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Drying Fruits And Vegetables – Info

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Eat-lf mail, Information, Misc., Tips 1 Servings

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Drying Basics: Select ripe, flavorful produce and wash it well. Remove
bruised or damaged areas, then cut the produce into small, uniform
pieces about 1/3" thick. Place the pieces on the drying racks.
Pretreating helps retain original color, although most foods don't
need pretreating.  Some fruits like apples, apricots, bananas,
peaches, nectarines and pears darken when they're cut and exposed to
air.  To pretreat fruit, dip pieces into pineapple, lemon, lime or
orange juice. For vegetables, briefly blanch them in boiling water or
in a steamer over boiling water.  Place the drained, pretreated foods
on the drying racks. Stack the racks over the heating element, cover
them and set the temperature.  Drying times vary depending on the  food
type, the amount of food, the food's water content, the  thickness of
the slices, the air humidity and temperature, and the  dehydrator's
efficiency.  Keep records to help you determine future  drying times.
Is It Done Yet? Watch the food near the end of the drying time. Don't
over-dry it or the food will lose flavor, nutrition and texture. To
test if the food is ready, take a piece from the dehydrator, cool it,
then feel it with your fingers. If ready, vegetables feel dry and
tough or crisp. Fruits feel chewy, pliable and leathery with no
moisture pockets. Another test: Tear a piece of food and look for
moisture beads along the rip. No moisture?  It is dry.  Storing Dried
Foods Dried foods require little storage space because  they reduce to
a third or less of their original bulk. A quart  container holds 20 -
25 dried bell peppers or 16 - 20 dried tomatoes.  Before storing, cool
all dried foods completely.  Then transfer them  to airtight,
insect-proof glass or plastic containers.  Don't mix  different dried
foods in one container; they may absorb flavor and  moisture from each
other.  Store dried food in a cool, dark, dry place.  Check the dried
foods  after 24 hours. If moisture beads appear inside the containers,
the  food is not dry enough; return it to the dehydrator.  Fruits:
Apples - (Peeled and sliced) Sweet flavor; tender; slightly  chewy.
Bananas - Excellent concentrated, sweet flavor.  Makes a great
"candy". Don't pretreat. Cherries - (Halved, pitted) Chewy, tender,
raisin- like rounds.  Very good flavor. Took longer to dry than other
fruits. Grapes - Became dark brown, moist, plump raisins.  Delicious.
Took longer to dry than other fruits. Melons - Bright colors; tender;
excellent concentrated flavor. Pears - (Pretreated and untreated)  Some
darkening; peels unattractive. Very sweet and tender. Pineapple  slices
- (Canned) Excellent sweet flavor. Retains pretty yellow  color.
Strawberries - Crisp-tender; very sweet; intense strawberry  flavor and
color. Dried fruits we didn't like - Blueberries, oranges  and
raspberries.  Vegetables: Carrots - Vivid color; good taste. Celery -
Rather homely  appearance; good taste. Cucumbers - Taste like a crispy
snack without  adding seasonings. Mushrooms - (Both domestic and wild)
Fragrant;  excellent concentrated flavor. Don't pretreat. Onions -
Sweet flavor;  slightly chewy. Parsnips - White, sweet rounds. Green
and red bell  peppers - Flavorful and sweet; slightly crunchy; good
color. Tomatoes  ~ Intense flavor and aroma; handsome red color; chewy.
Zucchini -  Robust flavor. Crunchy; tastes like a salty snack without
adding  seasonings. Dried vegetables we didn't like - Asparagus,
broccoli,  cauliflower, brussels sprouts, potatoes and radishes. Recipe
By     :  Fast and Healthy, July/Aug 1996 (Reggie Dwork)  Posted to
Digest eat-lf.v096.n196  Date: Wed, 23 Oct 1996 00:13:09 -0700  From:
Reggie Dwork <reggie@reggie.com>

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