photo by stevendepolo
Did you know you can dehydrate frozen vegetables right out of the bag? Frozen veggies are one of the easiest things to dehydrate as the blanching prep work has already been done for you before they were frozen. Just open the bag of frozen vegetables and empty it onto your dehydrator trays. If the veggies are bulky like broccoli or cauliflower, you may want to partially thaw them and cut them into smaller pieces before drying to make the drying go faster and give you a more “ready to eat” size finished product. Dry the frozen veggies until they are crispy dry. The drying time will vary depending on the thickness of the vegetables you start with, but 6-8 hours is usually sufficient.
Dehydrating your frozen vegetables will give them a longer shelf life so you don’t end up with a mass of frost and veggies in the back of the freezer and it will also free up some space in your freezer for other foods. You can frequently pick up frozen vegetables on sale or with coupons to make them pretty inexpensive. Dehydrate them and you’ve got some cheap dehydrated vegetables that are perfect for adding to soups or re-hydrating for use in other meals.
I’m curious as to how you store your dehydrated veggies.
I store them mostly in mason jars. If they’re going long term, vacuum seal the mason jar with a foodsaver jar sealer or put an oxygen absorber in the jar and put the lid on tight. You can also store them in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers for longer term keeping.
I have heard that about frozen vegetables. Maybe I should try it. Your times for dehydrating things are always so much less than my times. Could the humid South be the problem. I feel foolish drying something for 24+ hours when the directions say 10 hours.
Yes, I have a sister in Louisiana and she’s had to dry things a lot longer than the instructions say–humidity is definitely a factor to consider when you’re dehydrating.
Fantastic idea. I would never have thought of it.
What a great tip! Thank you!
And I’ve been meaning to ask… Have you ever dehydrated eggs?
I have not tried dehydrating eggs. It would be an interesting experiment, though. However, having once had salmonella poisoning, I’m scared of salmonella. I’d have to do some research before drying my own eggs. ;)
Are you using an Excalibur to dehydrate? Thanks for all your great information.
Yes, I use the 3900 model Excalibur.
I can’t wait to try this. I’ve been meaning to put my dehydrator to use! Thanks for a great post. Hope you’ll take a minute to check out our new blog.
http://www.zombieapocalypsesurvivalists.com
I wanted to try some dehydration this fall to see if I would use the end product enough to really justify buying an excalibur. I borrowed one from a friend and did a ton of apples-then when frozen vegetables went on sale at a local store for a dollar a bag I did 3 bags of mixed vegetables, 2 of corn and one of peas.
I’ve been LOVING using them! The mixed veggies have gone into several different soups and casseroles-and I can’t believe how well the frozen corn re-hydrates. I swear-no one eating it would have any idea that it wasn’t corn straight from the freezer.
I’ve been hinting very heavily to hubs that I want a dehydrator for Christmas :)
Hi, I’m new to this, can the vegetable after being dehydrated be rehydrated and eated as if from freezer. In other words taste fresh.
Lisa
Lisa, yes. They can be rehydrated. They are best in soups or casserole type dishes, but can be eaten plain after re-hydrating as well. To re-hydrate, boil in water (or soup base) until the veggies are tender again.
Thank you
What a great idea! I never thought I could dehydrate frozen food. I gather it will take a very long time though, due to the high amount of water.
Excellent blog! I wish I had known about it before writing my book, as I would have added the link right away!
I never thought of this. It’s one of those simple ideas that make you go..”duh! why didn’t I think of that?” thanks!
[...] idea to all of you, but I bet you probably thought of this idea long ago. Blog article I read: Preparedness Quick Tip: Dehydrating Frozen Vegetables « Food Storage and Survival Sincerely, Michelle Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don't count on [...]