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Helpful Hints
1. Always use fresh, quality food and wash everything before starting to dehydrate.
2. Best results are achieved when the quality of the food is high. Select ripe produce in good condition. Bad food may
give off flavor to the entire lot.
3. Clean produce is important. Wash thoroughly, remove soft or spoiled areas, slice and pre-treat if necessary. Be certain
that your hands, cutting utensils and food preparation areas are also clean.
4. Produce may be shredded, sliced or diced. Slices ¼” thick are usually a good size for efficient drying.
5. Drying times are affected by the size of the load, thickness of the sliced produce, humidity of the air, and the moisture
content of the food itself. You can expect a variation in the drying times.
6. Be sure to let the produce cool before testing for dryness. To test for dryness, cut a piece open –there should be no
visible moisture inside. Fruits tend to dry leathery and vegetables dry brittle.
7. Trays may be loaded with foods barely touching but not overlapping.
8. About 6% to 10% of the moisture may remain in food without danger of spoilage. Many dried foods will have a
leathery consistency, rather like licorice.
9. Blanching or steaming is advisable for vegetables to inactivate the natural enzymes responsible for undesirable color
changes. Also, it facilitates quick dehydration and reconstitution. In some cases, blanching is necessary to crack the
skins of fruits like plums to allow moisture to escape during the dehydration. Otherwise, the skins may harden while
the fruits remain too moist in the center.
10. It is necessary to rotate the trays every few hours. Move the bottom trays up and top ones down and turn to right or
left
11. When correctly dried, the majority of your fruits and vegetables will be soft and pliable after dehydration without any
damp spots. Peaches, pears, figs and dates will be pliable and leathery.
12. To remove seeds or pits from prunes, grapes, cherries, etc., dehydrate about half way –then pop seeds out. This
prevents juice from dripping out.
Packing and Storage
Fruits cut into a wide range of sizes should be allowed to condition for a week after drying to equalize the moisture
among the pieces before placing in long-term storage. Place fruit in a non-aluminum, non-plastic container and put in
a dry, well-ventilated and protected area. Keep away from moisture.
Dried foods should be thoroughly cooled before packing. Package in small amounts so that food can be used soon
after containers have been opened.
Pack food without crushing into clean, dry, insect-proof containers. Glass jars or sealed plastic freezer bags make
good containers. Metal cans with fitted lids can be used if the dried food is first placed in a plastic bag.
Your dehydrated food should be checked about once a month. Should you find mold growing on a piece of dried food,
scrape it off and then pasteurize the contents.
To pasteurize the contents, spread food on a cookie sheet and bake in an oven for 15 minutes at 175° degrees
Fahrenheit. Repack in a clean, air-tight container.
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