HOW TO USE
Drying Vegetables:
Unlike other food, vegetables lose a lot of moisture towards the end of the process.
Therefore, they must be checked constantly near the end of the drying process.
Preparing Vegetables:
1. Thoroughly wash your vegetables to remove any dirt. Peel the vegetable and
slice it into even sizes so that they dry at the same rate.
2. Pretreatment is necessary for most vegetables in order to neutralize their natural
enzymes. Specifically, steam blanching is the preferred method.
3. To steam blanch vegetables, put them in a microwave safe dish. Sprinkle with
water, cover the dish with a lid or plate and microwave them approximately 1/2
the time that you would normally use to fully cook them. Stir them occasionally.
4. Once the cook time is over, immediately rinse the vegetables with cold water to
stop the cooking process.
5. Remove the vegetables from the water and dry them.
6. Place them in a single layer on the dehydrator trays making sure that they are
not touching or overlapping. See vegetable drying guidelines chart on page 11.
7. To determine if your vegetables are done drying, take out a few pieces from
different trays in the dehydrator. If you cannot break the vegetable in half with
little effort, place them back on the dehydrator for more time. Repeat the
process until finished.
8. Once the vegetables are dried to your liking allow to cool for 30 minutes.
9. Store in a covered or sealed container in a cool, dry place away from direct
light.
Drying Herbs:
1. Drying your own herbs is an excellent way to save money and ensure you have
a plentiful supply year round.
2. Once you select which herbs you want to dry, wash them in cool water to
remove any dirt.
3. Lightly dry them off and place them on the dehydrator trays.
4. Drying time for herbs is 30-90 minutes. Therefore, make sure to constantly
check herbs for dryness every fifteen minutes at a minimum. They are
considered dry when you can easily crumble them in your fingers.
5. Once herbs are dried to your liking allow to cool for 30 minutes.
6. Store in a covered or sealed container in a cool, dry place away from direct
light.
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