Fruits and vegetables
must be prepared for drying as soon as possible after harvesting.
Select
only fresh, good quality fruits and vegetables. All
foods should be prepared by proper sorting, washing, and peeling.
Vegetables
are low in sugar and acid and this increases the risks for food
spoilage.
Fruits are practical and much easier to dry than vegetables, because of
the high sugar and acid content and because moisture from fruits
evaporates
more easily. See instructions for Practical
Food to Dry.
Cleanliness and
Sanitation
Cleanliness and
sanitation are essential and very important throughout the drying
process.
Make sure everything is clean through before drying.
Size of Food Particles
It is very important
to cut food into uniformly-sized pieces for the best result. Food
should
be cut into halves, strips, or slices and should not be more than 1/8-
to 1/4-inch thick. Larger pieces take longer to dry because it is more
difficult for the water to travel through the pores in the food. Spread
thin layers of uniformly-sized pieces of food on the prepared drying
racks.
The trays should be stirred occasionally and rotated if top trays dry
at
different rates than the bottom trays.
NOTE: In general,
the shelf life of home dried vegetables and fruits stored at 60° F
is 4 to 6 months. If the product is stored at 70° F, shelf life
will
be shortened. See tables.
