Shell full-grown peas and blanch three to five minutes; cold-dip and then spread in a single layer on trays to dry.

When drying the very tender young sugar peas, use the pod also.  Wash and cut in quarter-inch pieces.  Blanch six minutes, cold-dip and remove surplus moisture before drying.  When drying beets always select young, quickly grown, tender beets.  Steam twenty to thirty minutes, or until the skin cracks.  Dip in cold water, peel and slice into one-eighth to one-quarter inch slices.  Then dry.

Carrots having a large, woody core should not be dried.  Blanch six minutes; cold-dip.  Carrots are often sliced lengthwise into pieces about one-eighth inch thick.  Parsnips, kohl-rabi, celeriac and salsify are prepared in the same way as are carrots.

Onions should be held under water while peeling and slicing to avoid smarting of the eyes.  They should be sliced into one-eighth to one-quarter inch slices.  Blanch five minutes, cold-dip, remove superfluous moisture and dry.  Leeks are handled as are onions.

Select well-developed heads of cabbage and remove all loose outside leaves.  Split the cabbage, remove the hard, woody core and slice the remainder of the head with a kraut slicer or cutter or with a large, sharp knife.  Blanch five to ten minutes and cold-dip; dry.

Spinach and parsley should be carefully washed.  Steam, cold-dip and dry.  If the spinach is sliced the drying will be greatly facilitated.  Beet tops, Swiss chard and celery are prepared like spinach.

Select sound, well-matured Irish potatoes.  Wash and boil or steam until nearly done.  Peel and pass through a meat grinder or a potato ricer.  Collect the shred in layers on a tray and dry until brittle.  If toasted slightly in an oven when dry, the flavor is improved somewhat; or boil or steam until nearly done, peel, cut into quarter-inch slices, spread on trays, and dry until brittle.  Peeling may be omitted, but the product will be very much inferior in flavor.  Irish potatoes cannot be satisfactorily dried unless they are first cooked; otherwise they will discolor.

All root vegetables must be thoroughly cleaned, otherwise an earthy flavor may cling to them.  One decayed root may seriously affect several pots of vegetable soup.

GENERAL SUGGESTIONS

1.  All vegetables should be completely dried in from two to twenty-four hours.

2.  Materials should be turned or stirred several times to secure a uniform product.

3.  If heat is used guard against scorching.  The door is left open if an oven is used; the temperature should be about 110 degrees at the beginning and usually should not exceed 130 degrees.  Onions, string beans and peas will yellow at more than 140 degrees.

4.  A thermometer is essential to successful drying by artificial heat.

5.  It is impossible to give definite lengths of times for the completion of sun drying, as this varies not only with different products but with the weather.  A sultry, rainy day is the worst for drying.