How to dry carrots for the winter at home: all methods for preparing dried carrots

Preparing carrots for drying

First of all, the root vegetables must be washed thoroughly, preferably using a stiff brush. The tops need to be dried separately, so cut them off the root vegetables and wash them too.

The next stage is cleaning. If you plan to dry an impressive volume of crops, then it is best to use a special vegetable peeler for this. Things will go much faster with her. It is also necessary to cut off the top green part of the root crop.

Before drying, it is recommended to blanch peeled carrots in boiling water for 15–20 minutes. The time, in this case, depends on the size of the carrots. You can check the readiness of the product with a thin wooden skewer or toothpick. It should enter the vegetable with little difficulty.The finished product is cooled under running cold water and dried with towels.

You can also dry untreated, raw carrots. Carrot tops are also not subjected to heat treatment.

Next comes the cutting. Methods for grinding root vegetables before drying:

• on a coarse grater;
• wheels;
• semicircles or quarters;
• cubes;
• straws;
• cubes.

The carrot tops are finely chopped with a knife. Drying of tops in bunches is allowed.

How to dry carrots for the winter

In the sun

Chopped carrots are placed on a tray or net and exposed to the sun. Carrot tops are placed in a ventilated place, in the shade.

At night, vegetables must be brought indoors, and in the morning, after the dew has disappeared, they must be put back out. This must be done so that the carrots do not burn out. If drying occurs on pallets, then the vegetables need to be stirred periodically so that the process proceeds more evenly.

Natural drying in sunlight is undoubtedly the most energy-efficient method, but at the same time the longest in time. Drying takes approximately 10 – 14 days.

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In the microwave

Chopped root vegetables or tops are placed on a flat plate suitable for microwave ovens. The process takes place in two stages.

First, set the unit to full power and dry the carrots in this mode for 3 minutes.

Then reduce the power by half and continue drying for 3 to 5 minutes. In order not to miss the readiness of the product, you should look into the oven every 40 - 60 seconds.

In the oven

Drying in the oven is the most affordable way to prepare carrots for most people.

Place carrot slices in a layer of no more than 1 centimeter on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.

The oven is heated to a temperature of 65 - 70 degrees and a container with carrots is placed in it. For best air circulation, keep the oven door slightly open. Drying takes approximately 6 – 8 hours. It depends on the method of cutting the root vegetables. The green mass dries much faster.

During the entire time the vegetables are in the oven, they need to be taken out several times, mixed and cooled to room temperature.

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In an electric dryer

Carrots cut into pieces are laid out on trays in one layer, and grated carrots are laid out in a layer of no more than 5 millimeters. The electric dryer is set to a temperature of 60 - 70 degrees.

Drying time depends on the method of cutting vegetables and their quantity, but on average it takes from 6 to 12 hours. If the volume of vegetables is large, then they should be dried in several stages. To make drying more uniform, do not forget to periodically change the trays.

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How to store dried carrots

After drying, the carrots should be kept for a couple of days in one common container so that the moisture remaining in the product is evenly distributed.

After this, the vegetables are transferred to sealed glass or tin containers or cotton bags. Carrots are stored in this form for 1 year.

Dried carrots and tops are used to prepare first and second courses, as well as to brew tasty and healthy tea. Tea can be brewed from both dried tops and root vegetables.