Summer harvest is well underway. Normally right about now I would be creating soup bases and tomato sauce to store in the freezer. Our conserver lifestyle is underpinned by preparing time-and-money-saving food from the garden now for meals to enjoy during the winter. This year is a little different for two reasons.
The first is time. As we climb our way back from Jim’s renal failure emergency, appointments and extra chores eat up hours each week. Fortunately, most of the appointments are located in the direction of our allotment so at least a garden visit can be tacked on while we’re already out.
The second is space. Our next side of grass-fed, grass-finished beef from a local ranch will be delivered in October. This means I have to be smart about what garden produce I can reasonably expect to also fit into our freezers.
Fortunately there are multiple ways to preserve the harvest. Freezing is my go-to, but I have other tools in my workbox. Fermenting is one. Dehydrating is another. The cherry tomatoes and zucchinis are prolific right now and I choose dehydrating as the simplest way to preserve them.
Dehydrating Cherry Tomatoes
It couldn't be much easier. Harvest your ripe tomatoes and quickly wash them. Don't let them sit in water or they may split. Give them some time to air dry since there's no point in adding extra moisture to the project. Cut all the tomatoes in half. (If I have time, I use my thumb to strip out some of the seeds and moisture, It's not necessary but I find the tomatoes dry more quickly, As well, I'm a little suspicious of retaining that many seeds, concentrated by drying, in our food. It's just my own peculiar choice. You can see from the photos that I didn't do it for this batch.)
Put the tomatoes cut side up on the dehydrator trays. Set the temperature at 130°F / 54°C. Depending on how full you've loaded your dehydrator, it will take 24 hours more or less. Test for doneness. Don't expect them to become crisp. They should be leathery, like dried apple slices.
We use dried cherry tomatoes as a pizza topping. And for snacking, of course. They're also a wonderful ingredient to add as I cook stews, sauces and soups.
Cherry Tomatoes Prepped
The tomatoes are spread on dehydrator trays cut side up to prevent them from sticking.
Cherry Tomatoes Dehydrated
This is half the tray of tomatoes when finished. They hardly take up any room once they’re dried.
Dehydrating Zucchinis
I'm never overwhelmed by the abundance of zucchinis. If you need inspiration, check out my post There Is No Such Thing as Too Much Zucchini.
To save time so I can deal with them later, I peel, shred and dehydrate the zucchinis. They take up a fraction of the space and can be stored in a cupboard. I generally pick the squashes when they're still small to keep them under control. If you grow or are gifted a big zucchini, you can still use it this way. Quarter it lengthwise and cut out the seeds before you shred.
Spread the zucchini shreds or spirals evenly on the dehydrator trays about half an inch thick. Set the temperature at 125°F / 52°C. Depending on how many trays you have in your dehydrator, it will take 18 hours more or less. Test for doneness. Remember that dehydrated foods can keep for years, but moisture will ruin the batch.
Our dehydrated zucchinis will become Free Homemade Amish Flour or be cooked in soups. You can also dehydrate spirals then rehydrate them for winter pasta.
Zucchinis Prepped
Cut off the ends, then peel and shred. Young zucchini skins are thin so you could leave them, but your baking may have a greenish tinge.
Zucchinis Shredded
My seven zucchinis filled three dehydrator trays. Be sure to spread the shreds evenly, not too thick. Air flow is vital.
Zucchinis Dehydrated
This is the same tray after dehydrating. The dried shreds are flexible but contain no moisture. I usually vacuum pack them.
Choosing a Dehydrator
The big thing is to know your needs and then do your research. I depend on our dehydrator during the harvest and have had enough experience to know I wanted a professional-grade model. Most of time it is drying culinary and medicinal herbs and flowers. I find the five-tray unit perfectly adequate, but if I dried fruit, I might wish I had a bigger one. I chose the Excalibur brand. I've read that Cabela's is similar in quality and function.
Jim solved the question of where to store it. He repurposed an old printer stand. The castors allow me to wheel it out for maximum air flow when it's running and then to tuck it away under our coffee bar when it's not.
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I hope your September is everything the last days of summer should be. If you, like the wise ant of Proverbs 30:25, are putting by harvest abundance, please tell us about it in the comments.
