Pick ripe, good-quality fruit and vegetables. Bruised or overripe food does not dry well.
Home Prep · Home Prep: grow and make course
How to dry (dehydrate) food at home
Drying is the oldest and simplest way to keep food. Dried food is light, small, needs no refrigerator, and is great for a pantry or a backpack. A food dehydrator is easiest, but an oven works too.
Why this matters
Dried food keeps for months without power, weighs little and saves money when gardens or sales give you more than you can eat fresh.
Drying is the simplest kind of food preservation: no special jars, no pressure canner, just low heat and moving air.
What you need
- A food dehydrator, or an oven that holds a low temperature.
- A sharp knife, lemon juice, and airtight jars or bags.
6 to 24 hours of drying, depending on the food.
Step by step
Wash, peel if needed, and slice everything to the same thickness, about a quarter inch, so it all dries at the same rate.
Stop browning on light-colored fruit like apples and pears by dipping slices in lemon juice or ascorbic acidascorbic acid Vitamin C. Dissolved in water, it keeps cut apples and pears from turning brown. (vitamin C) mixed with water.
Blanchblanch To boil or steam food for a few minutes and then plunge it in ice water. It locks in color and flavor before drying or freezing. most vegetables first: boilrolling boil Big bubbles breaking the whole surface, not just a few at the edge. One full minute of this kills the germs that make you sick. or steam them for a few minutes, then cool them in ice water. It keeps color and flavor and helps them store longer.
Dry at steady, low heat, about 140°F, with air moving around every piece. In an oven, prop the door open a little. Rotate the trays now and then.
Test for doneness on a cooled piece: fruit should be leathery with no wet spots, vegetables crisp or brittle.
Condition fruit before storing: put the cooled pieces in a jar, fill it two-thirds, and shake it daily for a week. If drops form inside, dry it longer.
Store in airtight jars or bags in a cool, dark place. To use dried vegetables, soak them 1 to 2 hours and cook them in the soaking water to keep the vitamins.
Tips from survival instructors
- Dry similar foods together; onions and garlic will flavor everything else in the dryer.
- Label each jar with what it is and the date you dried it.
Common mistakes
- Uneven slices. The fix: slice everything the same thickness.
- Heat too high. The fix: low, steady heat; too hot cooks the outside and traps water inside.
- Storing too soon. The fix: cool and condition fruit before sealing.
- Storing in light and heat. The fix: cool, dark place.
Practice it safely
Dry a batch of apple slices: slice thin, dip in lemon water, and dry until leathery. Condition them in a jar for a week, then compare to fresh apples by weight.
Quick check
What is blanching?
- Boiling or steaming briefly, then cooling fast
- Painting food white
- Freezing
Show the answer
Boiling or steaming briefly, then cooling fast
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