Dehydrated Cabbage

Bob,

One reason I'm looking forward to the New House garden is growing enough that I can save substantial produce.  As an example, last Spring, I grew some Chinese cabbage in the 10x10 garden at the rental house.  I put the garden together late, so the cabbage began to bolt not long after I planted it.

Fortuitously, I recently bought a Nesco Dehydrator I found on Craigslist.

I sorted the cabbage plants for the best, most blemish-free leaves.  I gave them a quick rinse and then chopped them into approximately one inch pieces.  I spread the pieces out on the trays, trying to keep them from overlapping, and plugged in the machine.  It was very easy.

To be honest, I wasn't sure how well it would work. You can find a lot of dehydrator advice on the web, but most of it is about apple leather, fruit slices, and jerky.  I was surprised at how fast the leaves dried, probably less than an hour.

The dried leaves take up almost no room at at all and store quite well in a gallon-sized plastic bag.  They smell rich and vaguely sweet.

I use the dried leaves mostly in soups.  It's simple to toss a handful in a quick soup for lunch.  I came close to using them recently in a batch of pot stickers, but I had some fresh cabbage slaw that needed using up.

That's one of the benefits of dehydrating left-over produce. I can use fresh while it's available, knowing the dehydrated produce will sit safely on the shelf until needed.

I hope to store lots of produce in the coming years.

Your brother,
Bill.