Preserving the Harvest

Sharing my Favorite Methods to Preserve the Harvest

Day #20 – Dehydrating

learn how to dehydrate

Dehydrating is a great way to preserve certain food, save space in the freezer and on the shelf! I use my dehydrator for herbs, jerky, onions. garlic, and peppers. I really enjoy my Cosori Dehydrator because the trays are stainless steel and not plastic. I am NOT a fan of plastic whatsoever.

Tips to Successfully Dehydrate Veggies: Smaller the better -I’ve tried thicker larger pieces and it takes DAYS, so it’s worth it to take extra time to chop up smaller in order to save on the electricity. Also make sure whatever it is your drying out is completely dry before storing it away. I like to let it sit out for a few days after I dehydrate (usually because I get side tracked) and then move it into a jar and then finally place a lid on it. No need to rush the process, who needs all that hard work turning moldy!

Here is my favorite Grinder for all the things- works amazing even for cinnamon sticks!! Now that says a lot!

My dehydrator: COSORI Food Dehydrator

Good Foods To Dehydrate

↠ Fruits
↠ Vegetables
↠ Legumes like beans and lentils
↠ Grains, rice, and pasta
↠ Low-fat meats and seafood
↠ Herbs
↠ Sauces (that are fat, dairy, and egg-free)

Here are the dehydration temperature guidelines for different types of food:

make sure to read your owners manual for your dehydrator

95°F Herbs
125°F Vegetables
125°F Beans and Lentils
135°F Fruit
145°F Grains
145°F Pre-cooked Meats
160°F Meat, Seafood
165°F Poultry

Dehydrating peppers to make a spicy mix we use for Salsa

Dehydrating Garlic for garlic powder- I filled up my 6 tray dehydrator twice and got a whole quart jar full of powder, I was actually thrilled! I suggest making the pieces of the garlic smaller than below, it took days to finally dry out.