Water blanching –Fill a large pot ⅔ full with water. Cover and bring to a boil. Place
vegetables loosely in a basket or colander and submerge in the boiling water. Cover and
blanch for the time indicated in the Vegetable Drying Guide. Water should return to a boil
in less than 1 minute. If not, too many vegetables were added to the basket; reduce the
amount of vegetables added for the next batch.
Water blanch for the time indicated in the Vegetable Drying Guide below.
Immediately after steam or water blanching, dip the vegetables in cold water to quickly
cool them. Drain the vegetables and arrange them in a single layer on the dehydrator trays.
Refer to the Vegetable Drying Guide below for drying times.
Determining Dryness
Refer to the Vegetable Drying Guide below and begin checking the vegetables at the
beginning of the average drying time range.
Remove a few pieces of vegetables from each dehydrator tray and allow to cool to room
temperature. Test for dryness by breaking the pieces in half. Most vegetables will be crisp
when appropriately dried and will break easily. If vegetables do not break easily, additional
drying time is needed. If vegetables seem to have a lot of moisture remaining, recheck
every 1 to 2 hours. If vegetables appear to be almost done, check again in 30 minutes.
Always check vegetables from each tray.
Follow “Packaging and Storage” information on before pages.
VEGETABLE DRYING GUIDE
Dry vegetables at 50-55°C.
Drying times are highly variable depending on the type and amount of food, thickness,
evenness of food pieces, humidity, air temperature, personal preference, and even the age
of the plant at the time of harvesting.
