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Food Dehydration - Step 6 - Storage

Food Dehydration - Step 6 - Storage

Dry your own fruits, vegetables and other foods

Back to start - Previous page - And see more information about spoilage and how to prevent it.

Storing the dried foods

1. Store in a cool, dark, dry place. Food quality is affected by heat. The higher the temperature, the shorter the storage time. Both heat and light have an adverse effect on the quality of dried foods.
    Vegetables have about half the shelf-life of fruits.
2. Use foods within six to 12 months for best quality.
   Recommended storage times for dried fruits range from four months to one year. Higher temperatures in storage dramatically shorten the storage time.
   Most dried fruits can be stored for
   one year at 60 °F,
   six months at 80 °F.
   Fruits that seem to be very dry when packaged can spoil if moisture is present in the contain or the contain is leaky or porous amd moisture is reabsorbed during storage.
   Glass containers are excellent for storage because any moisture that collects on the inside can be seen easily. Fruits affected by moisture, but not spoiled, should be used immediately or redried or repackaged. Moldy foods should be discarded.
3. Check dried foods frequently during storage to see if they are still dry. Foods that are packaged seemingly "bone dry" can spoil if moisture is reabsorbed during storage.
    Foods affected by moisture, but not spoiled, should be used immediately or redried and repackaged.
   Moldy foods should be discarded.

 

Click here for printable guides and instructions to drying fruits and vegetables

 

How to dry various foods, fruits and vegetables

• Food Dehydrators
• Fruit Leathers (Fruit Rollups) from fresh fruit
• Fruit leathers from frozen or canned fruit
• Fruits (Colorado State University) pdf
• Fruits and Vegetables (University of Georgia) pdf
• Herbs
• Jerky
• Leathers and Jerkies (Colorado State University) pdf
• Mango Leather
• Packaging and Storing Dry Foods
• Peanuts
• Popcorn
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Sun Drying
• Sunflower Seeds
• Vegetable Leathers
• Vegetables (Colorado State University) pdf
• Vine Drying