How to Prepare
Vegetables for Drying
|
| Vegetables |
Preparation |
Recommended
Storage Time |
|
| Beans, Snap |
Wash, snap off ends and cut diagonally to expose most
surface area
into 1 or 1/2 inch lengths. Water blanch 3-4 minutes. Steam blanch 4-6
minutes. Dry. |
70 ° F
3-4 months |
60 ° F
4-6 months |
|
| Beets |
Remove tops leaving 2 inches of top and wash. Steam until
almost tender.
Peel. Cut into strips 1/8-inch thick and dry. |
3-4 months |
4-6 months |
|
| Carrots |
Top, wash, and scrape. Dice or slice 1/4-inch thick. Water
blanch 3
minutes, steam blanch 4 minutes. Dry. |
4-6 months |
6-8 months |
|
| Celery |
Wash, cut stalks crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. Water
blanch 1 minute.
Dry. |
1-2 months |
2-4 months |
|
| Corn |
Husk, remove silks and trim ends. Steam blanch whole ears of
corn 3
minutes. Cut kernels from cob after blanching. Dry. |
3-4 months |
4-6 months |
|
| Tomatoes |
Dip in boiling water to loosen skins. Slice crosswise into
1/4-inch
thick slices and dry. |
3-4 months |
3-4 months |
|
| Onions |
Wash, remove outer paper skins. Remove top and root ends.
Slice into
quarter sections 1/4-inch to 1/8-inch thick. No blanching required. |
2-4 months |
4-6 months |
|
| Peas |
Wash, shell. Water blanch 2 minutes. Steam blanch 3 minutes.
Dry |
3-4 months |
4-6 months |
|
Peppers and
Pimentoes |
Wash, cut out stem, remove seeds and partitions. Dice or
slice. No
Blanching required. Dry. |
6-8 months |
8-12
months |
|
| Potatoes |
Wash, peel, remove deep eyes, bruises, and green surface
coloring.
Cut in ¼- to ½- inch cubes. Blanch 5 minutes over water
containing
1 teaspoon sodium bisulfite per cup of water until translucent but
firm.
Rinse to remove gelled starch. Dry. |
2-4 months |
4-6 months |
|
| Summer Squash |
Wash, peel, slice 1/4-inch to 1/8-inch thick. You can grate
zucchini
for use in soups. Dry. |
< 1
months |
1-2 months |
|
| Mushrooms* |
Clean and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices and dry. No
blanching required. |
1-2 months |
2-4 months |
|
| * |
Warning. The toxins of
poisonous
mushrooms are not destroyed by drying or cooking. Only an expert can
differentiate
betweeen poisonous and edible varieties. |
