I love the quote, "necessity is the mother of invention". In my case this usually involves zip ties and duct tape but not this time.
I have been looking for a way to preserve some of the zucchini from my garden so I can use it during the Winter. The idea of dehydrating came to me the last time I made this casserole. For this recipe I shred the zucchini then squeeze out as much of the water as I can. Why not try drying it to preserve it? I did try some shredded zucchini in my dryer, disaster! Using the thickest setting on my mandolin I sliced up an entire zucchini and placed it in my food dryer. It only took 2 hours to dry into "chips". Easy. I stored them in a glass jar in the cupboard for a week then tried casserole with them tonight. It worked beautifully! The pieces re hydrated from the moisture in the casserole and kept their texture and flavor. I can't wait to eat some of my Fall harvest during the Winter.
I have been looking for a way to preserve some of the zucchini from my garden so I can use it during the Winter. The idea of dehydrating came to me the last time I made this casserole. For this recipe I shred the zucchini then squeeze out as much of the water as I can. Why not try drying it to preserve it? I did try some shredded zucchini in my dryer, disaster! Using the thickest setting on my mandolin I sliced up an entire zucchini and placed it in my food dryer. It only took 2 hours to dry into "chips". Easy. I stored them in a glass jar in the cupboard for a week then tried casserole with them tonight. It worked beautifully! The pieces re hydrated from the moisture in the casserole and kept their texture and flavor. I can't wait to eat some of my Fall harvest during the Winter.
We're going to be doing this too. I've seem recipes on the SCD yahoo list where they slice the zucchini lengthwise and dried it, and then used it for lasagne noodles. I haven't tried it yet but it sounds good.
ReplyDeleteMy boyfriend dehydrated zucc slices a couple weeks ago and when they were crisp, he grought them out and left them on a plate in the kitchen. The next morning they were partially rehydrated and rubbery. How do you keep them crisp ? Do they need to go in a jar right away?
ReplyDeleteI don't know where you live but I am in high desert and this is not a problem. I would suggest storing them right away, maybe even in the freezer if you are worried about them molding.
ReplyDeleteGood Luck,
Karen