Dehydrating Celery

I found a great deal on celery last week.  It was only .50 cents per head!  So, I thought I would dehydrate it for my food storage.  This would be great in soups, casseroles, chicken salad, or anything else you use fresh celery in.  Remember, when constituted, the celery will not have the same crispness as fresh. 

Steps:

1. Keeping the celery in a head, wash the stalks. 
2. Cut 1/2 inch off the leaf end.
3. Using a meat slicer, or mandolin, cut whole celery head into about 1/4 inch slices. Use leaves as well as stalks.  Keeping it together in a head is easier.  If you do each stalk individually, it would take forever. Slices should be the same thickness to ensure even drying.
4. When you have about 3 inches left on the head, rewash, getting all the dirt out of each stalk.
5. Continue slicing until the bottom of the head is reached. 
6. Blanch celery in boiling water for 1 minute.  This step is optional, but will result in a brighter color and better texture end product.
7. Rinse under cold water, to stop cooking process.
8. Spread out on dehydrator trays in a single layer.
9. Dehydrate for 10-12 hours or until pieces are crisp. If your dehydrator has a temperature control, it should be set for 120-125 degrees.
10. Best stored in a vacuum packed bag with an oxygen absorber.

When I looked at how much it cost to buy dehydrated celery, it made me very glad to do my own.

Celery is washed, and sliced.

Blanch for 1 minute in boiling water.

Spread out on tray, in a single layer.

Finished product.

Packaged in vacuum bag with oxygen absorber.  Ready to be stored!

Related Posts by Categories

Widget by Hoctro | DreamyDonkey