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How to Make Dried Food Vegetable Mixes

Throughout history, people have dried foods at harvest time in order to ensure they have enough to eat when the supply is less abundant. Today, drying is still an efficient, inexpensive method of food preservation. Dried vegetables are more suitable for use as ingredients in soups, sauces and stews than as reconstituted side dishes, because their flavor, color and texture may be altered in the drying process. Therefore, packaging several dried vegetables together, along with complementary herbs, cuts the preparation time for dishes such as spaghetti sauce and vegetable soup.

Things You'll Need

  • Vegetables
  • Large pot
  • Water
  • Mesh bag
  • Dehydrator or oven
  • Drying trays
  • Netting (if sun drying)
  • Containers
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Instructions

  1. Dehydrating Vegetables

    • 1

      Vegetables selected for drying should be ready to be eaten---ripe yet tender. Sweet corn and green peas are an exception to this rule, as they should be slightly immature, picked before their sugars turn to starch so they retain their sweet taste. If you are drying herbs to use with these vegetables, pick young tender leaves.

    • 2

      Pretreating vegetables before drying is necessary to slow down the enzyme activity that causes color and flavor changes and to minimize the loss of nutrients. The Colorado State University Extension Program has a thorough explanation of drying vegetables in its Food and Nutrition Series, including tables showing the average yield, steps for drying, and dryness tests for specific vegetables. Blanching for 4 to 7 minutes is recommended for most vegetables. Place vegetable pieces, placed in a mesh bag, into boiling water. After boiling, place the bag into very cold water, then drain on a paper towel or cloth.

    • 3

      Drying typically removes all but 5 to 25 percent of a food's moisture and helps prevent its decay. The three principal methods of drying are with a dehydrator, in an oven and outside in the sun. Any drying method requires evaporation of most of the food's water content, as well as removal of the water vapor formed. A dehydrator made for this purpose is the best choice for drying vegetables. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for the model used.

    • 4

      Lacking a dehydrator, either a gas or electric oven may work for food drying as long as the vegetables are spread out on cookie sheets and monitored to prevent scorching. Sun drying is also possible under the proper conditions. Ideally, temperatures should be above 100 degrees Fahrenheit with low humidity. Drying trays should be slightly raised so air can circulate underneath them, and they should be wrapped with netting to protect the vegetables from dust and varmints.

    • 5

      Once the vegetables pass their drying tests and cool to room temperature, package them individually or in whatever combinations that appeal to you. Divide them into small quantities, preferably for a single use, using scalded glass jars, metal cans with tight lids, plastic freezer containers or even heavy-duty plastic bags. Plasticized tape may be added to the cans or jars for extra security, and if you use plastic bags opt for those that can be heat-sealed. Any of these packages may be stored for up to a year.

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