Putting Food By - Janet Greene [182]
Open-air/sun. Prepare as for indoor dryer, but shreds are recommended here—better because they’re faster. Test dry. Condition if necessary; pasteurize certainly. Cool and store. Solar dryer: about 70 percent of open-air/ sun time.
Dry test. Slices very tough, but can be bent; shreds are brittle.
Broccoli
Trim and cut as for serving. Cut thin stalks lengthwise in quarters; split thicker stalks in eighths. Steam 8 minutes for thin pieces, 12 minutes for thicker.
Indoor dryer. If using a dehydrator, start at 120 F/49 C, gradually increasing to 150 F/66 C after the first hour; reduce to 140 F/60 C when nearly dry. In a stove oven or handmade indoor dryer, aim to maintain a temperature of 140 F/60 C throughout. Test dry. Condition; pasteurize. Cool and store.
Open-air/sun. Prepare as for dryer. Test dry. Condition if necessary; pasteurize certainly. Cool and store. Solar dryer: about 70 percent of open-air/ sun time.
Dry test. Brittle.
Cabbage
Drying is least feasible of the preserving options for this vegetable, but a little dried cabbage can be handy for soup. Storage life is short. Remove outer leaves; Quarter, cut out core, shred coarsely. Steam 8 to 10 minutes. All leaf vegetables mat on the trays during drying, so spread evenly and no more than ½ inch deep; dry half the weight per batch as for other foods.
Indoor dryer. If using a dehydrator, start at 120 F/49 C, increase gradually to 140 F/60 C after the first hour; reduce to 130 F/54 C when nearly dry; thin part of leaves may scorch. Stir food often to prevent matting. In a stove oven or handmade indoor dryer, aim to maintain a temperature of 140 F/ 60 C throughout. Test dry. Condition it necessary; pasteurize. Cool, store.
Carrots
Choose crisp, tender carrots with no woodiness. Trim off tails, crowns with tops, and any whiskers. Peel. Steam until cooked through but not mush—about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size. Cut in ⅛-inch rings, or shred.
Indoor dryer. Proceed as for Beets, either sliced or shredded. Test dry. Condition; pasteurize. Cool and store.
Open-air/sun. Proceed as for Beets, either sliced or shredded. Test dry. Condition if necessary; pasteurize certainly. Cool and store. Solar dryer: about 70 percent of open-air/sun time.
Dry test. Slices very tough and leathery, but will bend; shreds are brittle.
Celery
For drying leaves, see Herbs. Split outer stalks lengthwise, leave small center ones whole; trim off leaves to dry as herb seasoning. Cut stalks across no larger than ½-inch pieces. Steam 4 minutes.
Indoor dryer. Start at 130 F/54 C, increase to150 F/66 C after the first hour; reduce to 130 F/54 C when nearly dry. In a stove oven or handmade indoor dryer, aim to maintain a temperature of 140 F/60 C throughout. Test dry. Condition; pasteurize, because the maximum heat may not be long enough to stop spoilers. Cool and store.
Open-air/sun. Prepare as for the dryer. Test dry. Pasteurize certainly. Cool and store. Solar dryer: about 70 percent of open-air/sun time.
Dry test. Brittle chips.
Corn-on-the-Cob
Use popcorn and flint varieties for this. (Flint corn was the food-grain of the Colonists, who were taught by the Indians to use it. It is different from “dent” corn, which shrinks as it dries.) The kernels of both flint and popcorn remain plump when hard and dry.
These varieties are allowed to mature in the field and become partly dry in the husk on the stalks. Both are usually air-dried in the husk. However, in some hot countries the husks are peeled back from the partly dried ears and braided together or tied together.
Dry test for popcorn: rub off a little and pop it. If the result’s satisfactory, then immediately put it into moisture/vapor-proof containers with tight closures, to prevent it from getting too dry to pop (the remaining moisture