Drying the HARVEST

Whether you nurture a suburban backyard garden, two potted tomato plants, or acres of produce, this year you may depend on your harvest not only for fresh vegetables, but also for variety. The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting our food supply, from processing plant closures to distribution interruptions.

Luckily, those of us who grow and preserve our own fruits and vegetables are prepared. We turn berries and peaches into jars of jam, and freeze peas and corn for future use. We turn tomatoes into sauce, and fill the root cellar with carrots and squash. And let’s not forget turning piles of cucumbers, zucchini, and asparagus into tangy pickles. But we tend to practice dehydration—one of the oldest methods of food preservation—the least. Which is a shame, because dehydrating fruits and vegetables is easy.

All produce can be safely dehydrated, but