Most all vegetables and fruits contain water or some form of moisture. If you have a device that is used to remove this moisture, there is nothing left but fiber and the solids, and the item being dehydrated will shrink and collapse as its a normal function. Take a lot at leafy dried herbs, peppers and onions, as they too contain moisture and will also shrink. If there is a leathery texture, its either from some oil that may still exist inside the vegetable, or they are not dried as well as they should be. Placing the vegetables into a vacuum chamber for a long period of time, will simply remove more of the moisture, hence more collapsing. There is a process of freeze drying, but that requires very expensive coolant machines and a very strong vacuum going at the same time. That commercial process is used by companies that make freeze dried foods that contain nearly zero moisture, but they leave all the solids behind. The freeze drying process is very fast, and is a way to keep flavor and aroma in, without these important items being lost to a much slower and less efficient heat dehyration. Freeze drying isn't something that can be done due to teh extreme low temperatures used below -150 degrees. You simply cannot avoid the shrinking of the product when its dehydrated. Fast drying at high temps will cook the product, long slow drying will cause losss of flavor. In order to keep shrinkage to a minimum, you would have to use very overripe vegetables of corn and peas, which usually contain more starch and less moisture in the beginning. I just bought a 2 pound bag of dried soup greens. These are a mix of peppers, onions, parsley, potatoes, peas, carrots, and a few others. They look all shrunken and very small pieces. Once rehydrated and cooked, they will swell back back up again, and will weigh about 10 or more times the current weight. Years ago, my mom dried some pepper pieces, and cut them into small 1/2 inch pieces. What she wound up with had fallen through slots of the dryer trays, and were measuring about an 1/8 inch each once they were dry. Suffice to say, you have to accept the shrinkage as part of the dry process and if its still soft and leathery, more moisture may still exist inside, unless its oil, as in the case or corn.

Makes sense. So is freeze drying how "Just Peas" keep their shape? Or is it some trade secret...

There are a few kinds of peas that do dry well, but as mentioned, they are usually picked when they are overripe. Last year, I missed a few of my pods until they started to turn tan color. I opened these pods and found the peas nearly as hard as dried and had not shrunk much. I munched on one and it was definiately harder than a pea that is picked when its still in a green pod. Same with some lima beans I also grew. The limas that were tan and older, were pickled in a sweet vinegar brine, where they actually swelled up a little during their storage. Not sure about 'Just Peas', they may be freeze dried. One thing, if you bit into them and find a somewhat hollow middle, thats usually a freeze dried pea, as they seem to hold their shape, like the strawberry slices you see in a box of Special K with Red Berries. These are also freeze dried. Drying a strawberry in a dehydrator gives you a somewhat chewy texture.

Yup, they have a hollow middle, so they're probably freeze-dried. Thanks for the help. I'm off to work on some kale.

scott