Okay, maybe it doesn’t make the most spectacular of pictures, but it’s a really good way of preserving Swiss Chard. This is just Swiss Chard that has been dried out in a dehydrator. No pre-treatment is necessary, just clean, chop and dehydrate. After it’s dried it can be packed into glass jars or other containers for long term storage.
It rehydrates almost instantly when it comes into contact with hot water, so it’s great for adding to things like instant soup, oven dishes or even just by itself. Because you don’t need to cook it before you dry it, like you would if you freeze it, it rehydrates tasting much fresher.
Spinach works the same way when you dehydrate it. I haven’t had much luck with cabbage this way, because the leaves tend to brown when they dry.
I never would have thought of this, but am definitely going to try it as I have an overabundance of chard this year. Thank you!
I’ve been curious about trying this. What dehydrator temperature did you use and how long did you dry the chard?
Hi Joe,
The manufacturer of my dehydrator says it’s temperature is between 93-158F, but there are no markings on the knob, so I don’t know the exact setting. I used a high setting during the day (maybe 125-158F) while I was watching it, and a low one (maybe 100F) at night. How long it takes depends on how much you put in, but it takes roughly 12-18 hours, about half at night setting and half during the day.
Honestly, it’s all not a very critical. It comes out a little fresher tasting if you put less in the dehydrator and dry it quicker, but fully loading the dehydrator works too. You just dry it until it is bone dry and flakey.
Can you dry it in the oven if you don’t have a dehydrator?
Hi Jess:
I think so. Just use a low temperature and leave the door open a crack.
Awesome, thanks for the tip! I’ll try it this weekend.