Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Eating and Drinking => Cooking, Storing and Preserving => Topic started by: New shoot on September 20, 2015, 19:02
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Has anyone really had a go at this? My Mary Bell dehydrating book raves on about greens, but I must admit I was unconvinced and didn't try it for a long time.
Then last year I dried huauzontle (Aztec Broccolli) just because I had loads. It was a great success and I've done it again this year. It dried so crispy you can just crumble it into curries, spag sauces and soups for the last 5-10 minutes of cooking and its just like you have put cooked, chopped spinach through the dish.
This year I have a cabbage mountain and several US dehydrator sites were raving on about dried cabbage. Nothing ventured and all that, so I have a cabbage drying now. Just slice and season to taste, no blanching required. I used black pepper and some mixed dried provencal herbs.
A single large plot cabbage has filled the dehydrator and mine is a beast that holds loads. I'm interested to see what I get :)
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I tried kale crisps, and they were one of the most disgusting things I have ever eaten.
The tomatoes have been amazing, but I am yet to be convinced by crispy greens.
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The Phyllis Hobson book has cabbage blanched for 90-120s in water, quenched, dried and dehydrated till brittle. For the leafy greens she says to blanch till limp, quench and chop then dry till crisp.
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I tried kale crisps, and they were one of the most disgusting things I have ever eaten.
:lol:
I have looked at them a few times and not been convinced. Its the rubbing them with oil, honey and various other things that puts me off.
The cabbage has come out pretty good. I wouldn't eat it dry out of the jar, but the Mary Bell book has a recipe for cabbage and onion, 3/4 dried then toasted in the oven. I can see that as a snack. It has passed the rehydration test and while I was very doubtful when I read on some sites that you can then use it for coleslaw, I am converted now :) It is a slightly different texture, but still crunchy and the flavour seems more concentrated.
The Phyllis Hobson book has cabbage blanched for 90-120s in water, quenched, dried and dehydrated till brittle. For the leafy greens she says to blanch till limp, quench and chop then dry till crisp.
I haven't blanched either of the greens I have done and am happy with the results, so probably won't bother with this step tbh :)
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I have not tried it myself but Phyllis Hobson advises "broccoli, Brussel sprouts, and green, leafy vegetables, fade and become strong-tasting if they are not pre-treated before drying."
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I have not tried it myself but Phyllis Hobson advises "broccoli, Brussel sprouts, and green, leafy vegetables, fade and become strong-tasting if they are not pre-treated before drying."
Books on food drying can be useful, but it depends how old they are. Even my Mary Bell book is a bit dated now having been written in the mid 90's.
There is a whole new world out there for dehydrating, with temperature controlled, fan assisted machines, RAW food and homesteading websites to look at and YouTube channels to watch. That's why I was asking for personal experience :)