Hello everyone! Today I have a fun way to use up some of the (over)abundance of a seasonal staple in so many parts of the country--zucchini! Here in the Atlanta area summer squash season is here to stay for a while with tons of zucchini (aka courgette for some of my pals in different parts of the globe--which I kind of wish we called it over here because it just sounds like a lovely word), yellow squash, zephyr squash, patty pan and any number of other squash varieties available at all the booths at the farmers market. In our own garden the patty pan is looking great, with a few squash getting close to being ready to harvest.
With the squash being available in such vast quantities, we cooks try to get as creative as we can incorporating the varieties in all different ways. This week I purchased both standard zucchini and the lovely yellow and green-tipped zephyr squash to grace our plates. The squash was incorporated into an easy weeknight pasta, while the zucchini I set aside for a novel approach (for me, at least).
As I was writing down my meal plan for the week, it dawned on me that I should pull out my dehydrator to attempt veggie chips with some of my market haul. I got up early yesterday morning to quickly prep my zucchini as I had seen from my perusal of the various recipes out there that getting out all of the moisture in the dehydrator can definitely take some time. Since my unit has stackable trays, it is best to rotate your trays every so often during the dehydrating time to make sure everything dries out evenly. It's a bit of a challenge to do that if you're using it overnight, so I opted for the daytime so I could check on my little chips every so often.
I carefully sliced my two zucchinis with the mandolin slicer to get uniform pieces, then opted to dunk them in a bowl of a pickling-type mixture. Both the boyfriend and I enjoy pickles, so I used white vinegar, fresh dill from the garden, miso and a pinch of pepper and mustard to season the slices. I have to admit I've indulged in eating some dill pickle chips in the past, inspiring my choice for a healthier homemade version. No oil, no preservatives, and no mystery ingredients in this snack!
Somehow I lucked out and the slices fit perfectly onto all of the trays without having any extra or overcrowding. How often does that happen? It did end up taking somewhere around 15 hours total to get all the moisture out, but the result is a light, crispy treat! The flavors are subtle, but definitely there. I haven't tried dipping yet, but they might hold up alright in a thinner dip. Or you'd have to double or triple up to dig into some hummus. Besides being a deliciously health snack, I'm so happy to have another method in my kitchen arsenal to use up some of these seasonal items! I wasn't a fan of the dehydrator when I first borrowed one from a friend, but the longer I have mine the more of a fan I've become.
Dehydrated Zucchini Chips
- 2 medium zucchini squash, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 2 heaping tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 2 teaspoons mild white miso
- pinch of ground black pepper & ground mustard
Use a mandolin slicer or the slicing attachment on your food processor to cut the zucchini into even rounds. I used the largest setting on my mandolin, so if you go thinner they may dehydrate faster.
In a large bowl whisk together the vinegar through the pepper and mustard. Add in the zucchini slices and toss gently to coat.
Place the slices on the trays of a dehydrator, being careful not to overlap the pieces. Set the temperature to around 120 degrees Fahrenheit, close the lid and turn on. If you have a stackable unit like mine make sure to rotate out the trays to make sure the slices dehydrate evenly. You can also check and pull out the dried pieces as they finish and let the larger pieces go for longer if need be. It really is mostly a hands off process, but you do have to take a peak every now and then to see where your chips are in the drying process. Mine took 15 hours, but it is really hot and humid here right now so yours may be done more quickly in cooler, less humid conditions.
I always find it fascinating to really see just how much water makes up fruits and vegetables. They look so little when you pull the pieces out and serve them up in a bowl! I think it's a great experiment for kids, and adults, really. Plus these types of snacks are so much better for all of us than anything out of a package. Yes, it takes a little bit of time and energy, but that connection to our food source and the methods it takes to preserve and prepare our food really is priceless.
Have you made homemade veggie chips before? What are your favorite flavor combinations or vegetables to use?
Join The Best Natural Health Community on Hive
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : https://plantstoplanks.com/preserving-the-season-dehydrated-zucchini-chips/
Thanks @qurator and @brumest! Appreciate the support. :)
My goodness. These look FANTASTIC. I'm gonna try them tomorrow!
Awesome! I'm really happy how well they turned out. This batch will be gone in no time, so then I'll try some more of a different variety maybe. Let me know how yours turn out!
Oh, wow - those look wicked delish! And what a great idea to take care of extra courgettes (maybe we should start a Twitter petition to get people on this side of the pond to start using that lovely word instead of the zuch one? 😂). We've thought about picking up a dehydrator before, but haven't actually done it. Hey, maybe you could do a post sometime soon about yours, and what to look for when shopping...? 😌
Thanks for sharing the yumminess!
Let's do it! It's funny after blogging for a while now there are a few names for things I would like to adopt. Like aubergine instead of eggplant and rocket instead of arugula. I think @riverflows would appreciate it, haha. I definitely should do some more posts as I use mine more. The unit I have is really pretty basic, but great for people like us who are more recreational in our use of it instead of for professional use. ;)
And for #posh the Twitter Link
Oh I never had zucchini chips and these are my favorite veggie! I bed they are just delicious! Definitely a must try.
Today and tomorrow I am working with spruce tips. I will be making a cold syrup remedy for this winter and will be making a general syrup with them to put on pancakes and waffles and such.
Oh fun! You need to write a post about your cough syrup. Would love to see that. I'm sure the syrup is delicious, too. I'm sure you'd love these chips. They were gone in about 24 hours here, haha.
I haven't had the time to write anything since the my top3 games post. I've been working on making dandelion jelly, spruce tips syrup, and then the cold syrup too. I will be doing the same white pine needles as they carry a lot of good medicine too.
So in case I cannot get to making a post about it, all you need to do is gather your tips (some people call them shoots, basically new growth), then stick some in a jar and cover it with honey and let it ferment. Making sure you have real unpasteurized honey. And if you have a lot of honey you can make different kinds, some with ginger, some with mullein, some with a mix carrying all that good vitamins, and even garlic. I've heard that when you make one with garlic, it tends to be really good in a stir fry. Oh, I forgot, you stir/shake it daily, if you use the jar lid, make sure to not tightly close it, I just use a coffee filter really.
Yes I want chips. A whole load of Zucchini chips. I forgot to plant them and it was on my list so now I have to run away to Georgia where the best produce comes from. And also I need a snack after seeing this.😊
Well we have plenty zucchini down here to share! It grows like a weed. Though right now it is the cucumbers that seem to be overtaking the garden, haha. I'm always in the mood for a snack, but especially after jumping on here to peruse all the food posts!
I'm greeeeeen with envy!😄
What an utterly perfect way to use and store a million ripe zucchinis!
Curated for #naturalmedicine (by @artemislives) - join our community here.
We encourage content about health & wellness - body, mind, soul and earth. We are an inclusive community with two basic rules: Proof of Heart (kindness prevails) & Proof of Brain (original content). Read more here.
Our website also rewards with its own Lotus token & we'd love you to join our community in Discord. Delegate to @naturalmedicine & be supported with upvotes, reblog, tips, writing inspiration challenges for a chance to win HIVE and more. Click here to join the #naturalmedicine curation trail!
And a million we will have! I'll load up on some more at the farmers market in the morning and get another batch of these going over the weekend. :)
Congratulations @plantstoplanks! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
You can view your badges on your board And compare to others on the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPI have to give them a try this season as I have not tried dehydrating these before. Mine has been running nonstop this past week with all the mint, herbs, and flowers I have been putting up.
Oh I bet you've been a preserving machine! It really is the season for trying to harvest and store all of the wonderful spring and early summer goodies. We've had so much lemon balm we've resorted to just hanging it and letting it air dry otherwise I wouldn't have any time to use the dehydrator for anything else, haha! I'm sure you'd love the zucchini like this, so hope you get a chance to make some. :)
I had the same issue with my abundance of chocolate mint. It took over the herb bed this spring. My husband had to carefully remove most of it. I finally said, I think I have enough, lol and the Lemon balm, right behind it.
Haha, he's finishing up the lemon balm today then going after the peppermint. He said everyone is getting about a pound of herbal tea for the holidays this year. 🤣
That's one machine I've always wanted but have never owned yet. I have so many ideas. We could do a bit of dehydration in Cambodia with a 3 day stretch of perfect weather, but you can't always count on that.
Oh I bet you could! Sun-drying is the original dehydrator, right? ;)
Yes and no, we've learned the hard way with chilies that direct sunglight bleaches them destroying the red color, although the taste is still fine.
With trial and error we learned certain things are best in hot dry shade or indirect sunlight, especially chilies. It's funny though because all the rage is about sun-dried tomatoes, no one ever touts shade dried tomatoes. I assume certain things are better for candidates for sun-drying, but I'm no expert.
Ahh, that does make sense. I didn't think about that aspect of it. I know the sun can damage some healthy compounds, so I would imagine there are some things that are better than others to dry in the sun versus the shade. Would be an interesting topic to research! Though not sure if I have the time at the moment, haha. Add it to my growing list for the future... ;)
Oh the white miso and vinegar is totally inspired! Love it!
Always fun when you hit on the perfect combination, right? I got some golden zucchini at the market this week, so that might be on the drying rack this time. Might have to play around with some other flavors just because, though these will be making a comeback soon with how good they were! Hope you're hanging in there today. Sending more sunshiney thoughts and energy your way. 😘
It's taken me a while to come back and finish the comment I started...
And yes, I am a courgette girl. Most in this country are "baby marrow" people...
I have a fabulous recipe for sundried courgette in a traditional Italian salad. I need to find it and send it to you. Please remind me if I forget? Highly likely ATM...🙃
We were away with family all weekend for Father's Day, so I'm a bit behind now myself. Think I still have a few of yours to pop by and leave comments on. 🤣 Feel like I'm always in the perpetual state of catching up on here, but not much to do about that except pop by with a few comments here and there when I can.
I'm sure that salad is delicious. I'll bug you whenever I remember to remind you, haha.
I hope you had a good break - having some work (and another project about which I shall share anon) - is keeping me seriously out of mischief!!
I am sooo with you
I will try to remember to scan the recipe tonight....I'll DM it on Discord...
Happy Monday... 😄