Drying Vegetables; Vegetables Selection; Vegetables Preparation; Steam Blanching Of Vegetables - Nesco American Harvest FD-1000 Care/Use & Recipe Manual

_ome vegetables are quite good dried, action which will continue during
Others lose their appeal and are better drying and storage. Water blanching is
frozen or fresh. Some vegetables are not recommended because of the loss of
far better frozen than dried, if you must water soluble vitamins and minerals.
preserve them. Vegetables have a low acid
and sugar content that makes them more Note: Blanching softens the cell struc-
subject to spoilage, and tend to have a far ture, allowing the moisture to escape
)
shorter shelf life than dried fruits, more easilv and also allows vegetables
Packaging and ideal storage conditions to rehydrate faster. There is no need to
are key elements to producing dried blanch onions, garlic, peppers, and
vegetables which will taste as good in rnushrooms. Herbs also are not
December as they did in the sun_ner from blanched.
your garden!
Choose fresh, crisp vegetables for a lfigh
quality dehydrated product. Just like
fruits, vegetables should be picked ripe
and dried as soon as possible to mini-
mize nutritional loss.
Wash vegetables thoroughly and remove
any blemishes. Peel. trim, core, and/or
slice vegetables.
Use a commercial steamer or a pan with
a tight fitting lid and a steaming rack.
Bring about 1 inch of water to a brisk
boil and drop in sliced vegetables.
Cover. Steam until vegetables are heated
completely through, but not cooked.
This is usually about 1/3 of the time
required to cook the vegetable.
Vegetables should still be crunchy
Drain in steamer rack and place imme-
diately on dryer trays.
Most vegetables must be blanched.
either by steaming over boiling water
or in the microwave to slow the enzyme
A microwave is ideal for blanching
vegetables. Prepare them in the same
manner as for steam blanching, Place
them in a microwave-safe dish. cover,
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