How to dry strawberries at home 
When preserving strawberries, most people freeze them or make strawberry jam, but another alternative is drying. Dried strawberries can be eaten as a snack, added to green salads, cooked and dried cereals, muffins, pancakes, cookie dough, or smoothies, combined with granola or mixed with ice cream or yogurt.
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What can you use dehydrate strawberries for?
Dehydrated strawberries are incredibly easy to make and are a great way to capture the freshness of this early summer berry. Dried strawberries are easy to make, and in this post we cover everything, step-by-step! We love making dried strawberries! They have a sunny sweetness that always reminds us of the start of summer. Not only are they great for snacking on as dried chips, but they can be used for a lot of different culinary applications. Dehydrated strawberries can be used to top oatmeal, cereal, or yogurt. Thanks to international imports, strawberries can be found at any major grocery store year-round. However, the peak season for domestic strawberries is the month of June (give or take a month depending on climate.) This is when your local farmer’s market will be overflowing with cartons of vibrantly red, sun-ripened strawberries.
Can you rehydrate dehydrated strawberries?
Strawberry Tortillas – Enjoy these for breakfast, as a midday snack, or for the evening dessert. Make strawberry tortillas with just strawberries—with a little sugar sprinkled on them—or complete the ensemble with peanut butter or Nutella chocolate spread. Photo shows dried strawberries rehydrated in a GSI Dualist Cookset bowl, and then combined with peanut butter. On the Trail: Place ⅓-cup dried strawberries (15 grams) in a cup or bowl. Add ¼-cup of water and wait about ten minutes. You can rehydrate the strawberries with cold water, which is more convenient during a lunch break, but hot water is the way to go when making these for breakfast or after dinner. Photo above shows strawberries rehydrated in hot water combined with Nutella chocolate spread. I used two taco-sized tortillas. Spread peanut butter or Nutella on tortillas. Add half of rehydrated strawberries to each tortilla, fold in half, enjoy! Tip: Baking paper (parchment paper) makes a clean work surface to prepare the tortillas.
Is it worth dehydrating strawberries?
Dehydrated strawberries are incredibly easy and take only a few minutes hands on time. Use them sliced or make strawberry powder. Pin Dried Strawberries In the Spring and Summer when strawberries are at their peak it is nice to have a series of techniques that will preserve them to enjoy all year long. Dehydrating is a great way to preserve them without using a ton of space in the freezer.
- It’s also a whole lot easier than making jams, jellies, pie fillings and the like.
- We love dehydrating fruits, vegetables and even meats.
- Before we learned how to dehydrate, it was a chore packing everything into the 4 freezers that we own.
- And once you crammed everything in the freezers it was another chore to find what you were looking for.
An entire quart of berries will fit into a half-pint mason jar so there is only one jar in the pantry, instead of many bags in the freezer. Then, to make them even more compact, make strawberry powder to add to strawberry milk, smoothies, puddings, cake mixes, frostings, cereals and more.
What do you do with dehydrated fruit?
Dehydrated vegetables and fruits provide convenient and delicious additions to family meals. They can be used alone, in combination with other foods or as an accent to add flavor. Dehydrated vegetables are best used as ingredients for soups, casseroles, sauces and stews.
- However, they may be served alone with the addition of butter, cheese sauce or herbs to enhance flavor.
- Dehydrated vegetables that have been refreshed take less time to cook than fresh vegetables.
- Vegetables should be simmered to the desired degree of firmness.
- Note Do not add sugar until fruit is tender, because sugar will toughen the product.
Dehydrated fruits can be eaten as is or refreshed and cooked until tender. Spices or flavorings such as cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg can be used to enhance flavor. Dried fruits can be used in cobblers, breads, pies or puddings. When using dehydrated products you will need to rehydrate the food, a process usually referred to as refreshing.
Refreshing is done by soaking or cooking (or a combination of both) the dehydrated food in water until the desired volume is restored. The amount of water and the length of time needed to refresh 1 cup of dried food can be found in Table 1. If properly pretreated with steam or water blanching before drying, vegetables need a minimum of refreshing.
Vegetables such as spinach, kale, cabbage, chard or tomatoes are refreshed by covering with hot water and simmering to desired tenderness. Root, stem and seed vegetables are soaked ½ to 1½ hours in enough cold water to keep them immersed. After soaking, they are simmered until tender and excess water is allowed to evaporate.
If dehydrated vegetables are added to boiling water, refreshing takes less time. Dehydrated fruits are soaked in hot water and then cooked, if appropriate, in the soaking water. If extra water is needed for preparation, it can be added after the soaking period. Dehydrated foods should be refreshed only when ready to use.
Do not store rehydrated foods. Drying temperatures are not high enough to destroy all microbes, and, after rehydration, spoilage can occur quickly. Table 1 Refreshing dried food
| Product | Amount of water per 1 cup dried food (in cups) | Minimum soaking time (in hours) |
|---|---|---|
| Beans, green snap | 2½ | 1 |
| Beets | 2¾ | 1½ |
| Carrots | 2¼ | 1 |
| Cabbage | 3 | 1 |
| Corn | 2¼ | ½ |
| Okra | 3 | ½ |
| Onions | 2 | ¾ |
| Peas, green | 2½ | ½ |
| Squash | 1¾ | 1 |
| Spinach | 1 | ½ |
| Sweet potatoes | 1½ | ½ |
| Turnip greens, other greens | 1 | ¾¾¾ ¾ |
| Apples | 1½ | ½ |
| Pears | 1¾ | 1 |
| Peaches | 2 | 1¼ |
Note For vegetables, use boiling water; for fruits, use water at room temperature.
Can you make a powder from dehydrated strawberries?
How to Make Strawberry Powder – 
To make strawberry powder, you need dried strawberries. You can easily make dehydrated strawberries using your oven or a food dehydrator. (I walk you through both processes in this article,) But before you get started, there are a few things to consider when choosing which dried strawberries to use.
You want to use crispy strawberries, which snap in two when broken. Dried strawberries that are still chewy will not turn into powder. Rather, you’ll end up with a thick paste that, although delicious, won’t keep like strawberry powder. If you use strawberries that you have dried yourself, you will most likely have a darker strawberry powder.
Many manufactured dried fruit contains preservatives to keep it from turning brown as it dries. Don’t worry; it still tastes incredible. 
To make the powder, you simply pulse the dried strawberries in a food processor or high-powered blender until you get a fine powder. If you recently washed your machine, ensure they are completely dry before making the powder.
Does dehydrating fruit save money?
Save Money By Dehydrating Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables at Home 
August and September provide the peak-season harvest when it comes to fresh produce purchased from your local farmer! The sheer variety of juicy peaches, crisp cucumbers, colorful squash, milky corn, luscious tomatoes, and more are unrivaled during late spring and into fall. Dehydrating fruits and vegetables can be accomplished by the sun, your oven, or a dehydrator. (Photo credit: NMSU) Dehydration involves removing water from fruits and vegetables so they do not spoil; air passing over the produce is at a low enough temperature to prevent changes in cell structure, so the fruits and vegetables retain their full nutritional value.
It’s economical : While you can purchase equipment to make dehydrating easier, you can also dehydrate food successfully using what you already have in your kitchen. Plus, in-season produce is cheaper than buying it fresh, out-of-season; preserving it now keeps money in your pocket later. The food lasts : Dehydrated produce can be stored for thousands of years, and eaten safely! It is the oldest method of food preservation in the world. Storage space is minimized : Since dehydrated vegetables shrink, you can store a lot of dehydrated food in a small amount of space, especially when compared to other food preservation methods. Storage is easy : No additional refrigeration is needed to store your dried produce. Simply place your dehydrated fruits and vegetables in an air-tight container and store in a dry, dark location, like a cupboard, until ready to use. Nutrition is retained : Dehydration is gentle and protects the integrity of the fruit and vegetables’ cell walls. The low-heat processing temperatures mean the vitamins and minerals retain their viability. Food flavor is enhanced : Because you’re removing the moisture from fruits and vegetables, all of the flavors become concentrated and magnified. This makes for some delicious snacks! (Watch out, though! In the case of fruits, that means the sugars, and the calories in them, are preserved, too!) Cooking dehydrated food is easy : Fruits and vegetables can be eaten in their dried state, but they can also be rehydrated and cooked. Cover fruits with boiling water, let sit for five minutes, then drain (save the water for making soups and stews, to save the vitamins and minerals in the water). Rehydrate vegetables by soaking them in twice as much hot water as volume of vegetable (so, if you have one cup of dehydrated vegetables, rehydrate with two cups of hot water). Of course, you can also toss dehydrated produce directly into soups and stews while cooking.
Read on for four reliable ways to dehydrate the harvest: SOLAR DRYING In sunny, dry New Mexico, solar drying is a natural choice for drying fruits and vegetables. Dry your produce on a hot day (above 85F) with a nice breeze, which carries moisture away from the drying food. You will need to bring your produce inside at night to prevent evening condensation from ruining your dehydration. A simple outdoor drying rack. () Fruits and vegetables are solar dried on drying trays, which can be as simple as stainless steel screening attached to a wood frame (a good size is 14 in. × 24 in. × 1 in). Be sure to elevate the tray above the table or surface on which you are drying to maximize air flow, and cover your trays with thin muslin or cheesecloth to keep out insects. Chiles and herbs are especially well-suited to air drying. AIR DRYING New Mexican ristras are an excellent example of air drying. Air drying is similar to solar drying, except it occurs indoors. Air drying is especially good for chiles, herbs, apples, and even mushrooms. Tomatoes can be solar dried, but dry reliably well in the oven or an electric dehydrator. () Oven drying is easy, and the only disadvantage is that you can’t use your oven for cooking while you are dehydrating food, which can take a long time. To oven-dry, cover your oven racks with thin muslin or cheesecloth to prevent the produce from falling through the oven rack as your food shrinks while drying.
You can also use a cookie sheet with a cooling rack on it; the food must always have good air ventilation all around it. Heat your oven to between 140F and 150F, or your lowest setting if your oven doesn’t go that low (you don’t want to cook the food with temperatures that are too high). Lay your prepared produce on your racks, and place in the oven.
Crack your oven door about an inch (keep it propped open with a wooden spoon) and keep an eye on your produce until dried. Be sure to rotate your trays for even dehydration. DRYING WITH AN ELECTRIC DEHYDRATOR Drying your food with an electric food dehydrator is the most expensive option for dehydrating fruits and vegetables because you need to buy a dedicated dehydrator, but it is also very convenient.
You simply prepare your produce, place it in the dehydrator, turn it on, and walk away. When buying a dehydrator, be sure to select one that has a thermostat so you can regulate the drying temperature, and a fan for air circulation. Follow the manufacturer’s manual for specific instructions for dehydrating your produce.
DRYING TIMES Dehydrating is not an exact science when it comes to drying times and they can vary widely depending upon the method used and the thickness of your fruits and vegetables. Vegetables can take 4 to 12 hours to dry, and fruits 6 to 20, but if pieces are large or whole (as in the case of grapes to dry into raisins), dehydration can take days or even weeks. 
Almost any vegetable, from tomatoes to eggplant, can be dehydrated now for use later.
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: Save Money By Dehydrating Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables at Home
Can you eat too much dehydrated fruit?
GI Distress – Too much dried fruit can cause an upset stomach in some people. “Due to the high fiber content and certain natural sugar alcohols, some dried fruits can cause GI distress from bloating, gas, and diarrhea,” Shapiro says. She says that the most important step when shopping is to read nutrition labels and ingredient lists if you are prone to stomach issues.
Can you make a powder from dehydrated strawberries?
How to Make Strawberry Powder – To make strawberry powder, you need dried strawberries. You can easily make dehydrated strawberries using your oven or a food dehydrator. (I walk you through both processes in this article,) But before you get started, there are a few things to consider when choosing which dried strawberries to use.
You want to use crispy strawberries, which snap in two when broken. Dried strawberries that are still chewy will not turn into powder. Rather, you’ll end up with a thick paste that, although delicious, won’t keep like strawberry powder. If you use strawberries that you have dried yourself, you will most likely have a darker strawberry powder.
What to do with Too Many Strawberries?! | Dehydrate Strawberries in 4 ways!
Many manufactured dried fruit contains preservatives to keep it from turning brown as it dries. Don’t worry; it still tastes incredible. To make the powder, you simply pulse the dried strawberries in a food processor or high-powered blender until you get a fine powder. If you recently washed your machine, ensure they are completely dry before making the powder.
Can you crush dehydrated strawberries?
💡 Tips –
Use a sharp knife to cut off the top green part of the strawberry, which is called a calyx. You can also get a strawberry huller to take out the white core, but it’s not necessary, and you won’t waste too much of your strawberry without it.I recommend cutting your strawberries into thicker slices because they are delicate. The more they dry and the thinner they have been sliced, the more they stick to the dehydrator tray. You can choose to dry your strawberries halfway through so that the result are chewy strawberries.If you decide to dry them longer, your strawberries will turn out crispy.The longer you dry your strawberries, the longer they will remain good.The larger the strawberry pieces, the longer they need to dry through. The thinner or smaller the strawberries, the shorter the drying time.You can regulate the heat setting on your dehydrator.135 – 145 Fahrenheit/ 57- 62 Celsius is a good base setting.Dried strawberries can be crushed and turned into strawberry powder too.Dry a large batch of strawberries during peak season, which is April through June.