Preserving the Harvest – Part I - Drying

The summer harvest is coming in. Now is the time to preserve the lush summer flavors for winter. There are several ways to do that:

~Drying or dehydration

~Freezing

~Canning or lacto-fermentation.

Let’s review how to dry your harvest.

Drying is the process of removing the water from the foodstuff to create a dry product that will not mold or go bad. Most of the good nutrients are preserved at low dehydration temperatures. The three ways to dehydrate foodstuff take little time and less attention to manage.

~ Air drying by hanging foodstuff in brown bags

~ Screen air drying on screens

~ Food dehydrator

AIR DRYING

This is my favorite way to dry leaves or flowers for tea, savory herbs for cooking, or save seeds from plants that have gone to seed. Air drying can be as easy as gathering your herbs or flowers by cutting them at the stems leaving five to six inches of stem and tying them into small bunches with garden string or old twist ties.

Place the tied herbs or flowers into a brown paper bag. Tie the opening with a long string saving some of the string to hang the bag from a place where it is warm and there is some air movement to promote the drying process. I like to put a nail at the top of a wall near a door or other good ventilation and out of direct sunlight. Some people like to make holes in the bag, but I find this is unnecessary if you have good air circulation in the place where the herbs are drying.

Check the bags in every week or two to see if things are dry enough to store. When the leaves or flowers are dry, remove the stems and store them in airtight mason jars if you plan to use them quickly, or fresh paper bags if you plan to have them around a while. Label them with gathering dates and names.

For teas I dry raspberry leaves, strawberry leaves, peppermint leaves, Hibiscus flowers, elder berries and chamomile flowers. I also dry herbs such as lavender, coriander, parsley, summer savory, oregano, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, and sage for cooking. Some seeds I dry include parsley, coriander, kale, squash, beans, quinoa, amaranth, and of course there is much more that can be dried.

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SCREEN DRYING

Screen drying depends on having a warm out of the way place where animals, insects and humans will not disturb the drying seeds, beans, herbs or flowers. It is easy to do and very practical for some things, like legumes.

Take an old mesh screen and place it on four concrete blocks so that there is space below the screen for air to circulate. Place four concrete blocks on top of the bottom blocks so the screen will not move. Alternatively you can make a wooden frame for the screen or use an old window screen and place it on blocks.

Gather your crop to be dried and place it on the screen leaving space between seed or leaves but not stacking them. Remove the stems if you like. I leave the pod cases on legumes and take them off when they are dry.

Place the screen in a warm, well ventilated and protected space and wait. You may want to check in on the process making sure that the seed or herbs are drying evenly. Once they are dry, store in paper bags or airtight containers.

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FOOD DEHYDRATOR

This is a practical way to dry foods when it is damp and cold out. Since our weather has been very foggy and cool, I am using my dehydrator more than usual.

Food dehydrators require little thought and are basically a box or cylinder that has a heat source, a temperature gauge and some have fans and timers. To use them just gather your seeds, fruits, herbs or flowers, remove the stems and any other part that you do not want to dry and place them on the screens. Set the temperature and let them dry. I suggest that you follow the recommended temperatures of your specific dehydrator.

Some dehydrators do not have fans. I have used them and find that they are not as efficient as dehydrators with fans. Alternatively you can use your oven to dehydrate. Just set the temperature to a very low setting and leave the door ajar. Place your herbs or seeds on a tray and let them dry.

Drying food is simple. Remember to use your herbs and teas as they are meant to be used right away and not saved for years.

Enjoy the Harvest!