One of the biggest things that Gardeners are confronted with is how to preserve all of the things that they grow. There are actually a number of ways that are pretty simple. Refrigerating and Freezing is probably the easiest way, Canning and Dehydrating are often good ways for longer term storage. And then you have freeze drying which actually costs a lot for the equipment so its only a good idea for large volumes of product that often might also get sold. Normally whatever method you use there are limitations on its shelf life but you are already accustomed to this when you purchase food that has expiration dates.
First Rule Of Food Preserving Is Only Your Best Gets Preserved
No matter what method you are using the best rule is to pick it fresh and process it immediately. Now if you see that some of your produce is getting close to turning you can throw it in the freezer for a short time and then use it for a soup or other cooked method if you are sure none of it is spoiled.
Never preserve any produce that has a bad spot or bug bites or isn’t of the best quality because preserving it won’t make it any better and you might risk the chance of bacteria making you sick or the bad items effecting the good.
Pick The Right Method To Preserve Your Produce
Dehydrating is good for many items but it is not the best choice for everything. The same is true for all methods of preserving food. Even though you might be ok using a specific method it might not result in the best product six months down the line when you want to use it.
An easy way to understand this is how items are sold in markets. What is the best method and what way have companies found to sell the best product to their customers over many decades is something that you should be noticing and trying to copy.
For instance Green Beans can be dried and they are good for soup mixes maybe but wouldn’t you rather have frozen or canned green beans in your soups or other dishes? Probably unless drying would give you an advantage such as for camping where weight and transportation is a consideration.
Many Recipes Recommend Parboiling Before Dehydrating
Yes, Parboiling is an important step in preparing your foods for dehydration. There are a few reasons that you parboil your produce but the most important one for preserving is that it kills any bacteria that might be present. If you don’t use the best produce and treat it by washing and parboiling then you risk your batches going bad on you either almost instantly or much earlier than they should.
Things like Beets, Garlic, Mushrooms, Peppers do not normally require Parboiling but they do need more than usual preparation and washing before they are dried.
How Long Does It Take To Dehydrate Food?
The answer to that is as long as it takes. In general by adjusting temperatures and methods you can expect the average batch of any produce to be about 10-12 hours but there are many factors to consider so the produce is only done dehydrating when it has reached the stage where minimal moisture remains in the item.
Because the guide is too long to list we will only list a few produce items.
The best recommendation is to dry the items until they are brittle like a fresh corn flake in your breakfast cereal or a fresh potato chip out of the bag. Some items just will not process to that point so they are said to be done when they are Leathery Hard and some items get tough to a point that is someplace in between. Follow a guide that is specific to the produce you are preserving.
Tomatoes – Steam to remove skin, slice no thicker than 1/2 inch thick, Process for 10-15hrs until Crisp
Squash – Parboil 1 minute, Cut into 1/4 inch thick slices, Process 10-15 hours until Tough to Brittle
Onions – Wash and remove skin, Slice no thicker than 1/4 inch, Process for 5-10hrs until Very Brittle.
Mushrooms – Remove Hard Stalks and Scrub well, Dip In Citric Acid Solution 10 minutes, Process 10-12hrs until very leathery. Mushrooms are a special item and need more instruction than provided here for best results. Remember no amount of cooking can make a poisonous mushroom safe to consume. When in doubt just don’t eat them.
Final Note
As you can see there are many considerations when preparing your produce for long term preservation using the dehydrating method. It is always best to use your best and most perfect produce when choosing any preserving method.
Most Dehydrator Manufacturers will include a basic list of heat settings and times for general produce and meats. You can also find information online from Government Sources that have been collecting this data for many decades.
If you are ever in any doubt about a preserved food item never take the risk. Never believe you can cook out the bacteria or other problems because it does not work. Just throw it away if it tastes bad or has a bad odor or look to it. Your life is more important than a $1 jar of Corn and your hospital bills will be much higher than that.
Safety First and safety always . don’t take the risk if you are unsure.