Dehydrating – Sustainable Ewe

Dehydrating is a fantastic space saver: 10 kg of fresh fruit will reduce to 1.5-2 kgs of dried.

Hints and tips:

Humid conditions will require a higher drying temperature
Blend berries with other fruits to avoid them becoming brittle
Do not over dry – food will loose it’s nutritional value

Pre-Treatments

Some vegetables will benefit from blanching. This stops the ripening process.

Some fruits may be pretreated by dipping for 5 minutes in citrus or pineapple juice for 5 minutes. this will prevent browning and the loss of vitamin A and C.

Storage

Allow dried produce to cool completely before storing to avoid condensation. Ideally dried produce should be stored in vacuum packed bags or glass jars. Store in a cool dark dry location.

Below are guides for electric dehydrators – but don’t forget in summer it is easy to make a Solar Dehydrator!

Electric Dehydrators

Drying times – A rough guide

Leathers: 10 to 12 hours – Medium heat
Herbs and Spices: 4 to 8 hours – Low heat
Vegetables: 6 to 10 hours – Medium Heat
Flowers: 6 to 12 hours – Medium heat
Meat: 6 to 8 hours – High heat

Fruit	Preparation	Drying Time *	Dryness Test	Suggested Use
Apples	Sliced and cored	10 hours	Pliable	Snacks, fritters
Apricots	Halve fruit, remove stone	14 hours	Pliable	Snacks, muesli. desserts
Bananas	Slice 5mm thick	14 hours	Leathery	Snacks, muesli, banana cake
Blueberries	Remove stems	14 hours	Leathery	Ice cream, muesli. muffins
Cherries	Remove stems and pit	16 hours	Leathery	Pies, cakes, snacks
Citrus	Slice 3mm thick	16 hours	Crisp	Snacks, cakes, chocolates
Feijoas	Cut fruit in half, scoop out. Cut 5mm thick	12 hours	Leathery	Snacks, desserts, chocolates
Figs	Quarter	14 hours	Leathery	Stewed puddings, snacks
Grapes	Whole or Halved	20 hours	Pliable	Muesli, snacks
Kiwifruit	Peel and slice 5mm thick	10 hours	Pliable	Snacks, chutney
Melons	Peel and Slice 5mm thick	12 hours	Leathery	Snacks
Pears	Slice 5mm thick	10 hours	Leathery	Snacks, dessert
Persimmons	Peeling is optional, slice 5mm thick	12 hours	Leathery	Snacks
Plums	Slice in half, remove stone, pop backs	12 hours	Leathery	Muesli, snacks, chutney
Rhubarb	Slice 5mm thick	10 hours	Leathery	Pies, stewed
Stonefruit	Halve, remove stone, slice 5mm thick	10 hours	Leathery	Snacks, chutney, pies
Strawberries	Slice 5mm thick	8 hours	Crisp	Muesli, add to ice cream or yogurt

* Drying times will vary depending on thickness of fruit, dehydrator type, relative humidity.

Vegetable	Preparation	Drying Time *	Dryness Test	Suggested Use
Asparagus	Cut on an angle in 20mm chunks. Blanch 5 mins	7 hours	Leathery	Powder for soups
Beans	Cut on long angle. Blanch 3 mins.	5 hours	Brittle	Reconstitute in boiling water for 5 minutes then cook
Broad Beans	Shell. Boil 5 mins till outer shell is crazed. Drop into cold water.	9 hours	Leathery	Stews
Beetroot	Cook till tender. Cut into 5mm slices.	9 hours	Leathery	Reconstitute in vinegar for salads
Broccoli, Cauliflower	Cut florets lengthwise 5mm thick. Blanch 3 mins.	7 hours	Crisp	Soups, stews etc
Carrots	Peel. Slice 5mm thick. Blanch 5 mins.	9 hours	Leathery	Casseroles, soups, cake
Celery	Cut 5mm thick.	7 hours	Crisp	Powder for soups. Celery salt
Corn	Steam until milk sets. Remove kernels	8 hours	Brittle	Fritters, soups, stews
Cucumber	Slice 5mm thick	7 hours	Leathery	Salads, Chips for dip
Eggplant	Cut 5mm thick. Blanch 5 minutes	9 hours	Leathery	Casseroles
Silverbeet, Spinach, Cabbage, kale	Blanch till slightly wilted. Lay flat.	6 hours	Brittle	Power for soups. Cabbage can be re-hydrated in vinegar.
Mushrooms	Dry whole or in slices	8 hours	Crisp	Powder for soup,stews, omelettes etc
Onions**	Remove skins, slice 5mm thick.	8 hours	Crisp	Powder for soups, sauces, stews, etc
Parsnips	Slice 5mm thick. Blanch 5 mins.	9 hours	Leathery	Casseroles and stews
Peas	Shell. Blanch.	6 hours	Brittle	Stews and soups
Peppers	Slice 5mm thick. Remove seeds.	9 hours	Leathery	Casseroles and soups
Potatoes, Yams, Kumara	Peel. Slive 5mm thick, dice or grate. Boil 5 mins in salted water. Rinse in cold water	9 hours	Leathery	Soups, stews, casseroles etc
Tomato	Slice 5mm thick	11 hours	Leathery	Soups, pizzas
Zucchini	Slice 5mm thick. Blanch 2 min	8 hours	Leathery	Soups and casseroles