Freezing Food
Freezing food will not sterilize it.
Freezer burn occurs when food has been improperly package.
Liquids will expand when frozen.
Vegetables must be blanched, before they are frozen.
Virtually any food may be frozen, although the quality may greatly change on certain foods.
Eggs, pasta, meringue, mayonnaise, gravy, and custards do not freeze well.
Food may be frozen indefinatly, however the quality will decrease with time.
Recommended length for freezer storage at 0°F:
Fruits and Vegetables 8 - 12
Poultry 6 - 9
Fish 3 - 6
Ground Meat 3 - 4
Cured or Processed Meat 1 - 2
Poultry 6 - 9
Fish 3 - 6
Ground Meat 3 - 4
Cured or Processed Meat 1 - 2
For more information:
The Ball Blue Book of Preserving
Dehydrating Food
Dehydrating food is basically removing the moisture content from food.
This may be achieved in a commercial food dryer, a home oven, or in the sun. The process is the same: heat (to remove the water,) dry air (to absorb the moisture,) and air circulation (to carry the moisture away.)
Sun Drying
When drying food in the sun, it is preferred to be a dry day with temperatures at least 90 degrees.
Pick fruit at the peak of ripeness.
Wash, slice, (and blanch, if desired) food.
Lay food out on a blanket or drying tray in direct sunlight, turning periodically. Bring food in each night, and replace it each day, until dehydrated.
Fruit is dehydrated when it is a brittle/ leathery feel (when you bend it, no liquid seeps out.)
Vegetables are dehydrated when they become brittle. They will crack when bent.
Oven Drying
Pick food at the peak of ripeness.
Wash, slice (and blanch, if desired.)
Spread food out on a drying tray (not the actual oven rack.)
Heat oven to 150 degrees. Place a thermometer in the back of the oven, to ensure the oven stays above 120 degrees and below 200 degrees.
Prop the oven doors open, and place a fan next to the oven. Have the fan alternate sides every few hours.
Fruit is dehydrated when you can bend the fruit and no liquid seeps out. It will have a brittle/ leather feel to it.
Vegetables are dehydrated when you bend them and they crack. They will have a brittle feel to them.
Rehydrating Food
To rehydrate food, simply pour 2 -3cups of boiling water over 1 cup of dehydrated food, in a large bowel.
Or you may use the food in a soup, and the food will rehydrate while it is cooking.
1 cup of dried food will yield approximately 1 1/2 - 2 cups of rehydrated food.
For more information:
The Ball Blue Book of Food Preserving
