 Soaring
temperature of 105 to 107 degree in July make this a perfect time to dry
food. This picture shows apples in three stages of drying. The very
light circles have been just recently cut.
The apples to the left of the picture
have been there for two days. When they were first put down they took up
the whole table. Now they have dried and take up about a fourth of the
table. This is the whole reason for drying food as far as we are
concerned. This climate can be dry. When it is it is an easy matter to
store food simply in clean fabric bags. However, it is possible for
rains to last for a long period of time. If this happens then moldy
dried food can be ruined. For this reason we like to store our dried
food in tight plastic bags in the freezer. Since it is a quarter the
size it would have been much space can be saved. There are also
instructions for storing dried food in jars. Storing isn't much of a
problem for us. These apples swell back up and are wonderful to use in
cooking. They can also be used most successfully in a trail mix1.
The Native Americans dried every sort of
food. This is where I first learned to dry foods. My first art teacher
was full Native. His shelves were full of the dried food in jars. When I
asked him about drying secrets. His said, "Oh it is so
difficult!" "Just cut it up, set it out, and turn it
occasionally."
Indeed, it is that simple. With an indoor
porch like this the drying of food is much easier, and no flies. |
