A food preservation method from the space industry: preserves 100% of vitamins

Key Tips

Sort and wash the garden produce you want to dry. If chopping is needed, use a stainless steel knife.

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Exposed to oxygen, they quickly turn brown, so soak them in acidified water (3–5 g of citric acid per 1 l of water) or salted water (10 g of salt per 1 l of water), then drain well.

To keep dried products nutritious, select the appropriate temperature before drying.

Start drying juicy vegetables at a lower temperature (20–30 °C), gradually increasing it as they dry. For tougher produce, start drying at a higher temperature (40–70 °C), then reduce it. It is very important that air circulates during drying, so leave the oven door slightly open to let water vapor escape. Drying at too high a temperature causes vegetables and fruits to darken and vitamins C, P, and carotene to degrade.

It is important to know that dried vegetables (except leafy ones), when preparing certain dishes, unlike fruits, must be soaked in water. This restores their shape and aroma. If making soup or stew, soaking is not necessary. When measuring ingredients according to a recipe, note that the volume of soaked dried vegetables will double.

What should you know about freeze-drying?

This is the newest and best method of food drying. Products are first preserved by freezing, then dried in a vacuum by cold – water evaporates without turning into liquid.

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With conventional drying, only about 40% of vitamin C remains in the product, but with freeze-drying – 100%. Also, if stored properly, freeze-dried products retain their taste and nutritional properties for a very long time – up to 20 years. Almost anything can be freeze-dried. This food drying method was first used in the space industry.

When going to space, cargo weight is very important, and freeze-dried products are ten times lighter than those prepared conventionally. Moreover, they have a long shelf life and their nutritional value is almost the same as fresh.

Dried Cauliflower Florets

Needed:

• several heads of cauliflower (can be overgrown).

Preparation:

1. Wash the cauliflower heads, cut the florets, and chop them. You can also chop some of the stems and prepare them for drying together.
2. Boil some salted water in a pot. Prepare a bowl with cold water.
3. Put the chopped cauliflower into boiling water and cook for 3–4 minutes. Drain and transfer to cold water. Drain again.
4. Preheat the oven to 45–50 °C (not higher to avoid cooking).
5. Spread the vegetables on a metal mesh and dry until completely dry. This may take 6–10 hours. Occasionally shake the metal mesh while drying.
6. Put the dried cauliflower into cloth bags and store them hanging in a dry, ventilated room.

Tip: It is especially convenient to dry garden produce not in the oven but in an electric dryer. It can process all vegetables, many fruits, and other natural products.

Beet Chips

• 1 kg of beets.

Preparation:

1. Wash the beets. Boil water in a pot. Boil smaller ones for 10 minutes, larger ones for 15 minutes.
2. While the beets are boiling, prepare a bowl of ice water. Put the cooked beets into it to cool.
3. Peel the beets and cut them into as thin slices as possible. Place baking paper on a metal mesh or grill and arrange the sliced vegetables in a single layer (at most two layers).
4. Preheat the oven to 80–85 °C. Insert the metal mesh with beets and dry for 5–6 hours or until completely dry.
5. Put the cooled slices into a dry airtight container. Store in a cool, dark place.

Tip: If you want the dried produce not to darken, sprinkle the sliced pieces with lemon juice before placing them in the electric dryer or oven.

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