Dehydrating the Harvest: Tomatoes, Fruit, Herbs and Chili
Take the water out and a glut shrinks to a fraction of its size, keeps for months, and needs no freezer space.
Drying is the most space-efficient way to store a harvest: a tray of tomatoes becomes a handful of intense, chewy semi-dried gems; a glut of herbs becomes a year of seasoning in a couple of jars. You can use a dedicated dehydrator, a fan-forced oven on its lowest setting, or in a hot dry inland summer, the sun.
What dries well
- Tomatoes: halve cherry or slice larger, dry until leathery (semi-dried) or brittle. Store semi-dried in oil in the fridge, fully dried in a jar.
- Fruit: apple rings, stone fruit, figs, banana. Dip pale fruit in lemon water to stop browning.
- Fruit leather: puree a berry or stone-fruit glut, spread thin, dry into rollable sheets. Kids inhale it.
- Herbs: the easiest of all. Dry low, crumble, jar. Or just hang bunches in a dry airy spot.
- Chili: dry whole or sliced, then blend into flakes or powder.
- Mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers: all dry well for soups and stews.
Temperatures and the dryness test
| Food | Temp | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| Herbs | 95 to 105F | Crumbles to touch |
| Fruit and leather | 130 to 140F | Leathery, not sticky |
| Vegetables | 120 to 130F | Brittle or leathery |
| Tomatoes | 130 to 140F | Leathery (semi) or crisp (full) |
Store fully dried food in airtight jars away from light. "Condition" it first: jar it loosely for a few days and shake daily; if moisture beads on the glass it is not dry enough, so dry it longer. Properly dried and jarred, most things keep 6-12 months.
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