My wife came up with an idea for keeping dehydrated produce more dry during storage. Her idea is to store in bulk and include in the bulk container a ziplock bag full of rice with small holes punched in it with a needle. The rice should absorb any moisture, but how effective would it be for long term? Also , when she mentioned this , I thought of the possibility of packaging a small amount of sodium metabisulphite the same way in the vegetables to maybe inhibit mold growth. I know this is used to sterilize wines prior to bottling, just don't know if a dry amount would sterilize the environment in the storage containers. What are your opinions? Thanks.

-- Jay Blair (jayblair678@yahoo.com), August 17, 2000

Answers

I store my stuff in wide mouthed canning jars. If you pack the dried stuff in warm jars, while it is still warm from the dehydrator, it will seal enough to keep moisture from getting in. For packing cold stuff, just the packed jars in the oven before closing them up. (stay under 160F to keep from cooking your stuff) I prefer storing in smaller containers, that way you don't lose a lot if something gets into it.

-- Connie (Connie@lunehaven.com), August 18, 2000.

Connie, doen't the warm food cause condensation? Kinda like when I put wtill warm cookies or bread in a sealed container. The insides of the jar or bag get droplets of moisture inside.

-- Leann Banta (thelionandlamb@hotmail.com), August 18, 2000.