# Dried Carrots



## TexasAggie (Apr 24, 2010)

I recently dried some sliced carrots and placed them in ziplock bags. Is their anything esle I need to do before using my food processor to finely slice additional carrots and drying?


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## sewserious (Apr 2, 2010)

Not really except know that zip-lock bags are not really for long-term storage. You need to put dehydrated food in canning jars and vacuum seal them (using an attachment on a vacuum sealer like a Food Saver), oven can them to seal, vacuum seal them in a bag, or use mylar bags and oxygen absorbers. I would rehydrate some of your carrots before you do anymore and make sure that they are acceptable. I found that unless I steam carrots until they are almost done before hydrating, I was not happy with the results when they were rehydrated; they stayed hard and were not at all appetizing in foods.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

I kept mine in ziplock bags in the freezer.

I blanched them for the recommended time (?) and found they needed a little more cooking before I ate them but since they were used in hot dishes it didn't matter.

I plan on doing a bunch this summer along with onions and hopefully garlic. This time they'll go into vaccuum bags.

My dried tomatoes seem to be a lot sweeter.


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## Chixarecute (Nov 19, 2004)

I store in jars - no additional steps. They don't stay as crisp as fresh dried, but as long as dried correctly, no problems. And, if one is going to cook with them, who cares if they aren't crisp when one uses them?


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I cook mine before drying too. Stored in canning jars in the fridge.


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## praieri winds (Apr 16, 2010)

I don't like storing dried foods in plastic bags they have edges that could make tiny holes in the bag then they go bad that has happened to me before have had a lot less problems using jars and vacuum sealing them sometimes just putting an o2 absorber in the jar and that works well also


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

So you should cook them BEFORE dehydrating them? Just to clarify, for the best result?


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

YES!!!!! If you don't cook them before they will never get soft. At least my trial carrots didn't. Celery and kale are the same way. Must be cooked by boiling or steaming (I prefer steaming) before dehydrating. 

I was going to try it with corn last year and didn't get around to it.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

I have never cooked my kale before dehydrating. I simply slice it into strips and dehydrate, or dehydrate the whole leaf and crumble it up afterwords. I put it in everything and it rehydrates fine.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I tried kale both ways. The leaves I didn't steam were tough and the little veins never cooked up right. Admittedly I was using older large summer leaves, not tender spring leaves. The unsteamed leaves dried to a gross pale color and the steamed leaves stayed a pretty dark green. I cut out the midrib and steamed then dried the leaf halves.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Oh, I assure you, the kale I used was 'old' summer kale. Probably yanked out of the garden just before getting buried in the snow. I try to do my kale as late as possible, The flavor is better after frost.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Did you do your before or after it got frosted? I did mine in the heat of summer. If I wait too long in the season the cabbage worms get more than I do.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Most certainly after. It is better after frost. Yes, something was eating it, but so. Honestly, its usually one of the last things I get to, because I know it will hold that long. To busy otherwise with beets and the orchard.


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