dehydrating more delicate vegetables

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mrphil
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dehydrating more delicate vegetables

Post by mrphil »

I'm thinking I might want to try shifting over to a largely homemade rice, ramen and pho-based meal plan. I would start with prepackaged noodles/rice and seasoning packets, but I want to basically create a series of kits of other ingredients and seasonings that I can mix and match to whatever I feel like eating at the time.

Dehydrating everything from meat, fish, chicken, tofu, vegetables. The meat and tofu are easy, and some of the more solid vegetables I can dry myself or buy and rehydrate, but what I'm looking for is some advice on drying the more delicate leafy greens like cabbage, leeks, baby bok choy, sprouts, etc. I've tried it a couple times and ended up with a crumbly pile of dried leaves. I want something with some consistency and texture, not a mush of unidentifiable green paste. Kind of a rich soup or Bibimbap type of thing. Any experience or thoughts...recipes?

Also, anybody ever try dehydrating kimchi?
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John Harper
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Re: dehydrating more delicate vegetables

Post by John Harper »

I'm thinking freeze dried is the only way to go with veggies like that. Watch the sodium in those ramen seasoning packages, it's ridiculously high. At high altitudes you might find a "sausage" fingers effect. If you have any kind of blood pressure issues, be especially aware.

John
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mrphil
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Re: dehydrating more delicate vegetables

Post by mrphil »

Thank you John. That would make sense, but even the very limited products available for home freeze drying are a couple thousand dollars. I would almost have to spend more money up front for a commercial model and start hiring my machine out to others, or go into business creating product lines of specialty ingredients to make it feasible; the companies that make FD meals are so hit and miss in their selection and execution that I've actually considered it. I don't think that anyone has ever not said at some point, "This is pretty good, but it just needs..........."

High sodium has never given me any kind of reaction, just a matter of taste being too salty. But then again, I sweat like a fiend, so it gives me something to expel tomorrow.

The quest continues...
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bobby49
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Re: dehydrating more delicate vegetables

Post by bobby49 »

I buy bags of chopped frozen spinach and throw a lot onto the dehydrator to run overnight. In the morning, I have a lumpy green mess, but that crumbles down into a green powder. That's just right for adding to a stew since it takes almost nothing to rehydrate.
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beamountainman
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Re: dehydrating more delicate vegetables

Post by beamountainman »

Canned spinach works well too. Anything canned in my experience (especially canned chicken) has rehydrated well

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