If you’ve been eyeing the world of food dehydration with curiosity, I hope you’ll take action and try your hand at this incredible method of food preservation!
Food dehydration may seem controversial to some because it is not heat-treated when packed into jars or bags, which can scare some people away.
They’re missing out on one of the easiest, most blissful, and most exciting forms of food preservation that there is!
Dehydrated food is able to be stored long term, as you have likely noticed with bagged rice, beans, boxed pasta, and fruit chips that you buy from the grocery store.
If you want these same incredible results from your garden’s produce, you must seize the opportunity before the harvest’s deadline approaches; when fall’s first freeze arrives, it will render most of your garden lifeless, quietly ushering in the winter’s cold.
By then, I could only hope that you’ve had the chance to dehydrate some fresh herbs and winterize your herb beds for winter.
How Long Does Dehydrated Food Last?
A lot of the food charts you see available are for commercially dehydrated and stored food.
Unfortunately, it can be hard to replicate those conditions at home.
This quick (and not so perfect) chart I drafted is a great example; you cannot expect pasta to last quite this long when you make it at home. But for other things, such as beans or rice, they truly can last as long and longer if given the best storage environment. Between differing dehydration, moisture control, and preservation processes (we don’t add chemical preservatives to our food, for example), we’re going to have shorter lifespans on our dehydrated food.
So…
What do we do now, and where do we go from here?
Well, there are two main avenues that determine your food’s longevity:
The way in which the food is preserved, and the way in which the food is stored.
If you dehydrate your food correctly and store it under optimal conditions, you will yield the best possible shelf life.
How to Dehydrate Food the Correct Way, Minimizing Spoilage of Your Homestead’s Harvest
If you prepare and dehydrate your food properly, you’re far more likely to get the maximum return on shelf life throughout the fall and winter. You don’t want to skimp on (or skip!) any of these processes, as doing so could cause your food to spoil quickly.
- Use fresh food before it spoils; don’t select foods that have signs of rot or mold.
- Try to avoid picking produce until shortly before processing it.
- Cut all foods evenly to maintain a consistent size. Smaller pieces dehydrate more quickly than larger pieces.
- Blanch foods if possible. This helps to maintain color and flavor by stopping enzyme processes, it kills bacteria and pests which may be lingering, and it helps to prevent the loss of some nutrients. Don’t forget to ice bath the food, as this is part of blanching.
- Once blanched, allow food to drain.
- Space food evenly on dehydrator trays. If food is packed too densely, it will dry unevenly.
- When you think the food is dehydrated (after dehydrating it for the suggested amount of time), check to see if the pieces are brittle by bending them. They should snap or crumble. If they still bend without breaking, they may need to dehydrate longer (this depends on the food, but is applicable for most items).
- Once the dehydration process is complete, allow the food to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then place it in airtight containers.
How to Store Dehydrated Food: A Basic Guide for the Beginner
Once your food is dehydrated, it’s time to store it! If you’re not careful about how you store your food, you risk having it rot on you before you get a chance to enjoy it. This process is fairy straight forward and easy!
- When placing your food in airtight containers, opt for containers that you can empty in 1 to 2 uses, rather than using larger containers in an effort to save space and labor. The reason for this is simple: the more the food is exposed to air, the more likely it is to take on moisture, be exposed to oxygen, and become contaminated, ultimately leading to premature expiration.
- Always place a silica packet and an oxygen packet in containers; this keeps food fresh and dry, creating an environment in which decomposition becomes difficult.
- Close the containers tightly, and only open them when you’re ready to use the food.
- Store containers out of direct light. You could store them on your counters, but a dark cabinet or pantry is preferred.
- Keep food out of extreme temperatures, if possible.
- Avoid storing or opening containers in humid conditions.
Dehydrated Food Q&A: Preparation, Storage, and Spoilage
I’d also like to take a few minutes to answer a few common questions about dehydrated food preparation, storage, and spoilage. If you have a question that has not been answered, please email us, leave a comment, or message us on Facebook! We’d be happy to tell you what happened and why (as well as add that question here!)
Q: How Can You Tell if Dehydrated Food is Bad?
A: If your dehydrated food spoils, there will be a few signs:
- Odor: Does the food smell rancid or “off”? If it smells like something you wouldn’t put in your mouth, it may be time to trash it.
- Visual Signs: If your dehydrated food develops spots or mold, it has spoiled. It may also begin to decompose if oxygen and moisture have gotten to the food.
- Texture: Most dehydrated foods are crispy or brittle. If a dehydrated item was crispy and brittle after dehydration but is now squishy or chewy, it has absorbed moisture which isn’t a good sign.
- Taste: If everything else seems to be okay (the smell, look, and texture of the food), yet the food doesn’t taste right, it’s time to toss it. After the food exceeds its expected lifespan, it will begin to degrade and lose flavor. If the food was stored with other strongly flavored foods (such as storing dried zucchini chips with dehydrated peppers), it can absorb the flavors from neighboring foods, too. Thus, an oddly flavored food can be caused by age, spoilage, or odor absorption.
Q: How to Store Dehydrated Food In Mason Jars?
A: Mason jars are an excellent way to store dehydrated foods! Here’s how to store food in mason jars for the year (please note, these instructions are not for long term storage; if you are a prepper looking to store these foods for 5+ years, you will need a different approach. This is intended for self sufficient individuals or gardeners who want to store dehydrated food until next year’s harvest.)
- Make sure all of your jars and lids are washed and dried thoroughly.
- Add dehydrated food to the jars as soon as they have finished drying. Try to pack the jars when humidity is at its lowest within your home.
- Add both an oxygen absorber pack and a silica pack in order to absorb and reduce moisture and oxygen levels within the jar. Close the jar immediately. This will help to reduce the risk of spoilage. Be sure to keep your oxygen and silica packets sealed in airtight containers, ONLY opening them to remove and place them into your jars. You don’t want them exposed to the air for more than a few moments, or their effectiveness will drop significantly. Silica packs can be “recharged” and dried out though!
- Always store jars in a dark place, out of direct light.
- Jars should not be exposed to extreme temperature swings, if you can avoid it. Heat is a bigger concern, overall.
- If a jar is broken, do not use it for food storage. Please recycle or upcycle it.
Q: Can Oxygen Absorbers Be Reused for New Batches of Dehydrated Food?
A: No, oxygen absorber packets cannot be reused. Once they are used, they cannot take up more oxygen. Unlike silica packets, there is no way to “recharge” oxygen absorbers. Please purchase and use packets for your new batches of dehydrated foods.
Q: Does Dried Food Get Moldy?
A: Yes, dried food can become moldy when it is not properly dehydrated or stored. If food molds, there is clearly a moisture issue present. This could be caused by:
- Not dehydrating food for long enough.
- High humidity in the home.
- Too much time between turning the dehydrator off and packaging food, allowing the food to absorb moisture from the air.
- Not placing food in an airtight container.
- Opening and closing the container too frequently (using several smaller containers rather than a single large container is preferable, especially for stores expected to last longer than 2 months.)
Q: How Do You Tell If Dried Fruit Is Bad?
A: If dried food shows any signs of spoilage, you should not eat it. Watch for:
- Odd smells, especially musty, moldy/mildew odors, fermentation (smells like alcohol), or rotten odors.
- Discoloration can be normal for some dried fruits, but spotting is worrisome. Black, green, blue, or white spotting strongly suggests the presence of mold.
- If the food is no longer brittle or crisp, it is likely spoiled. Of course, some dehydrated foods are chewy rather than crispy. This signals that the food has taken on moisture, meaning it was not sealed properly.
- Fruit flies may hover close by, or breed if they can access the spoiling fruit.
Q: How Do You Keep Dehydrated Food Crispy?
A: If you find that your dehydrated food loses its crispy flavor, you have moisture to thank. To reduce the risk of spoilage due to moisture, ensure that you:
- Use airtight containers to store dehydrated food
- Never leave your containers open for more than a few moments
- Always store dehydrated foods in small batches (in jelly jars instead of quarts, for example)
- Always use silica packets in your airtight containers to absorb any introduced moisture
- Never store dehydrated food close to sources of moisture or condensation
- Never store foods that are not completely dehydrated
Q: Does Dehydrated Food Need to Be Refrigerated?
A: Dehydrated food does not require refrigeration. You could store the food in your refrigerator or freezer if you would like for it to last a little longer; this does help extend the lifespan of dehydrated food, as long as there is no moisture that the food could come into contact with.’
The following video doesn’t include some of what I’ve mentioned; but it’s good to watch as a beginner!
