Food dehydration is a preservation technique that involves removing the moisture from fruits and vegetables to extend their shelf life. By eliminating moisture, the growth of microorganisms that cause spoilage is inhibited, allowing dehydrated fruits and vegetables to be stored for much longer periods compared to their fresh counterparts. Depending on storage conditions, dehydrated fruits and vegetables can have a shelf life ranging from several months to even years, making them a convenient and long-lasting option for enjoying the flavors of seasonal produce year-round.
More information on shelf life can be found here.
How Do I Get Started Dehydrating?
The first step in dehydrating is deciding how you are going to dehydrate your food. There are many different options ranging from setting it in the sun, electric dehydrators, and even solar dehydration.
All American Sun Oven is a great option. It can be used for both cooking and dehydrating. This oven is on the top of my wish list for the future.
You can also DIY a solar oven. There are a few different versions I have linked below.
- My favorite that I would love to try. HERE!
Excalibur 9 Tray:
I won't recommend any other electric dehydrator. I have tried a couple of different brands and the Excalibur is the best. Initially, I got a more budget-friendly dehydrator and it just didn't work. It would blow hot air from the top pushing it down, resulting in unevenly dried foods that took so long. I eventually just stopped trying and put it in storage. It's saved for when we start drying mealworms for our chickens. I should have just gotten the Excalibur to start, saving me time, money and frustration.
Using your oven as a dehydrator is a convenient option when you don’t have a dedicated food dehydrator. While it may not be as energy-efficient as a specialized dehydrator, it can still effectively dry fruits, vegetables, herbs, and even meats.
Your oven will need to be at low heat. For most ovens, this is around 170 degrees, which is still too hot for dehydrating. The ideal temperature is roughly 125 degrees. You can open your oven door slightly and turn on your fan if it has one. This is pretty impractical in the summertime when it’s so hot outside but may be okay in late fall/winter. I have used the oven to dehydrate rice for sizzling rice soup. It takes a long time but does work.
Dehydrating fruit and vegetables is a pretty simple process. In most cases all you need to do is peel if desired, cut to the size you’d like (the thinner it is the faster it will dehydrate), remove pits/seeds, and then begin drying.
Some fruits and vegetables do require blanching before the drying process. You can also treat some fruits with Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), Citric Acid, or Lemon Juice, to preserve color. For most foods, all it takes is 1 minute in boiling water then immediately into an ice bath to stop the cooking. Drain well then place on your trays to dry.
Dehydrating fruit and vegetables is a pretty simple process. In most cases, all you need to do is peel if desired, cut to the size you’d like (the thinner it is the faster it will dehydrate), remove pits/seeds, and then begin drying.
Some fruits and vegetables do require blanching before the drying process. You can also treat some fruits with Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), Citric Acid, or Lemon Juice, to preserve color. For most foods, all it takes is 1 minute in boiling water then immediately into an ice bath to stop the cooking. Drain well then place on your trays to dry.
- Stone Fruits (Peaches, Plums, Nectarines, Cherries): Stone fruits often benefit from blanching to help remove the skin easily and to preserve their color and flavor. To blanch, cut a small “X” on the bottom of the fruit, blanch for 30 seconds to 1 minute, and then transfer to ice water to cool. The skin should easily peel off after blanching.
- Apples: While blanching apples is not always necessary, it can help prevent browning and preserve their color. To blanch, slice the apples thinly and blanch for 1-2 minutes before cooling in ice water.
- Apricots: Like other stone fruits, apricots can be blanched to remove the skin and maintain their color and flavor.
- Grapes: Blanching grapes briefly can help preserve their texture and flavor during dehydration.
- Tomatoes: While tomatoes are technically fruits, they are often treated like vegetables in cooking. Blanching is commonly used to remove the skins before drying or making tomato-based products like sun-dried tomatoes.
- Berries (Strawberries, Blueberries, etc.): Berries are usually not blanched before dehydrating. Instead, they can be washed, hulled (for strawberries), and then dried directly. However, you may consider a quick rinse in a vinegar-water solution to help clean them.
- Leafy Greens (Spinach, Kale, Collard Greens): Blanching leafy greens briefly (usually for 1-2 minutes) can help preserve their vibrant green color and remove excess moisture.
- Broccoli: Blanching broccoli florets for about 3-4 minutes helps retain their color and flavor while also ensuring they are fully cooked before dehydrating.
- Cauliflower: Similar to broccoli, cauliflower can be blanched for about 3-4 minutes before dehydrating to maintain its quality.
- Carrots: Blanching carrot slices or sticks for 3-4 minutes helps preserve their color and texture during drying.
- Green Beans: Green beans should be blanched for about 3-4 minutes before dehydrating to prevent them from becoming tough and to retain their color.
- Asparagus: Blanch asparagus spears for about 2-3 minutes before dehydrating to maintain their vibrant green color and flavor.
- Peas: Peas can be blanched for 1-2 minutes to preserve their color and texture.
- Corn: Corn kernels can be blanched for about 4-6 minutes to partially cook them before dehydrating. This helps maintain their sweetness and texture.
- Bell Peppers: Blanching bell pepper strips for 2-3 minutes can help preserve their color and flavor.
- Zucchini and Summer Squash: While not always necessary, blanching zucchini and summer squash for 2-3 minutes can help maintain their texture and color during drying.
- Tomatoes: For dehydrating tomatoes, blanching is often used to remove the skin. Make a small “X” on the bottom of each tomato, blanch for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, and then transfer to ice water to easily peel the skin before dehydrating.
A good rule of thumb is to treat your veggies how you would before eating for dehydration. For example, before dehydrating potatoes you will need to fully cook them while for broccoli you’ll need to just steam them until they turn bright green. Once cooked how you would eat it, you can dehydrate it.
Most foods will be brittle and break under pressure. Sometimes with foods like apples, peaches, strawberries, tomatoes, etc., there will be some flex to the dried food. It should feel like paper with no moisture remaining. If unsure, just keep drying, it is pretty difficult to over-dry food.
Storage can be put into two categories, short-term and long-term. I use almost all my dehydrated food over winter so I don’t need a lot of long-term storage.
Short-Term Storage (Less than 1 Year)
For short-term storage, you’ll need to store your food in an airtight container. I use mason jars and seal the top with my food saver with this attachment. Keep containers out of sunlight and store them in a cool dark place.
Long-Term Storage ( 1-10 years)
There are several ways to store dehydrated foods long term. Here are a couple of options that I have used in the past to store food.
Option 1: Use an airtight container with an oxygen absorber.
This is my most commonly used method. I store all my dehydrated foods in mason jars so adding an oxygen absorber is an easy step.
Option 2: Vacuum Packing
This doesn’t work for more fragile foods like herbs but will work for everything else. You’ll also need to use an oxygen absorber to absorb any excess air that may be in the package.
Option 3: Mylar Bags
Mylar is a great long-term storage solution. Make sure you label your bag because you won’t be able to see what is inside. You’ll also need to pop in an oxygen absorber before you seal it with a hot iron. The absorber should remove all air from the bag making it look vacuum sealed.
Using dehydrated food can seem difficult if you have never really used it before. Fruits are pretty delicious raw and dehydrated. They are an awesome addition to homemade trail mixes and granola. To rehydrate them, place them in a bowl of lukewarm water for about 15 minutes. You can eat them fresh or use them in recipes that call for fruit. It’s a good way to add fruit to your baked food.
Vegetables can be a bit tricky. To rehydrate vegetables, place them in a bowl and cover them with boiling water. It usually only takes about 15 minutes to rehydrate but some veggies can take up to 30 minutes. My favorite way to use dehydrated vegetables is in soups. I don’t rehydrate them when placing them in soups. Just make sure to compensate for the amount of liquid they absorb by adding a bit extra water or broth.
There are a couple of good books that I recommend checking out.
