Because of oversupply, vegetables and fruits in season often wilt and spoil in our markets. The producers are forced to sell cheap and get only a small profit. By processing and preserving abundant, in season fruits and vegetables, people can sell these at much higher prices during the off-season. Preservation makes vegetables and fruits more palatable.
Dehydrated vegetables are used to manufacture instant vegetable noodles, soups, snacks and fast food. Here are some of the methods:
A. Dehydrated Carrots
1. Select fresh mature carrots with deep orange color, free from woody fiber.
2. Wash thoroughly in running water.
3. Peel and dice into 4 mm. x 10 mm. x 10 mm. cubes.
4. Arrange in wide nylon or sinamay basket and blanch by exposing to live steam over rapidly boiling water for 3 minutes.
5. Immerse the blanched carrots in cooked cornstarch for one minute.
6. Drain the cornstarch and arrange carrots in trays.
7. Dry in a cabinet dryer at 60-65 C for 7-8 hours, or under the sun until the pieces of carrots show no moisture when pressed between the fingers.
8. Pack in plastic bags and seal.
B. Dehydrated sitaw
1. Cut sitaw into desired lengths.
2. Steam for 5 minutes.
3. Dry in a “forced airdraft oven” at a temperature of 60 C. Complete dryness is show when it becomes crispy.
Source: ITDI (DOST)
