17
Dehydrating Spices/Herbs
1. Gently rinse cold water. Shake excess moisture from leaves. Remove and
discard large stems and any dead or blemished leaves.
2. Preheat Dehydrator.
3. Arrange prepared herbs on Trays. Do not dehydrate herbs or other low
moisture items with fruit or vegetables which have a relatively high mois-
ture content.
4. Dryness test: Herb leaves will crumble and stems will snap when bent.
Seeds will take longer than leaves and stems.
5. Condition herbs: Seal in air tight container for 24 hours. If condensation
forms, resume dehydrating until moisture is eliminated.
6. Package dehydrated herbs in a sealed container and store in a dry, dark,
cool place.
7. Shelf life is 6 months to 1 years.
Use dehydrated vegetable flasks and powders on pizzas, in vegetable dips
and spreads, and as a garnish on deviled eggs, appetizers, etc.
When using flasks and powders in recipes without rehydrating, allow 1/4
cup liquid for every tablespoon of powder equals one medium tomato.
Making jerky
1. Select lean meat with little fat, like flank or round steak.
2. Slice meat 3/8 inch thick. Meat will slice easier if sliced while partially
frozen. Trim away any visible fat.
3. Marinate meat for the time specified. See page 18 for marinate recipes.
4. Drain off marinade before dehydrating. Discard leftover marinade.
5.
Arrange marinated meat slices on Dehydrating trays without overlapping
pieces.
6. Preheat Dehydrator while arranging strips of marinated meat on Trays.
Allow space between meat strips for air to circulate freely.
7. Dehydrate for 8-10 hours, or until taught and no moist areas appear on
meat.
8. Test for doneness. Completely cool test piece before evaluating. Once cool,
it should crack when bent, but should not break.
