How to Dry or Dehydrate Celery

Prolong your celery's life by drying it.

If you have purchased a large stalk of celery but only need a small amount of it for your recipe, dry or dehydrate the leftover celery to use it in the future. Drying and dehydrating celery and other vegetables increases their shelf life. There are a variety of ways to retain the color and nutritional value of celery during the preservation process. Use a stove and a fan to dry or dehydrate the celery to enjoy for weeks to come.

Things You'll Need

• Kitchen knife
• Cooking pot
• Food strainer
• Paper towel
• Stove
• Wire-mesh tray
• Wood stick
• Hot pad
• Thermometer
• Metal fan
• Spatula
• Glass Mason jar

Instructions

Blanch Celery

1. Wash the vegetables to remove all dirt and debris.

2. Use a kitchen knife to cut the celery stalks into pieces each 1 inch in length. You can chop the celery into smaller pieces if desired; using smaller pieces speeds the drying process.

3. Boil 5 cups of water in a cooking pot. Place the pieces of celery into a food strainer. Insert the celery and strainer into the boiling water for 2 minutes. Blanching stops the enzyme breakdown process.

4. Remove the strainer. Run the celery pieces under cold water for 2 minutes. Dry the celery with paper towels to remove the water.

Dry or Dehydrate Celery

1. Preheat your stove to 140 F.

2. Place the celery pieces onto a wire mesh tray. Place the wire mesh in the center rack of the stove.

3. Insert a wood stick or hot pad between the stove and the stove door. Keep the stove door open about 1 inch. Moisture needs to escape the stove.

4. Check the temperature of the stove using a thermometer. The internal temperature should remain 140 F.

5. Place a metal fan facing the inside of the oven. Blow air into the stove to increase air circulation.

6. Stir the celery every 30 minutes with a spatula. All surfaces of the celery need equal drying. Drying takes approximately 4 to 12 hours. Remove the celery when it is dry.

7. Place the dried celery into a glass Mason jar. Store the celery for future use.

References

• University of Illinois Extension: Drying Vegetables
• New Mexico State University: College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences: Drying Foods