Drying Table For Vegetables Using A Dehydrator

Please note that the drying times given here are strictly a guide. Your dehydrator may be quicker or slower than mine so test the vegetables frequently until they reach the desired dryness.

Broccoli ready for dehydrating.

 Leeks ready for dehydrating.

Vegetable       Preparation                Average          Dryness          Uses

                                                            Drying            Test

                                                            Time

Asparagus       Cut on long angle        6-8 hours         Leathery          Blend into a

                        1” pieces. Blanch                                                        powder for soups

                        5 minutes.                                                                    and sauces.

Beans              Cut young beans         4-6 hours         Brittle              Reconstitute in

                        thinly on long angle.                                                   Boiling water for

                        Blanch 3 minutes.                                                       5 minutes then

                        Do not over dry.                                                         Cook as for fresh

                        One layer to each                                                        beans.

                        tray.

Broad              Shell young beans.      8-10 hours       Leathery          Stews

Beans              Boil 5 minutes to        

                        craze outer skin.

                        Place in cold water.

Beetroot          Cook until tender.       8-10 hours       Leathery          Reconstitute in

                        Cool, cut into ¼”                                                        vinegar for salads.

                        slices.

Broccoli           Wash tightly                6-8 hours         Crisp                Soups, stews,

Cauliflower     formed heads                                                              quiches.

                        thoroughly. Cut

                        each floret length

                        wise ¼” thick and

                        blanch for 3 minutes.

Carrots                        Peel, slice ¼” thick      8-10 hours       Leathery          Casseroles, soups,

                        or grate and blanch                                                     carrot cake.

                        for 5 minutes.

Celery              Cut ¼” thick.              6-8 hours         Crisp                Powder for celery

                                                                                                            salt, soups, stews.

Corn                Husk, steam until        6-10 hours       Brittle              Fritters, soups,

                        milk sets. Remove                                                       stews.

                        kernels.

Cucumber        Slice peeled or             6-8 hours         Leathery          Use dry on salads

                        unpeeled ¼” thick                                                       or with dip.

Eggplant:         Slice peeled or             8-10 hours       Leathery          Italian dishes,

Aubergine       unpeeled dark                                                             casseroles.

                        purple eggplant ¼”

                        thick and blanch 5

                        minutes.

Garlic              Slice ¼” thick.             8-10 hours       Brittle              Powder for soups,

                                                                                                            Garlic salt. Or add                                                                                                      soups, stews,

                                                                                                            casseroles, sauces,

                                                                                                            omelettes, pies,

                                                                                                            pizzas. Add the

                                                                                                            powdered to butter

                                                                                                            for a quick garlic

                                                                                                            butter.

Greens:            Wash thoroughly,        4-8 hours         Brittle              Powder for soups

Silver beet       trim leaves from                                                          and stews.

Spinach           stems. Blanch until                                                      Cabbage can be

Swiss Chard    slightly wilted.                                                            Re-hydrated in

Cabbage          Do not clump                                                              vinegar.

                        together.

Mushrooms     Young mushrooms      6-10 hours       Crisp                Powder for soups,

                        should be brushed                                                       sauces, omelettes,

                        or wiped with a damp                                                 casseroles, pies,

                        cloth. Dry whole or                                                     stir-fries, pizzas.

                        in slices.

Onions             Remove skins, tops     6-10 hours       Crisp                Powder for soups,

                        and root ends. Slice                                                    sauces, onion salt,

                        ¼” thick.                                                                     Pies, stews, pizzas

                        Best dried alone.

Parsnips           Peel and slice ¼”         8-10 hours       Leathery          Casseroles and

                        thick or dice. Blanch                                                   stews.

                        5 minutes.

Peas                 Shell young peas and  5-8 hours         Brittle              Mix with other

                        Blanch quickly.                                                           vegetables, stews

                        One layer to each                                                        or soups.

                        tray. Do not over dry.

Peppers:           Cut ¼” strips or rings  8-10 hours       Leathery          Italian meals,

Capsicums       Remove the seeds                                                       casseroles, soups.

Potatoes:         Wash, peel, slice ¼”    8-10 hours       Crisp                Soups, stews,

White              thick, dice or grate.                                                     casseroles, hash

Sweet              Cook in boiling,                                                          browns.

Kumara           salted water for 5                                                       

Yams               minutes. Rinse well

                        in cold water.

Tomatoes         Wash firm, ripe           10-12 hours     Leathery          Italian dishes,

                        Tomatoes. Slice ¼”                                                     soups, pizzas.

                        thick. Load each                                                         Powder. Barely

                        tray on unit                                                                  dry for immersion

                        immediately it is                                                          in oil.

                        filled. Make over-

                        ripe tomatoes into

                        Roll-ups.

Turnips            Peel thinly, slice ¼”    8-10 hours       Leathery          Casseroles,

                        thick and blanch                                                          and stews.

                        8 minutes.

Zucchini:         Remove ends, slice     7-9 hours         Leathery          Soups and

Courgettes       ¼” thick and blanch                                                    casseroles, chips

                        2 minutes.                                                                    with dip.

Approximate Dried Vegetable Yield From Fresh Vegetables:

Fresh Produce                                   Approximate Dry Equivalents

5 pounds carrots                                  1 ½  pound

5 pounds celery                                   1 pound

5 pounds corn                                     1 ½ pounds

5 pounds onions                                  1 pound

1 onion                                                ½ tablespoons onion powder or ¼ cup dried minced onions

5 pound peas                                       2 pounds

5 pound spinach                                  1 pound

1 cup spinach                                      2 tablespoons powdered spinach

5 pound tomatoes                               1 pound

1 medium tomato                                1 tablespoon powdered tomato

Dehydrating foods is excellent for those with limited storage space, or those without a

 freezer. Dehydrating allows you to preserve foods and store them for later use.

Dehydrating increases the intensity of the flavours of the foods that are dried which

Also means that you don’t need to use as much making it a very economical method

of preserving and using your surplus produce.

For those of you that have not tried dehydrating before I encourage you to give it a go.

It is a lot of fun and I always have heaps of fun experimenting with different

vegetables. The ones listed above are by no means the only ones that you can dry.

If you don’t have a dehydrator then don’t be put off and think you can’t possible dry

your own vegetables. Just slice, dice or grate and lay them on cookie sheets. Place

them in your oven at the very lowest possible setting, leave the door open a fraction

and away you go. In no time you will have your own dehydrated vegetables.

Happy dehydrating,