Preserving Produce by Drying

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Preserving Produce by Drying
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cassy

Joined: 04 Feb 2008
Posts: 1047
Location: South West Scotland

Posted: Wed Aug 24, 11 10:32 am Post subject:

cassy in Drying Cupboard thread wrote:

In our dehydrator -
shallots took 3h at 145 degF
kale took 1h 13mins at 140 degF
gooseberries took 13h 20mins at 135 degF (sugary fruit takes longer than veg)

Some figures to be going on with but I'm going to add a spreadsheet when I've finished it with temperatures, times and power usage. Time obviously depends on the size of pieces, temperature and airflow. It also seems to depend on the particular characteristics of the item e.g. basil, mint and kale leaves feel broadly similar, if anything kale is tougher, but the kale dried in an hour (at 140 degF) but basil took 32 hours and mint 13 hours (at 95 degF).

My figures will be a little out as I turn off the dehydrator as the sun starts to decrease in the evening and I'm sure the process would be quicker if it ran constantly.

cassy

Joined: 04 Feb 2008
Posts: 1047
Location: South West Scotland

Posted: Fri Aug 26, 11 2:42 pm Post subject:

Mustang wrote:

Try making thin tomato puree leather. Then use it in casseroles etc. It melts into the other food and delivers a very concentrated tomato kick.

Just made some with my first tomatoes - it *is* really strongly flavoured and brittle, so breaks easily into pieces for adding to food. Very impressed with that one, ta!

Also just dried some halved chokeberries. Very nice - fruity and sweet, a bit like a good raisin although they do look more like currants. A lot nicer than the dried blackcurrant.

I also tried to make a leather with the chokeberries but they didn't soften much with light cooking and when I put them through the mouli, the separated into juice and dry matter rather than turning into pulp. Think they need longer cooking and combining with a more pulpy fruit (apples

Blue Peter

Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 2400
Location: Milton Keynes

Posted: Fri Aug 26, 11 3:46 pm Post subject: Re: Preserving Produce by Drying

cassy wrote:

Fruit with seeds can be passed through a mouli and it is worth it as the end result is much nicer to eat without all the seeds.

What is this mouli of which you speak?

Peter.

Edit: Spoolin'

cassy

Joined: 04 Feb 2008
Posts: 1047
Location: South West Scotland

Posted: Sat Aug 27, 11 8:42 am Post subject: Re: Preserving Produce by Drying

Blue Peter wrote:

What is this mouli of which you speak?

I should have called it a food mill. A hand cranked piece of kit of making purees, mushing up soups etc - like this not a vegetable like this.

wildfoodie

Joined: 05 Apr 2005
Posts: 2169

Posted: Sun Aug 28, 11 10:13 am Post subject:

Really interested to hear of veg drying. The tomato leather sounds gorgeous!
We have a stockily which has given years of service, and you can buy additional trays and increase the stack up to 10 for higher yields.
So far Ive done fruit leathers using a petit fours silicon mould from demarle which works brilliantly and makes the leathers into little sweetie bites a bit like flat fruit pastils.
Mushrooms -all edible ones are just sliced thinly and layered into the trays until almost weightless and papery, but they add an amazing flavor to stocks and soups.just rehydrate In hot water for 20 mins and use as for fresh. I also did giant puffballs - produces a powdery end result which is delicious added into liquid based dishes for a good mushroom kick. Shroom soup is lovely.
Raw Apples dry fantastically. When no one can face any more pur�e or sauce! I fill up the spaces in the trays when doing fruit leathers with aple chips and add this to home made museli.

cassy

Joined: 04 Feb 2008
Posts: 1047
Location: South West Scotland

Posted: Mon Aug 29, 11 11:02 am Post subject:

wildfoodie wrote:

So far Ive done fruit leathers using a petit fours silicon mould from demarle which works brilliantly and makes the leathers into little sweetie bites a bit like flat fruit pastils.

They sound good. One thing everyone I've forced to eat, sorry, offered the fruit leather to so far has said, is that the texture leaves something to be desired. This could solve that problem!

wildfoodie

Joined: 05 Apr 2005
Posts: 2169

Posted: Mon Aug 29, 11 12:08 pm Post subject:
What's the problem Cassy, is it too chewy? try drying it a bit less, to a slightly more tacky consistency - you can stop the leather rolls sticking irreversibly to each other by rolling them in a bit of caster sugar.

cassy

Joined: 04 Feb 2008
Posts: 1047
Location: South West Scotland

Posted: Mon Aug 29, 11 1:02 pm Post subject:
I think you're right; it's a bit too dry and when you first put it into your mouth it's very papery, until it softens and the flavour comes. I'm probably over-drying everything at the minute. More experimentation needed! How well does it last when it's on the tacky side?

cassy

Joined: 04 Feb 2008
Posts: 1047
Location: South West Scotland

Posted: Tue Aug 30, 11 9:12 am Post subject:
'Ere, Bloke off the Telly, now you're back, can you share with us your professional dehydration wisdom, please.

bloke off the telly

Joined: 18 Oct 2007
Posts: 4756
Location: tonypandy

Posted: Tue Aug 30, 11 10:10 am Post subject:
assoonasIcantypeproperlyI'dlovetotakepartinthediscussionlol

gz

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8957
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Posted: Tue Aug 30, 11 10:15 am Post subject:
your spaces have dehydrated

bloke off the telly

Joined: 18 Oct 2007
Posts: 4756
Location: tonypandy

Posted: Tue Aug 30, 11 11:01 am Post subject:

been away for a week so I missed this lol, Im happy to put my new vegan salami recipe on here as well, Im going to be making some this week so I'll do a step by step guide, we dry most things, you really must try spreading a tin of baked beans out and drying em, marvelously crunchie, we're going to call em Magic Beanies

, we aim to do different flavours etc. If you do lots of camping its good to have bags of dried meals you've made in portion sizes, we have jars of venison chilli, venison spag bol etc and measure out what we need depending on the amount of people eating

cassy

Joined: 04 Feb 2008
Posts: 1047
Location: South West Scotland

Posted: Fri Sep 30, 11 9:25 am Post subject:

From this thread -

Mustang wrote:

Here's another one. If you have spare lemons (or oranges, limes etc), chuck them in a food processor and whizz them up. All I take out are pips (if I see them).

Spread the lot out onto the teflon sheets. It'll be very very wet, but no problem. Dry them out, then whizz them in the food processor to get ultra-flavoured powder.

Add to hot water for drinks, into salad dressings, into ice-cream, sprinkle on cereals, with apple puree, etc etc.

cassy

Joined: 04 Feb 2008
Posts: 1047
Location: South West Scotland

Posted: Fri Sep 30, 11 3:42 pm Post subject:
Would anyone like to add any other pearls of wisdom before we try and tie it together into an article? Anyone have any pictures we could add?

wildfoodie

Joined: 05 Apr 2005
Posts: 2169

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 11 4:51 pm Post subject:

cassy wrote:

How well does it last when it's on the tacky side?

umm 3 years and counting...

tbh it smells a little stale when the tupperware lid is opened, but there's no sign of mould or anything. this batch has been at the back of the cupboard and Istr I was leaving it to see if it would last a full year.
I do a batch or two most years and we usually finish it up by the june/ july following production

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