Storage Life for Dehydrated Foods

Dehydrate foods like these last much longer than they would naturally.

To stretch your grocery dollar, you can dehydrate your foods. This is a good way to make them last much longer than they would in their natural form; however, it does not make them last forever.

Shelf Life

Dried mushrooms

Conventional wisdom holds that dried foods should be eaten within one year of being dried. This timetable allows you to eat them while they're at the peak of freshness then to replace them when fresh food is once more in season.

Risks

Assorted dried fruits

Keeping dried meats, fruits and vegetables stored away for too long defeats your original purpose, as even dehydrated foods can spoil. They will turn dark in color and lose their flavor.

Enemies

Dried peppers

Two dangers you should guard against are air and insects. Exposed dried foods absorb the moisture in the air and become limp and will spoil faster, and insects infest and destroy valuable food supplies.

Air Advisory

To protect against moisture, always store dried foods in airtight containers (labeled with contents and date of drying), and keep containers out of direct light in a cool, dry, dark place such as your pantry. After one month at room temperature, dried meats should be kept in the refrigerator or freezer.

Insect Insurance

To protect against insects, utilize airtight containers. And, since the food may have been already contaminated with insect eggs during the drying process, pasteurize the food immediately after it is dried. You can freeze the food for a period of 48 hours, or heat it on a cookie sheet for half an hour in your oven on its lowest setting, then cool and store it.

References

• Survivalacres.com: Dehydrated Food Shelf Life