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Uses
Dried vegetables have a unique flavor and texture and are best used as ingredients for
soups, stews, casseroles, and sauces rather than stand-alone side dishes. When using
in soups, dried vegetables can be added without soaking. Dried vegetables used for
other purposes need to be soaked before cooking. To soak, start with 1½ to 2 cups of
boiling water for every 1 cup of dried vegetables. Soak for 1 to 2 hours or until vege-
tables have returned to nearly the same size they were before dehydrating. Additional
water should be added as needed during the soaking process. After soaking, simmer
the vegetables in the soaking water until tender, allowing excess water to evaporate.
Drying Herbs
Drying fresh herbs allows you to have a ready supply of economical herbs that are
available to use all through the year. To retain the best flavor of your herbs, it is
recommended that you dry them at the lowest temperature setting, 95°F or 35°C.
Selection and Preparation
Pick herbs for drying just before the flowers first open. These herbs will be the most
flavorful. The best time to pick herbs is in the early morning just after the dew has
evaporated. Rinse leaves and stems in cool water to remove any dust or insects and
then gently shake to remove excess water. Remove dead and bruised leaves or stems.
Large leafed herbs, such as basil, sage, and mint, should be removed from their
stems for faster drying. Smaller leafed herbs can be left on their stem and removed
after drying. Placing the herbs on a mesh screen will help prevent them from falling
through the grates in the tray as they dehydrate.
Determining Dryness
Herbs are acceptably dry when they are crispy and crumble easily. Refer to the Herb
Drying Guide on page 14 and begin checking the herbs at the beginning of the aver-
age drying time range. Remove a few herbs from each dehydrator tray and allow to
cool to room temperature. If the herbs do not crumble easily, recheck every hour.
Packaging and Storage
Dried leaves are best stored whole and then crumbled when needed. Follow
“Packaging and Storage” information on pages 6 and 7.
Uses
Most dried herbs are 3 to 4 times stronger than the fresh herbs, therefore when using
dried herbs in a recipe that calls for fresh herbs, use ¼ to ⅓ of the amount called for
in the recipe.
