Dry It!

From time to time our grocery store bags up produce on its last leg and sells it super cheap in bulk. There are usually bananas to be had at least once a week, but they've added the other fruits to the mix along with vegetables. I always check the bags, no telling what might get put out - and even if I don't need it NOW I know I can dry it for later. I just finished the mushrooms I dried last summer. I also have dried some of my summer garden produce. I didn't have much to work with, so my stash is small - but it feels good to have stuff put away to use.

Almost anything can be dried. You can use your dried veggies in soups, you can rehydrate them to put in with rice or noodle dishes, you can eat the dry, you can crunch them up with some couscous to carry for a quick camping meal. Fruits can be eaten as they are, added to breads or cereals or granola - the list goes on and on. There are books and resources online to tell you various methods of using your dried goods - and how to dry them.

I know people using a solar dryer, they seem to love it. I haven't had the time or ability to make one yet and can't afford the store bought ones - but if you have the money I'd look into it. I have dried food on hanging rack covered with mosquito netting - those are great if you live where there is little humidity. You can finish them off in the oven to make sure all of the moisture is out. I am currently using a cheap electric dryer because it was given to me, and it takes up little space. Today I have a huge batch of organic celery I picked up, more than my dryer can hold - I'm going to try the oven on low for this round. The celery will come in handy for my soup and chicken dishes. I've been waiting to find a score like this for a while, I always hate buying a batch of celery for cooking - I never get it used up in time, and I can't see buying a bunch at full price to dry. I have three one pound bags of organic celery hearts I got for a buck, can't  beat it. I also need to bag up some turnip greens I bought cheap last week - those were air dried, hanging from a clip in the kitchen. Leaves dry so quickly that I wasn't worried about these getting moldy even though I was gone for fie days.

Before you embark on a drying project, read up on the different methods of pretreatment. Some like to dip their fruits in lemon juice to keep them from browning. I never cared about the browning, so I haven't done that yet. If appearance is an issue, you'll want to read up on each type of fruit before starting. Flavor is another issue - some things DO need to be treated for optimal flavor. I dried a batch of cantaloupe last year and they tasted... well, bizarre. I won't do that again without some kind of pretreatment.

If you live in a small town, or are friends with a produce person, you might be able to score produce in its final days before they chuck it in the compost bin. Ask around. I had a produce stand that supplied me with their old stuff for a while, it was great for drying as you want it to be fully ripe.