Dehydrating okra - questions

12 years ago

All,

I am going to be dehydrating okra, and have a few questions:

1. I know the small pods are better for preserving and have mostly fairly small ones. I do have some that are pretty big - are they worth cutting in to rounds and dehydrating, or will they be poor quaility even if done this way?

2. I want to dehydrate mostly whole pods - is there any advantage to cutting them in half lengthwise, or is completely whole good?

3. I am going to do a cajun seasoning on some, and a sea salt sprinkle on others. Any other seasoning that works really well on these?

4. This is probably my biggest question - can I stop the dehydrator and return to it hours later? Here's an example - I can run it for the "recommended" time - say that is 24 hours. So I start it before I go to work one day and check it before I go to work the next day. If they are not done, I can either leave it running for another 8-9 hours, or I can turn it off and resume when I get home. I won't be able to get to check every few hours. I could start before I go to bed one night, but will have the same problem if they are not done in 24 hours - I don't want to get up every 2 hours to check them! What is the best way to do this?

Thanks in advance!

Jennie

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Comments (4)

digdirt2
12 years ago
1 - no they won't be worth it IMO. They burn and brown before drying.

2 - whole is not good - halfs dry much faster and better with much better end appearance. Rings dry best. Wholes never dry completely inside and then mold.

3 - dill. Pizza seasoning.

4 - best, weekends when you can monitor it closely especially for the last few hours. And don't assume that any set amount of time like 24 hours will be perfect. They dry at very different rates - many less than 12 hours so frequent checking is needed.

Dave
jennieboyer
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks Dave! Unfortunately, I am working 6 or 7 days a week right now, and my next day off is not until next Wednesday or Friday. I have the pods now, and don't want to lose the quality of waiting a week. If I have to choose between letting go long and turning off and then back on, which is better?

Also, when you say dill, do you mean just plain dill weed sprinkled on them?
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digdirt2
12 years ago
Off and then back on as long as it isn't more than a few hours. Too long and bacterial growth becomes and issue. and yes, just dill weed or dill weed mixed with sea salt or dill weed mixed with onion powder.

Dave
jennieboyer
Original Author
12 years ago
I think I have an idea! I will take the dehydrator to work with me. Then it won't have to be turned off more than about 30 minutes while I transport it.

New question - I rinsed and dried the okra as best as I could, but some of it was still slimy when I cut it. Is there anything I should have done differently (other than just a rinse and pat dry) to prevent this? How will it affect the dehydrating?

Thanks for the patience with all these questions - I am brand new to dehydrating!