Dehydrated veggies

[rebel_chick]

So my bf was talking to a friend of his the other day (one of which I have never liked even before I met my bf) anyway, he claims that he will take the cheap frozen veggies and dehydrate them, and vacuum seal them in a baggie with some DE. Has anyone done this? I would think the veggies being frozen then dehyrated would be a little tough the next time around. But then i don't know how exactly that would work, what do you guys think? How long do they last on a shelf? What sealer do you use?

[Rick]

I've never done it but I don't know why it wouldn't work. The veggies will probably be a bit more mushy when thawed than fresh but that should not be a problem dehydrating them. You might have a slight change in color but once dehydrated I doubt you will notice any changes at all.

Once they are dehydrated then sealing them should not be necessary unless you want to have them long term. I'm not at all certain why DE would have to be involved once dehydrated and sealed. If you plan long term storage then I assume you are using something like food grade 5 gallon buckets. Nothing should be able to get in that and once you dehydrate the food then I don't think insects that were in the food (eggs, larvea, etc.) would be an issue. Even less so since it had been frozen.

You can always buy a a package of frozen whatever and try it. That's always the surest way. That's what I did with the hamburger and turkey so I'd know for certain what kind of shelf life I could expect.

Oh, as to what equipment to use, I have a Reynolds Handi Vac. It's okay. It does the job but it's nothing to write home about. It uses special zip lock bags. I sealed up some pork loin yesterday and told my wife we need to think about a better sealer.

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[Hillmann]

I once dried a jar of corn that didn't seal when cannig it. It turned out just fine but I stored it in the fridge because it had butter in it from the attempted canning. I don't think frozen would be much diffrent. I almost awalys freeze my vennison before dehydrating so I can do it when I have time.

[aflineman]

I have done this with frozen veggies. Works well when people buy things on sale and find that there is no room in the freezer for it.
I normally use them for soups and stews, so being tough is something that I have not noticed.
I also vacuum pack them (without the DE), just because they are easier to stack in the pantry bins that way.

[SARKY]

I have one of those vacuum sealer that i got from costco, works quite well.

[rebel_chick]

Huh, ok. I am not sure why he would put DE in them either. If it is sealed I wouldn't think that there would be a problem of bugs.

I have heard of those handi-vacs, but they loose there seals after an amout of time.

[Icemancometh]

I dehydrated some frozen peas earlier this year. A fairly large bag of frozen peas left me with about a half of a quart freezer bag. I just stored mine in a freezer bag and tossed them in the pantry. When I make some kind of stew or soup I throw a handful in. They rehydrate fine in my opinion, not mushy or tough. They tatse just like they did before dehydration. I have thought about doing the same with corn, onions and green beans.

[KhonHd]

Got to ask... What's DE?

[Rick]

Diatomaceious earth. It's the fossilized remains of diatoms. It's a very fine powder and it absorbs the liquid from insects causing them to dehydrate. Pretty good natural insecticide but it doesn't harm people. Well, unless a ton of it fell on you.

[dscrick]

I dehydrate frozen veggies all the time. I have an Excalibur dehydrator and you just take your frozen Veggies and put them on the tray frozen. It works extremely well because frozen vegetables are already steam blanched so they retain color. Blanching is required to dehydrate many kinds of fresh vegetables. Frozen veggies are cheap and you save time because they are already cut up for you.

I dry pack mine in tin cans with an oxygen absorber or vacumn bag them if it's for near term storage.

Check out these links, this lady does some really nice videos on dehydrating frozen foods, she also has a lot of other tips on dehydrating and food storage:

Dehydrating frozen foods part 1:

http://www.dehydrate2store.com/videos/?id=45

Part 2:

http://www.dehydrate2store.com/videos/?id=46

[Rick]

Hey dsrick, nice links!!

Would you save time if you allowed them to thaw before dehydrating? I was just thinking you could drain off any excess water before they go into the dehydrator, which should reduce the time it takes to dehydrate them.

[Mertell]

I have done this for a canoe trip. It worked great.
I took the (probably) unnecessary step of blanching them. The blanching warmed them up and dried them off--- speeding up the whole process.
I used regular frozen mixed veggies, nothing else.
Dry them to brittleness. THEY MUST BE DRY!
Then I finished them off in a warm oven.
I store them in any jar with a rubber seal, tightly capped.
They smell wonderful. If you notice any off odor, they are spoiled and the cause is moisture.
If the product is DRY, and kept that way, shelf life should be "years".
They will cook up just fine in about 20 minutes or so.

-Mert

[Rick]

It actually depends on the veggie or fruit as to how dry they need to be. Brittle is a good rule of thumb, however. You want to dry your food between 120°F and 140°F. Peppers and Beats, for example, should be leathery. Most fruits fall into that same category or dried until they are no longer sticky.

If you follow the suggested drying times you'll have a product that can usually be eaten at any time, without rehydrating, like hiking or backpacking. Those that must be dried to brittle are less palatable to me than those that can be left leathery.

[Beo]

I use dehydrated veggies every time I do a trek, doing one this weekend, friday, sat, sun, monday. Anyway I have peas, corn, carrots, raddishes and potatoes (not dehydrated), and several kinds of fruit (strawberry, blackberry, appricot, banana) mixed in with my nuts and parched corn. The veggies I use in my Beo's Wilderness Stew although I tend to munch on the raddishes as I walk. Works great and I have never had mushy or over hard veggies.
Beo,

[dscrick]

Hey dsrick, nice links!!

Would you save time if you allowed them to thaw before dehydrating? I was just thinking you could drain off any excess water before they go into the dehydrator, which should reduce the time it takes to dehydrate them.

I never thaw them. The low heat of the dehydrator slowly brings them up in temperature so they aren't "Wet". If the veggies are frozen in clumps I actually rinse them in cold water and break them up (that was a tip from the videos).

[dscrick]

One other tip I've found (from backpacking websites) is that you can make your own instant "Freeze dried" trail meals by dehydrating "precooked" foods(No, they aren't real "Freeze dried" meals, but they are just as light and rehydrate just as fast)

Beans for example. You can of course buy dehydrated beans at the store, soak them overnight then cook them, etc. I dehydrate canned beans (which are already precooked). Just rinse them and place on your dehydrator trays until completely dry (brittle).

I also dry precooked pasta. Just boil it like you normally would untill just under done, then drain and dehydrate.

I'll cook some veggies in the microwave (just steam them, no oils or fats), throw them on the trays and dehydrate.

Canned tomatoes. Line your trays with plastic or parchment paper like you would if you were making "Fruit leathers". Spread an entire can of diced tomatoes on the sheet/tray and dry it (I usually peel it up and turn it over so the back side gets really dry as well).

I toss all these ingredients in a baggie or vacumn bag, add some seasonings and a couple bullion cubes, and you have my version of "Trail Minestrone" In the photo is a standard ziploc sandwhich bag with this mix in it, This is half of a batch I made in the dehydrator, and this "Half" batch is enough for two people to have a decent bowl of soup. As you can see the precooked macaroni and beans don't shrink much, but the veggies sure do. The red stuff is the canned tomatoes. I'd estimate the weight of this package at about 5 ounces. Here is the list of the precooked ingredients that I dry for a batch:

1 lb (1 box) macaroni, 1 lb bag of frozen mixed veggies, 1 can of black eyed peas or kidney beans, 1 can diced tomatoes, plus seasonings and bullion cubes to your liking. Divide them up into a couple of baggies

Out on the trail just dump this in the pot (unwrap the bullion cubes) with enough boiling water to cover plus some (Just eyball it, add more if needed) and let it soak for 10 minutes, or simmer it on low heat. The macaroni and beans will be nice and tender, the veggies will plump right up, the tomatoes will taste just like they did out of the can. Instant soup and way cheaper than Mountain House!

At lunchtime I'll post a photo of the reconstituted soup!

I can't take all the credit for this, some other great websites:

http://www.trailcooking.com/

http://www.backpackingchef.com/index.html

[dscrick]

Everybody gets to see my lunch!

So, total cost of ingredients for a "Batch":

1 lb macaroni - $0.99
1 can tomatoes - $0.89
1 bag mixed veggies - $0.79

Grand total $2.67. Add in a little for seasoning and we'll round up to $3.00

For four+ hearty servings. Beats $5.99 for 2 meager servings of the high priced backpack boutique stuff in my book

[Rick]

You'll like this one then...

Dehydrate your favorite spaghetti sauce using the same method you use for the tomatoes. You'll have a leather when you are done. Combine with dehydrated ground beef and spaghetti noodles and you'll have instant spaghetti!! Really good.

[Mertell]

Rick,
You are right, I will like that Spaghetti thing.
Thanks!

Dscrick:
You are The Chef! I will try that soon.
You don't have a recepie for dehydrated beer, do you?

-Mert

[Beo]

Stuff in the pots looks good.