>>>When you say you temper them in a roaster pan, do you pile them in there as opposed to a cookie sheet with a single layer? <<<
Yep! Or should I practice - ‘You betcha’.
Please note that this is MY technique... Drying vegetables is not a science when done at home, but an art. Your own style and practices should be developed. (Hey, for some the humidity is sky high normally and for others, dry as a bone - some are at 8,000 feet and others are dangling their toes into the sea.)
Some items I just dump into the roaster and stir three or four times during the time in the oven, including the cool-down. If I am doing something like parsley, I don’t get too aggressive with the stirring (unless I want parsley flakes 8^) - If I am doing meat, I would increase the temperature 10º just to be safer and stir more.
Here is part of one article:
Conditioning & Pasteurizing
When drying is completed, small pieces will be drier
than large pieces, even on the same tray. When dried
in the oven or dehydrator, some food dries faster in
some spots on the tray. To condition or equalize the
moisture, place the dried vegetables in a glass or plas-
tic container or crock. Cover tightly and let stand for a
week. Stir or shake the vegetables everyday. If there is
evidence of moisture, return them to the drying trays
and heat in a 150 °F oven for 30 minutes. Cool and
package.
Pasteurizing is recommended when vegetables are
sun dried. Insects may have gotten on foods dried out-
doors and may cause spoilage. To pasteurize, spread
the dried vegetables on trays in a single layer. Place in
a preheated oven, 175 °F for 15 minutes or at 160 °F
for 30 minutes. Remove and cool. You may also pas-
teurize vegetables by sealing them in heavy plastic
bags and placing the bags in the freezer at 0 °F for at
least 48hours.
Packaging
Cool vegetables before packaging. Package dried veg-
etables in small quantities you can use within one
week after opening. Every time you open the contain-
er, the food is exposed to air and humidity and the
quality deteriorates. Small glass jars, metal cans with
tight lids, plastic freezer cartons, and plastic freezer
bags that you can seal with heat, twist tapes, string, or
rubberbands all make good containers. Scald and dry
them thoroughly. Pack the dried food into the contain-
er as tightly as possible without crushing and seal to
keep out moisture.
msucares.com/pubs/infosheets/is0723.pdf
Maybe my attention span doesn’t last a whole week for the conditioning or something...(Maybe old age has something to do with it) So, I reserve the long term stuff for sauerkraut or crock pickles. Anyway, I just make sure it is uniformly dry before storing.
But then fruits are totally different... (another chapter in the art of dehydrating... )
I thought you posted a canned cabbage method,
and I thought I saved it.
and I thought I could find it in the archives of 19k...
but I'm old and my PC is not that fast ,
although it's amazing what you can find under “cabbage”
and item 2 : do you can your frozen cube steak / meats that are putting on age or freezer remorse(burn)
Thanks again for bailing me out in advance...
I kinda like the ‘you betcha’ myself.
You are just a wealth of knowledge. Thanks for sharing your expertise with all of us novices out here. Your dried squash sounded so good I’m thinking of picking up a few at the store to try drying while my garden’s coming along.