This document provides information on drying vegetables and fruits, including three key conditions for successful drying, common drying methods (sun, oven, dehydrator), guidelines for using dried foods, nutritional changes from drying, drying guides for vegetables and fruits with preparation instructions and estimated drying times for each.

1. Drying Vegetables and fruits A report prepared byAllah Dad Khan
Successful drying depends on the having following 3 conditions met:
• Enough heat to draw out moisture but not so much to cook the food. Hot
sunny days are best for sun drying. Low oven heat, about 140 °F, dries it even
faster. Do not let the heat go above 165 °F.
• Dry air to absorb the released moisture. Rainy, humid weather is a bad time
to dry food unless you are using heat...and,
• Good air circulation to carry the moisture off. A light breeze, a fan, or a draft
supplies moving air.
With these 3 conditions in mind, let's look at 3 methods to dehydrate or dry your
foods, both the pro's and con's:
Sun drying. Drying vegetables in the sun is unpredictable unless temperatures are
above 100 °F and the relative humidity is low. If the temperature is too low, humidity
too high, or both, souring or molding may occur. Place trays of pretreated
vegetables in direct sun in a flat or tilted position so that air can circulate underneath
them. To keep out insects, cover trays with netting. Raise trays off the ground to
protect them from dust, dirt and animals. Stir the vegetables occasionally to help
them dry evenly. Bring trays indoors at night to protect the food from dew or rain.
Oven drying. Oven drying is faster than sun drying. However, oven drying is done
on a smaller scale and is more expensive. Limit oven load to 4 to 6 pounds of
prepared vegetables. Trays should be at least 1½ inches smaller than the width and
depth of the oven. Separate trays by about 2 inches. Allow a 3-inch clearance from
the top and bottom of the oven. An oven temperature of 140 °F is desirable for
drying. Disengage the top heating element of an electric oven. Preheat the oven at
its lowest setting. Place the trays of vegetables in the oven. Prop open the door of
an electric oven 1 inch, a gas oven, 8 inches. This helps control heat and lets out
moist air. A fan can help circulate the air and speed the drying. Use an oven

2. thermometer to check the temperature throughout the drying process. As food dries
it takes less heat to keep the oven at the specified temperature. Stir the vegetables
occasionally from the outside to the center and shift the trays from top to bottom
every 1 to 2 hours. Foods dried in the oven must be watched closely. It is easy to
scorch vegetables that overheat near the edges of trays. When drying is almost
completed, turn off the oven and open the door wide. Most vegetables will oven dry
in 4 to 12 hours. Times will vary according to the kind of vegetable, size of the
pieces, and the tray load.
Dehydrator drying. Prepare foods and load trays as for oven drying. Preheat the
dehydrator to 160 °F. After much of the water has been removed, lower the
temperature to 130 °F to 140 °F.
How to Use Dried Food in Recipes
You will need to soak or cook your dried foods before using them in recipes. Some foods require
soaking and cooking.Vegetables are usually soaked btween 1/2 to 1-1/2 hours and then
simmered. Some vegetables can be rehydrated while they are cooking. Fruits are soaked, and
then cooked in the water they were soaked in. Don't add extra sugar until the fruit is
cooked;otherwise, the fruit may be tough. Fruits are sometimes eaten in their dry state as snacks.
You must remember that after a food is rehydrated, it may spoil quickly, so use it promptly. To
cook dried food, use the following information and simmer until tender.
• Apples: Add 1 1/2 C. warm water to 1 C. apples and soak for 1/2 hour.
• Beans, green: Add 2 1/4 C. boiling water to 1 C. beans and soak for 1 1/2
hours.
• Beets: Add 2 3/4 C. boiling water to 1 C. beets and soak for 1 1/2 hours.
• Carrots: Add 2 1/4 C. boiling water to 1 C. carrots and soak for 1 hour.
• Corn: Add 2 1/4 C. boiling water to 1 C. Corn and soak for 1/2 hour.
• Onions: Add 2 C. boiling water to 1 C. onions and soak for 1 hour.
• Peaches: Add 2 C. warm water to 1 C. peaches and soak for 1 1/4 hour.
• Pears: Add 1 3/4 C. warm water to 1 C. pears and soak for 1 hour.
• Peas: Add 2 1/2 C. boiling water to 1 C. peas and soak for 1/2 hour.
• Potatoes: Add 1 1/2 C. boiling water to 1 C. potatoes and soak for 1/2 hour.
Nutritional Value of Dried Foods

3. Drying, like all methods of preservation, can result in loss of some nutrients. Nutritional
changes that occur during drying include:
• Calorie content: does not change, but is concentrated into a smaller mass as
moisture is removed.
• Fiber: no change.
• Vitamin A: fairly well retained under controlled heat methods.
• Vitamin C: mostly destroyed during blanching and drying of vegetables.
• Thiamin, riboflavin, niacin: some loss during blanching but fairly good retention if
the water used to rehydrate also is consumed.
• Minerals: some may be lost during rehydration if soaking water is not used. Iron
is not destroyed by drying.
For best retention of nutrients in dried foods, store in a cool, dark, dry place and use
within a year.
Vegetable Drying Guide
All vegetables except onions and peppers,and mushrooms should be washed, sliced, and
blanched. Dry vegetables in single layers on trays. Depending of drying conditions, drying times
make take longer. Dry vegetables at 130-degrees Fahrenheit.
Steps for drying vegetables.
Vegetable Preparation
Blanching
Time*
(mins.)
Drying
Time
(hrs.) Dryness test
Asparagus Wash thoroughly. Halve large tips. 4-5 6-10 Leathery to
brittle
Beans, green Wash. Cut in pieces or strips. 4 8-14 Very dry,
brittle
Beets Cook as usual. Cool, peel. Cut into
shoestring strips 1/8" thick.
None 10-12 Brittle, dark
red

4. Broccoli Wash. Trim, cut as for serving. Quarter
stalks lengthwise.
4 12-15 Crisp, brittle
Brussels sprouts Wash. Cut in half lengthwise through stem. 5-6 12-18 Tough to
brittle
Cabbage Wash. Remove outer leaves, quarter and
core. Cut into strips 1/8" thick.
4 10-12 Crisp, brittle
Carrots Use only crisp, tender vegetables. Wash. Cut
off roots and tops; peel. Cut in slices or
strips 1/8" thick.
4 6-10 Tough to
brittle
Cauliflower Wash. Trim, cut into small pieces. 4-5 12-15 Tough to
brittle
Celery Trim stalks. Wash stalks and leaves
thoroughly. Slice stalks.
4 10-16 Very brittle
Chili peppers,
green
Wash. To loosen skins, cut slit in skin, then
rotate over flame 6-8 minutes or scald in
boiling water. Peel and split pods. Remove
seeds and stem. (Wear gloves if necessary.)
None 12-24 Crisp, brittle,
medium green
Chili peppers,
red
Wash thoroughly. Slice or leave whole if
small.
4 12-24 Shrunken, dark
red pods,
flexible
Eggplant Wash, trim, cut into 1/4" slices. 4 12-14 Leathery to
brittle
Mushrooms** Scrub. Discard tough, woody stalks. Slice
tender stalks 1/4" thick. Peel large
mushrooms, slice. Leave small mushrooms
whole. Dip in solution of 1 tsp. citric
acid/quart water for 10 minutes. Drain.
None 8-12 Dry and
leathery
Okra Wash thoroughly. Cut into 1/2” pieces or
split lengthwise.
4 8-10 Tough, brittle
Onions Wash, remove outer paper skin. Remove
tops and root ends, slice 1/8 to 1/4" thick.
4 6-10 Very brittle
Peas Shell and wash. 4 8-10 Hard,
wrinkled,
green
Potatoes Wash, peel. Cut into 1/4" shoestring strips or
1/8" thick slices.
7 6-10 Brittle
Spinach, greens
like Kale,
Chard, mustard
Trim and wash very thoroughly. Shake or
pat dry to remove excess moisture.
4 6-10 Crisp
Squash, summer
or banana
Wash, trim, cut into 1/4" slices. 4 10-16 Leathery to
brittle

5. Squash, winter Wash rind. Cut nto pieces. Remove seeds
and cavity pulp. Cut into 1" wide strips. Peel
rind. Cut strips crosswise into pieces about
1/8" thick.
4 10-16 Tough to
brittle
Tomatoes Steam or dip in boiling water to loosen skins.
Chill in cold water. Peel. Slice 1/2" thick or
cut in 3/4" sections. Dip in solution of 1 tsp.
citric acid/quart water for 10 minutes.
None 6-24 Crisp
* Blanching times are for 3,000 to 5,000 feet. Times will be slightly shorter for lower altitudes
and slightly longer for higher altitudes or for large quantities of vegetables.
** WARNING: The toxins of poisonous varieties of mushrooms are not destroyed by drying or
by cooking. Only an expert can differentiate between poisonous and edible varieties.
Fruit Drying Guide
All fruit should be washed,pitted and sliced. Arrange in single layers on trays. Dry
fruit at 135 degrees Fahrenheit. You may wish to pretreat your fruit with lemon juice
or ascorbic acid or it won't darken while you are preparing it for drying. Just slice the
fruit into the solution and soak for 5 minutes.
• Apples:Peel, core and slice into 3/8-inch rings, or cut into 1/4-inch slices.
Pretreat and dry 6-12 hours until pliable.
• Apricots: Cut in half and turn inside out to dry. Pretreat and dry 8-20 hours
until pliable.
• Bananas: Peel, cut into 1/4-inch slices and pretreat. Dry 8-16 hours until
plialbe or almost crisp.
• Blueberries: Dry 10-20 hours until leathery.
• Cherries: Cut in half and dry 18-26 hours until leathery and slightly sticky.
• Peaches: Peel, halve or quarter. Pretreat and dry 6-20 hours until pliable.

6. • Pears: Peel, cut into 1/4-inch slices, and pretreat. Dry 6-20 hours until leathery.
• Pineapple: Core and slice 1/4-inch thick. Dry 6-16 hours until leathery and not
sticky.
• Strawberries: Halve or cut into 1/4-inch thick slices. Dry 6-16 hours until
pliable and almost crisp.
STEPS IN FRUT DRYING
For apricots, peaches, apples, berries and more,
seven easy steps from selection to storage
1. Select the Fruit
Use only blemish-free fruits that are fully ripe but not overly ripe.
2. Prepare the Fruit
Wash, pit and slice the fruit. The smaller the pieces, the quicker they will dry. But keep
all pieces uniform in size so they’ll dry at the same time.
3. Pretreating
To preserve the color of the fruit, blanch or dip the fruit slices before drying them. There
are several ways to do this. As indicated below, some methods work better for some
fruits than others.
Blanching (apricots, apples)
Put slices in a steamer (or a colander suspended in a pot of boiling water) for five minutes
then place fruit in ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and dry on towels.
Ascorbic acid dip (all fruits)
2 tbsp ascorbic acid or 5 1-gram crushed vitamin C tabs and 1 quart water
Pectin dip (peaches, berries, cherries)
Mix 1 box of powdered pectin with 1 cup water. Boil together for 1 minute, then add ½
cup sugar and enough cold water to make 2 cups.
Honey dip (bananas, peaches, pineapples)
Mix 3 cups waters and 1 cup sugar. Heat and then add 1 cup honey. Stir well.
Juice dip (peaches, apples, bananas)
Combine 1 quart pineapple juice, 1 quart lukewarm water and ¼ cup bottled lemon juice.

7. 4. Drying
Sun Drying
a) Spread on screen for two to four days, turning slices over half way through the drying
process.
b) Bring inside at night to keep dew from collecting on the fruit.
c) This method works best in climates with 100 degree heat and low humidity. Otherwise
use caution, or try the oven.
Oven Drying
a) Place fruit directly on racks or first spread 100 percent cotton sheet or cheesecloth over
oven racks. b) Preheat oven to 145 degrees, propping door open with wooden spoon to
allow steam to escape.
c) Allow 4 to 12 hours to dry the fruit.
d) Food should be dry but pliable when cool. Test a few pieces to see if the batch is ready
5. Post Drying
Put food in a big dry open pot in a warm, dry, airy location. Stir once or twice a
day for 10 days to two weeks.
6. Pasteurize
If you want to store the dried fruit for any great length of time, it is best to pasteurize the
slices to destroy any insect eggs. To do this, when drying is complete, freeze the fruit for
several days at zero degrees in a deep freeze (the freezer compartment of a refrigerator
won’t do), or heat in a 175 degree oven for 10-15 minutes
7. Storage
Store in airtight ziplock bags or glass containers kept inside paper bag to protect from
light. Store in cool dry place. Since a refrigerator is cool and moist, keep the dried fruit
there only in the heat of summer, but make sure the package is air tight.

8. Urdu names and pictures, photos of fruits and vegetables.
English Urdu
Picture
Amaranth
Chauli, Chowlii, chavleri, lobia
phali
Apple Sev
Apricot Fresh Khoobani
Apricot Dried Khoobani
Asah Gourd Petha
Asparagus Shatwar, Sootmooli, Musli

9. Avocado, butterfruit Makhanphal
Banana Kela
Bael, Stone apple,
Bengal quince
Bel, siriphal
Bell Pepper Shimla Mirch
Bitter Gourd Karela
Black Eye Beans, Green Lobia Phali
Beet Root Chukander
Blueberries Falsa
Bottle Gourd
Chinese Melon
Long Melon
Loki (Lauki)
Broccoli Hari Phool Gobhi

10. Brussels Sprout Chhoti Gobhi
Cabbage Pattagobhi/Bandhgobhi
Cantaloupe Kharbuza
Capsicum (green
pepper/bell pepper)
Shimla/Kashmiri Mirch
Carrot Gajar
Cauliflower Phoolgobhi
Celery Celery
Chakothra, Pomelo Chakotra
Chili Mirch

11. Cluster Beans Gawar Phali
Coconut Narial
Colocassia Arbi
Colocassia Leaf Arbi Patta
Coriander/Cilantro Dhania
Cucumber Kheera
Dill Suwa
Eggplant (brinjal) Baigan
Endive Gulsuchal
Fennel
Moti Saunf

12. Fenugreek Leaves Methi
Fig Anjeer
French Beans Flash (Frash) Beans
Garlic Lahsun
Ginger Adrak
Ginger Dry
Saungth
Grapes Angoor
Guava Amrud
Gooseberry Amla
Jackfruit Kathal

13. Jamoon, Jamun
Lettuce Salad
Lime Nimbu
Lemon Galgal/Nimbu
Lotus Stem, Lotus root Kamal
Lychees Lichi
Mango Aam
Mint Leaves Pudina
Mulberry Shehtooth
Mushroom Guchi/Kukurmutta
Mustard leaves Sarson Ka Saag
Okra (Lady Finger) Bhindi

14. Olive Jaitun
Onion Pyaz
Onion-green, Hara Pyaz
Orange Narangi
Papaya Papita
Parsley Ajmud,
Peach Aahroo
Peanut Moongfali
Peas Matar

15. Dried Green Peas Matar
Pineapple Ananas
Pinenut Chilgoza
Plum Aloobukara
Pomgranade Anaar
Potato Alu
Prunes Prune
Pumpkin Kaddu
Pumpkin Pitha

16. Radish Mooli
Ridge Gourd Tori/Turaii
Sapota Chiku
Snake Gourd Chichonda
Spinach Palak
Sweet Lime Mosambi
Sweet Potato Shakarkand
Tomatoes Tamater
Turnip Shalgam
Turmeric Haldi
Star Fruit Kamrakh

17. Water Chestnut Singhara
Watermelon Tarbooz
White goose-foot Bathua
Zizyphus, Green berry Ber, bor
Zucchini Tori/Turaii