PRESERVING FOOD - DEHYDRATING & DRYING
When we are talking about dehydrating, your mind may automatically go to using a fancy food dehydrator. While those machines are so nice for convenience and speeding up the process, they are not necessary for preserving food. We are going to talk about using a food dehydrator, air drying, hanging things to dry, and other drying methods.
Dehydrating was the first method of food preservation (other than freezing) I used. It’s a great starting place if canning intimidates you. Hopefully by the end of this month with our other weeks on canning, that won’t be the case!
TIP 1 - Harvest herbs right after a dry spell, never right after its rained. They will be more potent.
TIP 2 - Use shallow woven baskets with long bottoms for dehydrating herbs and leafy greens at room temperature. Lay items in a single layer in a dark area with good circulation for approximately two weeks. When gathering (especially for medicinal herbs) handle with care.
TIP 3 - A wire tray can also be used instead of a basket. In olden days, herbs and thinly sliced fruit would have been placed on a sheet with another sheet layered on top and placed in the sunshine all day to dry.
TIP 4 - Plants can also be bunched up and hung to dry on a wooden clothes drying rack or hook. Avoid direct sun because herbs will lose some of their potency and medicinal values.
TIP 5 - Making a pepper garland is another method of hanging to dry. Thread peppers onto a strong leaving a little space between each pepper for faster drying.