How to Preserve Food and Dry Vegetables
Simple, traditional ways preserve vegetables and other foods for storage. Some foods, such as vegetables, lend themselves to simple drying techniques, but more volatile foods, like meat, are better suited to other preservation methods such as smoking, salting or canning.
Things You'll Need
- Stove
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Baking sheet
- Mason jars and new lids
- Canning pot
- Salt and assorted herbs
- Freezer bags
- Quality vegetables, fruits and meats
- Water
Instructions
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Oven Drying Vegetables
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1
Set the oven to roughly 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Prop the oven door open slightly with a heatproof object to allow moisture to escape from the food being dried. In addition to drying the food, this level of heat will also inhibit bacterial growth.
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2
Peel and slice the vegetables and place them on an oven tray. Be sure to cut them evenly so that the rate of drying is equal between all pieces. Space the pieces on the tray evenly and place them in the oven.
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3
Check the food for moisture content every half an hour by taking a piece from the tray and slicing it in half to see if the core is still moist to the touch; if so, continue to bake until all moisture is drained from the vegetables. Place the dried vegetables in freezer bags and store them in the freezer for an added layer of preservation and to ward off freezer burn. Vegetables stored in this manner can last virtually indefinitely, since the drying process and the freezing process work together to inhibit bacterial growth, and the freezer bag keeps the food palatable.
Canning Food
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4
Wash and chop the food into manageable pieces to fit in the canning jar. Fill the jar with the food being preserved and either water or pickling brine. Add spices and salt to the brine according to personal preferences. Make sure that the brine liquid is at room temperature rather than cold, since adding a cold liquid filled jar to boiling water may crack the jar.
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5
Heat the water in the canning pot to a rolling boil on high heat using a stove top heating element. Screw the new jar lids tightly to the jars containing the food and water or brine solution. Lower the jars slowly into the boiling water.
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6
Boil the jars thoroughly, which will seal them. Refer to a cook time chart for specific boiling times for the food you are preserving. However, as a rule of thumb, volatile foods like meat should boil at least 90 minutes to ensure sterilization. Firm fruits and vegetables typically require less boiling time.
Salting Meat
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7
Cut the meat destined for preservation into long thin strips and thoroughly rub an ample portion of salt into the meat with clean washed hands. Use enough salt to coat the entire cut of meat in a thin layer, which should be enough to inhibit bacterial growth.
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8
Place the strips of salted meat on a baking tray, place the tray in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit and check on the meat every half hour until the meat is dry in the core of the thickest pieces. To check for dryness, cut the thickest piece in half and examine the core for signs of moisture.
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9
Package the salted dried meat in freezer bags and store it in the freezer for an added layer of longevity while preventing freezer burn.
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10
Before eating salted meat, soak the dried meat in warm water for at least an hour, reducing the salt content of the meat and making it more palatable.
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Tips & Warnings
Some fruits and vegetables can lose flavor during the drying or canning process. To avoid some of this flavor loss, try shocking the food chemically with a bath in a mildly acidic lemon juice, water and sugar solution.
The canning process heavily cooks the foods contained within, meaning that some foods can break down structurally, leading to unpalatable results. If you find that canning is not leading to a tasty result, try dehydrating and freezing the food instead.
A book on food canning can be quite helpful, since different foods react differently to the canning process. As a general rule, try to can foods that you have already seen successfully canned elsewhere.
Always combine dehydration with freezing when possible. This gives a far better margin for error when it comes to preventing spoilage due to an imperfect dehydration.
Dried food outside of a freezer can still be contaminated with bacteria and mold, even in sealed vessels, so it is best to err on the side of caution and freeze them anyway.
Use clear canning jars so that the food is visible, making it easier to check for signs of spoilage. If the lid of the food bulges after time in storage, do not eat the food as it is a sign of botulism contamination.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit jam image by dinostock from Fotolia.com
