# Storing Dehydrated Lettuce



## Studhauler (Jul 30, 2011)

It is my first year of gardening, so I will have plenty of questions about preserving the harvest. I live in zone three and we had a late spring, so my garden is just coming ready now.

I dehydrated some kale and have read that storing it in mason jars is a good way to keep it. Do I need to have the kale still hot from the dehydrator before I put it in the jars? So the jars need to be hot and sterilized? Or do I just put the lettuce in, like I was going to store it in zip-lock bags?

Thanks


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

You want it to cool a bit so there's no condensation. Sometime I put them in the jar and leave the top off while they cool. And then watch for condensation which can be a sign they didn't dry enough. I always shake my in the jar a few times for the first few days to make sure everything isn't sticking together. Sometimes sniff them (can you tell I've had a few moldy jars of dehydrated goods?). I just use any old glass jar with a lid and save my canning jars for canning. Never occurred to me to even clean them much less sterilize the. Once dried, bacteria is not going to like the veggies.


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## PackerBacker (Jul 17, 2013)

Lettuce doesn't have enough nutritional value to make it worth growing let alone dehydrating and storing.


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## Kristinemomof3 (Sep 17, 2012)

Plus most greens just crumble, they are good for soups/sauces, but that's about all.


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## mzgarden (Mar 16, 2012)

Not sure if it's kale or lettuce, OP says both. If it's kale - I love dehydrated kale as salted chips for a snack. I would store that in zip top bags though, because it wouldn't fit in jars. Never dehydrated lettuce. Either way, what Vosey says - let it cool before sealing so you don't end up with condensation and rehydrating and then molding.


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## Studhauler (Jul 30, 2011)

In this case I am dehydrating kale. Kale and romaine lettuce both have good nutritional value. I am dehydrating it mainly for soup and stews, so crushing it some to put it in jars in not an issue.

For those that helped; thank you.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

I'm a little different in that I like to put stuff directly into jar because the heat makes for a bit of vacuum with the lid. But I dehydrate everything till it is super-dry.


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## Nankipoo (Jan 24, 2013)

:bouncy: I'm with the kale fans, Studhauler! About two years ago, I dehydrated 20 lbs of kale, then stored it in vacuum bags. We put it in with soups and stews. It tastes great, it's pretty, it's green, it has many antioxidants and vitamins, it's a grace note to plain food. Our favorite winter meal is cannellini beans cooked with pork chunks with kale added toward the end to rehydrate. You can also easily make a powder out of the dehydrated kale and add it to smoothies. 

We dehydrated for several years before starting to can. I learned from Tammy at dehydrate2store. Kale, spinach, and okra all dehydrate easily and rehydrate well. 

And broccoli sprouts and kale sprouts are delicious too! And another great source of fresh vitamins and minerals.


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## praieri winds (Apr 16, 2010)

I have also dried cabbage for soups and stuff the kale chips are good as are squash chips and dried seasoned okra for snacking


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