It is probably the oldest method of preserving food and is
still, even considering all the wonderful practices we have here
in the 21st century, one of the easiest. Last time we talked
about canning and freezing to preserve the good things from your
orchard and garden, specifically beans. Today it's drying.
Drying requires less effort, less equipment and less storage
space. You don't have to add anything; you only take away the
water. The only downside to drying is that for some vegetables
some of the vitamin A and C are lost. Most all fruits and
vegetables can be dried, some more successfully than others.
Perhaps the most successful fruit to dry is the apple, with the
peach being close behind. Figs, cherries, nectarines, pears and
plums (which probably because of their embarrassment about their
shriveled appearance, change their names to prunes) can be
dried. Many vegetables can be dried, but many also will
naturally dry if you wait long enough, including shelled beans,
peas, corn, peanuts, etc. Generally, v