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walls so moisture can more readily escape during drying and enter during rehydrating. Blanching can be done in water or steam. Water
blanching causes a greater loss of nutrients but is faster than steam blanching and achieves a more even heat penetration.
Steam blanching
—Fill a deep pot with water and bring to a boil. Place vegetables loosely in a basket or colander that will allow
steam to freely circulate around the vegetables. Do not fill basket or colander with more than a 2½-inch layer of vegetables. Position
the basket or colander in the pot, making sure it does not contact the boiling water. Cover with a close fitting lid. Steam for the time
indicated in the Vegetable Drying Guide.
Water blanching
—Fill a large pot ⅔ full with water. Cover and bring to a boil. Place vegetables loosely in a basket or colander
and submerge in the boiling water. Cover and blanch for the time indicated in the Vegetable Drying Guide. Water should return to a
boil in less than 1 minute. If not, too many vegetables were added to the basket; reduce the amount of vegetables added for the next
batch. Water blanch for the time indicated in the Vegetable Drying Guide.
Immediately after steam or water blanching, dip the vegetables in cold water to quickly cool them. Drain the vegetables and arrange them
in a single layer on the dehydrator trays. Refer to the Vegetable Drying Guide for drying times.
Determining Dryness
Refer to the Vegetable Drying Guide and begin checking the vegetables at the beginning of the average drying time range. Remove a few
pieces of vegetables from each dehydrator tray and allow to cool to room temperature. Test for dryness by breaking the pieces in half.
Most vegetables will be crisp when appropriately dried and will break easily. If vegetables do not break easily, additional drying time is
needed. If vegetables seem to have a lot of moisture remaining, recheck every 1 to 2 hours. If vegetables appear to be almost done, check
again in 30 minutes. Always check vegetables from each tray.
Follow “Packaging and Storing Dried Food” information on page 10.
VEGETABLE DRYING GUIDE
Dry vegetables at 125°F (52°C).
Drying times are highly variable dependant on the type and amount of food, thickness, evenness of food pieces, humidity, air temperature,
personal preference, and even the age of the plant at the time of harvesting.
Vegetable
Preparation
Pretreatment (blanching)
Average Drying Time
Asparagus
Cut into 1˝ pieces.
water 3½–4½ minutes
steam 4–5 minutes
6–8 hours
Beans, green/wax
Remove ends and strings. Cut into 1˝ pieces.
water 2 minutes
steam 2–2½ minutes
6–11 hours
Beets
Cook until tender. Cool and peel. Cut into
shoestring strips ⅛˝ thick.
None—Already cooked
4–7 hours
Broccoli
Cut into serving pieces.
water 2 minutes
steam 3–3½ minutes
4–7 hours
Carrots
Peel and cut off ends. Cut into ⅛˝ to ¼˝ slices.
water 3 minutes
steam 3–3½ minutes
4–10 hours
Cauliflower
Cut into serving pieces.
water 3–4 minutes
steam 4–5 minutes
5–8 hours
Celery
Trim ends. Cut into ¼˝ slices.
water 2 minutes
steam 2 minutes
2–4 hours
Corn, cut
Husk and remove silk. Blanch and cut corn
from cob.
water 1½ minutes
steam 2–2½ minutes
6–10 hours
Mushrooms
Wash and slice ⅜˝ thick.
None
2–6 hours
Onions
Remove outer skin. Cut off top and root ends. Cut
into ¼˝ slices.
None
3–7 hours
Peas
Shell.
water 2 minutes
steam 3 minutes
5–9 hours
Peppers and pimientos
Remove stem, core, and inner partitions. Cut into
¼˝ strips.
None
5–10 hours
Potatoes
Peel and cut into ¼˝ slices.
water 5–6 minutes
steam 6–8 minutes
4–8 hours
Summer squash and zucchini
Trim ends. Cut into ¼˝ slices.
water 1½ minutes
steam 2½–3 minutes
4–6 hours
Tomatoes
Peel, if desired. Cut into sections ¾˝ wide.
None
6–11 hours
