Canning and Preserving For Dummies (53 page)

Green Beans

Green beans have a special place in my pantry. I (Karen) remember when I lived in my cabin, and dried my beans, strung like beads onto string, over my woodstove. They were a staple vegetable for my winter meals. I now use my dehydrator and although not as interesting a story, they still come out perfect.

Dried Green Beans

Select young, smooth beans; avoid those that have grown enough to develop seeds inside. To use dried green beans, drop dried beans into simmering soup and cook until softened, about 30 minutes. Although there are recipes for it, we don’t recommend rehydrating plain green beans. The results are always mushy.

Preparation time:
10 minutes

Drying time:
8 hours

Yield:
1/2 cup

2 1/2 pounds fresh green beans

1
Wash and trim the beans as you usually would to eat. Blanch them for 2 minutes in boiling water and then chill immediately in cold water and drain well. Arrange the beans in a single layer on your drying trays.

2
Set the temperature on your dehydrator to 120 degrees and dry the beans for 8 hours, stirring at least once to prevent sticking and rotating the trays occasionally to facilitate even drying. Properly dried beans are leathery and shriveled.

3
Store the dried beans up to one year in a tightly sealed container.

Per 1/4-cup serving:
Calories 155 (From fat 5); Fat 1g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 30mg; Carbohydrates 36g (Dietary fiber 17g); Protein 9g.

Greens

Greens are powerhouses of nutrition in a small package. If your family is not used to eating greens, you can use them as a flavorful addition to any soup or stir fry. You can add dried greens to your tomato sauce to add a lot of nutrition. Your family will not even notice.

Dried Greens

Select young, fresh greens for drying. To use, crumble dried greens into broth, tomato-based sauces, stews, and any other dish that you want to add some nutritional punch to.

Preparation time:
10 minutes

Drying time:
4 to 6 hours

Yield:
1/4 cup

1 pound fresh greens

1
Trim and wash the greens thoroughly to remove any fine grit. Blanch the greens until they are limp, about 2 minutes. Spread them in a thin layer onto your drying trays.

2
Set the temperature on your dehydrator to 120 degrees and dry the greens for 4 to 6 hours, or until the greens are crispy, stirring once to keep them from sticking together and rotating the trays occasionally to facilitate even drying.

3
Store your dried greens for up to one year in a tightly sealed container.

Note:
Check drying greens carefully to ensure they are layered loosely enough to fully dry. Greens that are stuck together may hold moisture and develop mold.

Vary It!:
You can create a powder to add as-is to any sauce or baked good. Simply pulverize the dried greens in a food processor and then dry them in your dehydrator for at least 4 hours.

Per 1/4-cup serving:
Calories 227 (From fat 29); Fat 3g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 195mg; Carbohydrates 45g (Dietary fiber 9g); Protein 15g.

Onions

Onions are a familiar vegetable, even dried. They are a tasty addition to many foods, and if added in dried, tiny pieces, often are overlooked by those who claim to not like them.

Dry onions separately from other vegetables or their strong odor will permeate throughout. Once dried, they don’t overpower other foods and can be mixed with other vegetables when making your own blends. You may also want to dry them in an out-of-the-way area. The drying process makes the onions smell quite strong.

Dried Onions

Select firm, unblemished onions for drying. You can add dried onions to any dish that you normally use onions in. If needed, simply add hot water to dried onion, soaking for 15 minutes, before adding to your dish.

Preparation time:
10 minutes

Drying time:
12 hours

Yield:
1/4 cup

1 pound fresh onions (3 large or 4 to 5 medium)

1
Thinly slice your onions or chop them evenly so that the pieces are of uniform size to facilitate even drying times. Arrange the onion slices or chunks in a thin layer on your drying trays.

2
Set the temperature on your dehydrator to 120 degrees and dry until brittle, about 12 hours, rotating the trays every 4 hours or so to ensure even drying.

3
Store your dried onions for up to one year in a tightly sealed container.

Per 1/4-cup serving:
Calories 172 (From fat 6); Fat 1g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 14mg; Carbohydrates 39g (Dietary fiber 8g); Protein 5g.

Peas

Peas make a great addition to your dried pantry. They blend well in many recipes and add a bright pop of color and flavor. Peas are one vegetable that many children love.

Dried Peas

Choose young green peas when they are at their peak of flavor. They shrivel up quite a bit when dried but plump up nicely when added back to water or broth. Add dried peas to broth or stew and simmer for 30 minutes.

Preparation time:
5 minutes

Drying time:
9 to 12 hours

Yield:
1/4 cup

1 pound fresh peas

1
Shell and blanch your peas for 2 minutes in boiling water; then chill in ice water and drain. Arrange the peas in a thin layer on your drying trays.

2
Set the temperature on your dehydrator to 120 degrees and dry until the peas are shriveled and hard, about 9 to 12 hours, stirring at least once to prevent sticking and rotating the trays periodically to facilitate even drying.

3
Store your dried peas for up to one year in a tightly sealed container.

Per 1/4-cup serving:
Calories 367 (From fat 16); Fat 2g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 23mg; Carbohydrates 66g (Dietary fiber 23g); Protein 25g.

Peppers, sweet

Drying peppers is a great way to add this tasty vegetable to your cooking. It only takes a few pieces to really turn up the flavor. Another nice thing about drying peppers is that when dried, they take up only a tiny portion of space, versus freezing. Be sure to dry at least one batch of these for your winter pantry.

Dried Sweet Peppers

Select heavy, unblemished peppers for drying. To use, add peppers directly to any dish calling for pepper, without rehydrating. If desired, soak pieces in boiling water for 30 minutes, until soft. Use the same as fresh.

Preparation time:
10 minutes

Drying time:
8 to 10 hours

Yield:
1 cup

5 pounds fresh sweet peppers

1
Wash, core, and remove all of the white membrane and seeds from your green peppers. Chop or slice the peppers, making sure that the pieces are of uniform size for even drying. Arrange the peppers in a single layer on your drying trays.

2
Set the temperature on your dehydrator to 120 degrees and dry the peppers until they are leathery and dry throughout, about 8 to 10 hours, stirring at least once and rotating the trays to facilitate even drying.

3
Store the dried peppers for up to one year in a tightly sealed container.

Tip:
Depending on the size of the dehydrator, you may need to divide and dry the bell peppers into two batches.

Per 1/2-cup serving:
Calories 251 (From fat 16); Fat 2g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 19mg; Carbohydrates 60g (Dietary fiber 19g); Protein 8g.

Potatoes, white or sweet

Potatoes are a great dried vegetable. Having these on hand and ready saves time and work by cutting out almost all of the prep time taken in peeling and slicing.

When you dry potatoes, make sure that they’re
completely
dry; otherwise, they’ll mildew during storage.