This is what 33 pounds of summer squash and zucchini look like when dehydrated. These half-gallon mason jars don’t weigh any more than the actual weight of the glass and take up much less space than if I had frozen it or pressure canned in quart or pint sized jars. The quality of the reconstituted squash will be most like when it was fresh.
Blanch 4 minutes then dehydrate at 125F approximately 24 hours.
I have found that this method of preserving summer squash and zucchini result in the best product. Pressure canning takes a long time and results in a mushy product. Freezing is faster but I have found the resulting product is still mushy.
Dehydrating results in a product which is very close in texture and taste to when it was fresh. Blanching reduces the time it takes to reconstitute.
I don’t dehydrate everything. The preservation method I use depends on the item and how I intend to use the food. Some foods, such as tomatoes or carrots, I use both dehydration and pressure canning.
This method also works well to make other foods “quick cook” such as pasta, rice and beans. Precook pasta, rice and beans until nearly done then dehydrate. When needed the pasta, rice or beans will cook much more quickly.
