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• Vacuum sealing can help to extend storage life by several months. If
food has been properly and thoroughly dried.
Containers
Any container which is clean, airtight and moisture proof is suitable for
storage. Heavy, zipper plastic bags or heat sealing cooking bags are excel-
lent. Fill each bag as much as possible and squeeze out excess air. Filled
bags may be placed in metal cans with lids (shortening or coffee cans are
good) to keep out insects. Glass jars with tight fitting lids can be used with
or without plastic bags. Quality plastic containers with tight fitting lids are
good, but they must be airtight. Do not use paper or cloth bags, lightweight
plastic bags, bread wrappers or any container without a tight fitting lid.
Location
Cool, dark and dry are the keys to maintain the quality of dried foods.
Shelves near a window may need to be covered to keep out the light. Glass
jars or plastic containers should be placed in a paper bag or in a closed cabi-
net. Cement walls and floors are often damp and cold. Therefore, dried food
containers should not be placed directly on the floor or touching a basement
or cellar wall as this can cause condensation in the container. Do not store
dried food near items with a strong odor such as varnish, paint remover or
kerosene.
Length of Storage
Dried fruits and vegetables should not be stored longer than 1 year. Plan
to use all dried meats, fish, poultry, or jerky within a month or two. Label
dried foods, and rotate on a first dried, first to be used basis. Check dried
foods periodically. If the food seems more moist than when packed, mois-
ture is getting into the container. Spread food on drying trays and re-dry.
Then pack in an airtight container. Mold indicates food was not properly
dried before stored. Destroy moldy food.
Reconstitution
Dehydration is the process of removing moisture from food. Reconstitu-
tion is the replacement of that moisture to bring the food back to its natural
state. Although some dried foods such as fruit are excellent in their dehy-
drated state, you will often want to reconstitute other dried foods before
eating them. Here are some tips on reconstitution.
