1. Rehydrate Vegetables to Keep Freshness
One source of preserving food is dehydrating them. Vegetables work excellently with this preservation technique. More and more people, especially in the more developed nations, are too busy to shop for fresh vegetables every day. The alternative many choose is buying their vegetables at the market for the whole week. There are two problems with this method. One is that for them to remain fresh and not spoil they have to be picked from the fields while they are still young so that they will last. The other problem is that they spoil in the refrigerator during the week. To retain the nutritional value of the vegetables, use dehydrated vegetables. These vegetables still have all the nutrients of fresh vegetables. The other benefits are that they have extended shelf lives, take up less space and can be less expensive in the long run. Just remember to drink more water than normal. This will compensate for any water removed from the body by the dehydrated vegetables.
2. Vegetables Suck up Water
The most common method of rehydrating vegetables is to soak them in water. They will rehydrate in an hour or two. Soaking them in hot water will speed up the time. When rehydrated they still have the same flavor and often a similar look. When using dehydrated vegetables in soups and stews, add them directly to the recipe without rehydrating them beforehand. As they cook, they will rehydrate in the pot. If you use this method though, add an extra bit of water to the recipe so that they will be able to rehydrate without drying up the soup or stew and make it too thick.
3. More Flavorful Dishes
To change the flavor of the vegetables, an alternate method of rehydration is to use fruit juices or stocks. The vegetables will pick up the flavor of the liquid they are soaked in so the richness of the dish will deepen. Dehydrated vegetables are great snacks as they are. When eaten, the saliva in the mouth and other body fluids will rehydrate them and aid in their digestion. If you're eating dehydrated vegetables as snacks, consume larger amounts of water or you could be dehydrating your body in favor of hydrating the vegetables.
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