Drying carrots is easy. First you'll need to cut them up into whatever "shape" you want. This time I sliced them with the food processor. The slices are a little thin but they are uniform in size. Size matters when you are drying foods! The more uniform in size they are the more evenly they will dry.
Carrots need to be blanched or steamed for a few minutes. This retains the color and the nutritional value. Have you ever wondered what would happen if you somehow forgot to do this step? Well wonder no more because I just so happen to have a picture. (Don't ask!!)
Anyway.... I decided to steam the carrots since I had 10 pounds to process. It just takes less time to steam them than to toss them off in the pot a few at a time to blanch. I don't have to wait for the water to come back to a boil for each new batch this way. I let them steam for 4-5 minutes and plunged them in cold cold water to stop the cooking process.
After I got them all cut and steamed I laid them out on my dryer trays. You want to place a single layer on each tray. It doesn't matter as much if they are touching on the trays, you just don't want them more than one layer thick. Set the dehydrator to 135 and dry til crisp. Store in a cool dark place. I put most of my dried foods in jars but a ziplock baggie works too.
Since I used my food processor to cut up the carrot slices I ended up with the top part of the carrots left over. I also cut some of the bottoms of the carrots because they were so skinny. These I will blanch and then flash freeze. I'll use them in roasts, stews or soups.
Sci,
ReplyDeleteAlways jump on a great deal! You can always freeze, can, steam or dehydrate the item for future use. 50cents a bag is a great deal. I found a deal on cranberries 98 cents a bag, picked up 6 bags and made my cranberry orange sauce and canned it. The store originally had them marked at $1.98 a bag, when I walked over to check them out there were two prices on the display. $1.98 and 98 cents, I flagged the manager and he said ma'am the price is $1.98. I asked then why do you have two prices on the item? He advised, it's a mistake. I said well then are you going to honor the price being that I'm here and want to buy 6 bags? He said, yes ma'am. Please take all the bags you want and when you walk away, I'm removing the price of 98 cents. I got my 6 bags at 98cents a bad :-)
What a deal! Girl, I'm have done exactly the same thing on a deal like that. That manager should be glad it wasn't BOTH of us up in his face! LOL
ReplyDeleteThat cranberry orange sauce sure sounds yummy. I've never put up cranberries but I might have to give it a go for some of that sauce...
I will give it ah go. Thank you for showing the blondness moment. It gives me courage ;-)
ReplyDeleteSometimes I take blondness to the extreme... and obviously I don't mind sharing! LOL Thanks for stopping by Nancy, tune in again next week for another blonde moment! :-)
DeleteAmazing how all those carrots fit into one jar. Love the way they curl on the edges look like little flowers ... I have been doing a fair bit of dehydrating myself this las 2 months. carrots, sweet potato, pumpkin, celery and onions.
ReplyDeleteIt is pretty amazing isn't it? Don't you just love drying stuff? I thought I was the only one who likes the little carrot flowers. I love this time of year because of all the cool stuff you can dry on the cheap. Speaking of drying on the cheap... I've used up about all my onions from the garden. I'm on the look-out for them to go on sale around here. (Note to self: plant more onion next year)
DeleteWhat a deal. I am not a good shopper (too impatient & husband does most of it anyway) so I have a hard time finding a deal. I've been looking for the cranberries to go on sale around here (dammit Sandy) so I can dehydrate some craisins. B-T-W, our price for 'fresh' cranberries are $3.79 for a 10 oz. bag at 1 store & $2.99 for a 12 oz. bag at another. Still no BOGO yet. I'm hoping for that after Christmas.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a good score to me! Good job!
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ReplyDeleteOkay, Sci ...I confess, my first batch of dehydrated carrots looked like your jar on the left. Sometimes learning the hard way is the only way I learn.
ReplyDeleteQuestion for you ...Flash Freezing? Please describe the process. I am blonde this morning!
~HB
Hey HB! You? Blonde? LOL~!!! All I mean by flash freezing is to place the carrots on a cooking sheet and set them in the freezer until they are frozen. Then I will bag them up and store them. It just keeps things from lumping together when you are freezing them. It also makes it easier to get the exact amount you want to use.
DeleteHugs to you and YOF!!!
Excellent tip on the mayo jar. I need to get more stored before the worst of the winter is here, there are still some good buys out there on product and apples.
ReplyDeleteOh trust me, Sci ...I may be technically a red-head, but I have plenty of blonde streaks! Glad to know I can quit looking for the 'flash' button on my freezer!
ReplyDeleteHugs and Merry Christmas to you and Mars too! You still owe me an email ...I'm just sayin'
: )
Do your carrots get dry enough to grind to powder? If so, they would make interesting additions to pasta dough. I've had pasta with powdered tomato, spinach, or basil added, and I'm thinking some carrot noodles mixed with the other types would make a tasty dish.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea BobG. They are definitely dry enough. I just might have to try it. Hmmm I wonder if you could make colored pasta with it??
DeleteThe spinach and tomato noodles take on the color; I don't know why carrot ones wouldn't also.
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