel, then cut into quarters. Dry 8 to 24 0 hours or until pliable.
• Peas: Dry 5 to 15 hours or until brittle.
• Peppers: Remove the seeds then chop. Dry 4 to 10 hours or until leathery.
• Strawberries: Wash and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices. Dry 5 to 18 or until almost crisp.
• Tomatoes: Dip in boiling water to loosen skins, then peel and into quarters. Dry 5 to 10 hours or until crisp.

The Right Temperature

The food should be dried between 120 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. You can tell when the food is dry when it feels leathery to the touch. When you tear a piece in half, there should be no moisture beads along that tear. In addition, the vegetables will be crisp.

Storing

Store dry food in a container where no moisture is able to enter. Freezer bags work well for storing the dried goods. Also, store them in a dark, cool place for future use.