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Using
Dried
Produce
Most
vegetables
are refreshed with water before use. Dried vegetables need about 2
hours
soaking time before cooking. When you soak or rehydrate the vegetables
they should plump to nearly the same size they were when fresh. Start
with
1½ to 2 cups of water for each cup of dried vegetables. If
necessary,
add more water during the soaking process.
Cook the
vegetables
in the same water in which they have soaked to save nutrients. All dried
vegetables can be added directly to soups or stews without pre-soaking,
just boil or simmer dried
vegetables
in soups, stews, or other dishes cooked in liquid.
Most dried
fruit
can be eaten or used in recipes as it is. If you wish to plump or
soften
the fruit slightly to make it more chewable, you can use one of these
methods:
Cover the
dried fruit
with boiling water. Let it stand for 5 minutes then drain.
Place the
dried fruit
in the top of a steamer over boiling water and steam 3 to 5 minutes
until
the fruit is plump.
Dried
fruits can
also be eaten as nutritious snacks, or can be soaked in water or juice
for one to two hours and used in favorite recipes. Sliced vegetables
can
be eaten dried as tasty vegetable chips for dips.
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Products:
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Did You Know?
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When
making jelly without added pectin use only firm fruits naturally high
in pectin. Select a mixture of about 3/4 ripe and 1/4 underripe fruit.
Do not use commercially canned or frozen fruit juices. Their pectin
content is too low. Wash
all fruits thoroughly before cooking. Crush soft fruits or berries; cut
firmer fruits into small pieces.
Using the peels and cores adds pectin to the juice during cooking. Add
water to fruits that require it, as listed in the table of ingredients
below. Put fruit and water in large saucepan and bring to a boil. Then
simmer according to the times below until fruit is soft, while stirring
to prevent scorching. One pound of fruit should yield at least 1 cup of
clear juice.
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