Canning and Preserving For Dummies (55 page)

Zucchini

Zucchini is always plentiful in any garden. The trick is to pick it often and do not let it grow to gigantic proportions. Young zucchini has a tender skin and doesn’t need to be peeled before drying. One fun way to enjoy zucchini is to make zucchini chips.

Because dried zucchini is virtually tasteless in your dishes, you can easily add nutrients to a dish without changing the flavor.

Dried Zucchini

Select young, small- to medium-size zucchini. To use, sprinkle directly into your soup or stew and cook until tender. Add shredded zucchini directly into any baked goods without rehydrating.

Preparation time:
10 minutes

Drying time:
8 hours

Yield:
1 1/2 cup

10 pounds fresh zucchini (about 30 medium)

1
Shred the zucchini or slice it in 1/8-inch slices — blanching first isn’t necessary — and place the cubes or slices in single layer on your drying trays.

2
Set the temperature on your dehydrator to 120 degrees and allow the zucchini to dry for 8 hours, stirring at least once to prevent sticking. Rotate the trays occasionally to facilitate even drying. Properly dried zucchini is crisp.

3
Store the dried zucchini for up to one year in a tightly sealed container.

Per 1/2-cup serving:
Calories 302 (From fat 29); Fat 3g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 30mg; Carbohydrates 66g (Dietary fiber 29g); Protein 18g.

Zucchini Chips

These crispy chips are the perfect way to use up the piles of zucchini you always end up with during the summer. Keep in mind, though, that they absorb moisture from the air quickly. Once opened, use them as quickly as possible to avoid them becoming soft.

Preparation time:
10 minutes for preparing, 15 minutes for marinating

Drying time:
12 hours, or until crisp

Yield:
4 servings

1 pound zucchini (about 3 medium)

1/4 cup Italian-style salad dressing

1
Wash and slice the zucchini into 1/8-inch thin slices. Place the slices in a large bowl or gallon-size plastic, sealable storage bag. Pour the Italian-style dressing over the slices and toss to coat. Marinate the zucchini in the dressing for 15 minutes. Place marinated slices in a single layer on your drying trays.

2
Set the temperature on your dehydrator to 120 degrees and dry the zucchini slices for 12 hours (or until crisp), turning at least once. Rotate the trays occasionally to facilitate even drying.

3
Store the zucchini chips for up to three months in a 1-gallon, sealable plastic storage bag.

Per serving:
Calories 91 (From fat 66); Fat 7g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 118mg; Carbohydrates 6g (Dietary fiber 2g); Protein 11g.

Soup and Stew Mix

This is a wonderful way to have the basics for soups and stews on hand. Dry each vegetable separately, as explained in the preceding sections, and then store together. For a vegetable soup, add these to a simple broth base. Fast and easy!
Note:
If you don’t have dried potatoes, dried carrots, dried peas, or dried onions on hand, use the instructions in the earlier recipes to dry each vegetable and then proceed with this recipe.

Preparation time:
10 minutes for mixing

Yield:
4 cups

1 cup dried potatoes

1 cup dried carrot slices

1 cup dried peas

1 cup dried onions

1
Combine the dried vegetables in a large bowl.

2
Store the stew mix in a moisture-proof container in a dark, cool place.

3
To use, measure out the amount of vegetables you want and then simply add them to your broth and simmer until tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Per 1/2-cup serving:
Calories 188 (From fat 6); Fat 1g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 40mg; Carbohydrates 38g (Dietary fiber 10g); Protein 9g.

Chapter 19

Drying Herbs

In This Chapter

What makes a good drying herb

Creating blends for cooking

Making your own herb tea

Recipes in This Chapter

Italian Herb Mix

Mexican Herb Mix

Rice Mix

Lemon Lover Tea Blend

Mint Lover Tea Blend

Drying herbs is a wonderful way to be sure you have the freshest seasoning possible for your cooking. Because you pick herbs throughout the growing season, you can collect the finest herbs again and again, drying them as you go. Drying herbs is also an easy way to create your own signature blends for cooking and herbal tea. You will always have your favorites on hand if you dry them yourself.

This chapter shares the most common herbs that dry well and some recipes for making herbal blends that everyone can enjoy.

Drying Common and Not-So-Common Herbs

Herbs are one of the most important and expensive ingredients in any dish. Drying them can save you a lot of money and give you much fresher and fuller flavor than any found on a store shelf.

The best herbs for drying are those that are
resinous,
or contain the most oils. The oils are where the scents and flavor come from. Herbs that have very juicy stems and overly thick leaves don’t dry well.

If you find that your herb of choice seems to become tasteless or dries to a black mess, try freezing that herb instead. Two herbs that are commonly used in cooking but do not dry well are chives and basil. Some have luck drying basil at a low temperature, but we don’t recommend it for those just starting out. Blend in a little olive oil with these too fussy herbs and freeze instead (go to Chapter 15 for details).

The best herbs for drying are those you grow in your own garden. If you don’t have a green thumb, the next best thing is to buy your herbs from a farmer’s market that sells produce grown without chemical sprays and picked as recently as the day you buy it.

If you grow your own herbs:
Start small, growing only what you can easily care for because you’ll have to pick your herbs many times over the gardening season. You can simply dry them as they become ready, and combine the fully dried herbs with the ones dried before.

Harvest your herbs just after the morning dew has dried, but before the hot, noonday sun has hit them. The heat from the sun drives the fragrant oils out of the leaves and blossoms, so the herbs have less flavor.

If you choose herbs from a farmer’s market:
Look for fresh, vibrant leaves, a strong smell, and clean, healthy-looking plants. Avoid buying wilted or shriveled herbs, as they have been picked too long ago. Don’t hesitate to ask for a taste of a leaf. You may also want to crush a piece of leaf in your hand, to see if it smells strongly of the fresh herb.

The following sections outline several herbs that are easy to dry. When selecting your herbs, choose those that you’re familiar with first.

You can use either an oven or a dehydrator set between 115 and 125 degrees. This temperature is just high enough to heat but not cook the herbs. Don’t set the temperature any lower than 115 degrees though, because it takes too long and sometimes allows mildew.

Store your dried herbs in small containers. Glass jars with tight-fitting lids work best. For your herbs to maintain the best flavor during storage, keep them away from heat, light, and your refrigerator.

Chamomile

Chamomile is a delicate flower that is as lovely as it is useful. Harvesting chamomile, however, is difficult in a major scale, making it loved by home gardeners but expensive as an herb farm crop.

Chamomile has a lightly fruity taste. Because the taste differs slightly from variety to variety, tasting is the best way to find the right chamomile for your garden.

To harvest chamomile for drying, pick the individual chamomile flowers as they bloom and just after the dew has dried in the morning. This is very important because chamomile’s delicate scent is easily lost if you’re not careful. Some leaves are fine to include because they also have some chamomile flavor.

To dry chamomile, follow these steps:

1. Lay the flowers in a single layer on trays.

2. Set your oven or dehydrator temperature to between 115 and 125 degrees and dry for 3 to 5 hours, checking carefully after 4 hours and rotating the trays periodically to facilitate even drying.

You don’t want to overdry them. Flowers are fully dry when the tiny petals curl inward, and the center of the blossom is totally dry.

3. Store in a airtight container, out of sunlight.

To use your dried chamomile, pour 1 cup of boiling water over 1 tablespoon dried flowers; then cover and steep for 3 minutes. (Don’t steep chamomile too long; it can produce a bitter taste.)

Dill

Dill, an herb that grows anywhere, has tiny leaves and a large, flowering seed head. Harvest the leaves any time you want. Use dill leaves in dressings and pickle mixes. It makes a refreshing dip for vegetables and tastes great added to your summer salads.

Dill can quickly become an invasive plant. Once the plant goes to seed, it starts popping up everywhere. Be sure to keep it in check by trimming off the flowers and seeds before the plant makes itself a permanent member of your garden.