[FOOD]How to Store Vegetables without Relying on the Refrigerator

The tail end of spring is already in sight, but our power outage from the snowstorm lasted for a week until recently.

Although we managed to keep the refrigerator filled with snow, I took the opportunity to experiment with the tips of Japanese cooking to try to live a little less dependent on the refrigerator.

The first technique is dried vegetables.

The benefit of drying vegetables in the sun is that the flavor is concentrated and they can be stored for a long time.

Also, some vegetables tend to have a higher nutritional value when dried.

While wearing down in the kitchen below 50f, I was doing this as a survival experiment and self-motivation that I was driven to do.

＊In introducing tips of dried vegetables, I was supervised by Emi Suzuki, a Japanese cook whom I greatly admire.

How to make

Dried vegetables are also a tip to make use of vegetable peels that are often thrown away.



1：Slice the vegetables thinly. Wipe off the water well.

2：Arrange them in a colander so that they do not overlap.

3: Dry in a place where there is light and wind.

How long to dry?

I dried it indoors in a sunny room at about 45f.

Some of them grew mold in a damp room heated by a kerosene stove.

From half a day to a week, depending on your preference of the driness.

The longer the drying time, the better for long-term storage.

I hang mine for a week to dry completely.

5-7days old dried vegetables and stones and flowers added by my daughter picked up from the garden.

When cooking, if you just want to fry them quickly, soak them in a little water to soften them.

The water contains the extracts of the vegetables, so it is good to use it for soup.

If you want to cook it in a soup, do not need to be soaked it in water but cook it as it is.

How to Store?

The skin of the radish dried after more than 7 days.

Dried vegetables are also a tip to make use of vegetable peels that are often thrown away.

There are many theories on how to store them.

If it is well dried, I store it in a zippered bag or jar at room temperature.

Some people say to freeze them, but in this case, I'm going to use the wisdom of not relying on the refrigerator!

So I recommend letting them dry completely.

In addition,

Drying them in a warm, airtight room caused mold to form.

The key is to expose them to a cool breeze, so drying them outside during the day is recommended.

These imges belows are how Emi,my mentor enjoying her onw Dried vegetables-Hosiyasai[干し野菜] at her home!



According to my mentor, Emi, the sweetness and flavor of the same vegetable is completely different when dried in a cold wind than when dried in warm or humid weather!

What if birds or animals eat them?

I'm currently working on some good solutions for that goodies!　

Please look forward to it.

Stir-fried vegetables with dried and salted vegetables.More on preserving salted vegetables next time! The photo is cloudy with steam：）