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 Posted By: jglass 
Jun 28  # 1 of 20
I have been trying to look this up onlione but have not found much.
I remember my Mom's folks using a needle and thick thread to hang green beans to dry. We called them leather britches and they were so good. Ours always hung in a dry room or out in the smoke house til we wanted to eat them.
My question is if I dry green beans in my food dehydrator what would be the best way to store them? Would the freezer be the best?
I remember my Mom soaking them in water overnight then cooking them for hours on the stove with ham hocks or bacon. I would love to have them again.
It wont be long before we have alot of green beans in the garden. I appreciate any help you guys can give me.

Oh yeah..I also read that green beans should be blanched before drying to stop enzyme activity, which causes "off" flavors and browning during storage. Is that correct?
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 Posted By: chubbyalaskagriz 
Jun 28  # 2 of 20
Know what's weird, janie? Now that you mention it- I have vague memories of seeing this too at my grandparent's place and also at aunts'/uncles' homes, but I never knew what it was, or what they were trying to accomplish by the process. I think I just thought perhaps they were drying the beans to seed for planting the following summer... I never realized they were being dried to preserve for later cooking. I'd be curious to know more if anyone has any helpful info.
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 Posted By: jglass 
Jun 28  # 3 of 20
I remember stringing them onto this elastic like thicker thread with my Mom when I was a kid.
I dont even think they washed them before hand unless they were super dirty.
When they wanted to cook them they just took down a couple of the strings and soaked them in water overnight and the cooked them like I said before.
My little sister in particular is craving some leather britches. I would love to be able to dry her and I both some. Im thinking it would be ok to put them into some good air tight bags or jars to store. Im not sure at all about freezing.
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 Posted By: KYHeirloomer 
Jun 29  # 4 of 20
Ahhhhh, Leather Britches.

The technique of drying beans by stringing and hanging goes back to colonial days, and has come downto us unchanged. The term "Leather Britches," however, dates only from the War of Northern Aggression. At least it doesn't appear in print before then.

Last time I saw it done the traditional way was before my adoptive granny, Sarah Lou Back, of Slade, passed away. She would make them every year, and hang them from the roof of her covered porch. Each of the strings was six or seven feet long, and stretched to fit the entire opening between roof and railing. If you drove buy you'd get the impression she had some kind of curtains hanging because there were so many strings.

Anyway, Janie, you do not have to blanch the beans first. Stopping the enzyme action that way is important only when freezing them. Drying and canning do it as part of their processing. You can wash the beans if you want to, but most people don't bother; especially if they're using stick beans.

When drying beans in the dehydrator I would consider two things: First, after tipping and tailing (and, if necessary, stringing) the beans, at least break them in half. Even better is to treat them like snap beans right from the get-go. Second: You will be better off if you choose a stringless variety for Leather Britches because no amount of drying, soaking, and chewing will make the strings edible.
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 Posted By: Mama Mangia 
Jun 29  # 5 of 20
From my notes:

DRYING VEGETABLES


SELECTING, CLEANING, AND CUTTING

You may be surprised to learn that a great many vegetables can be dried successfully at home. Be sure start with fresh, mature produce. Harvest or buy on the amount you can dry at one time - 4 to 6 pounds if you plan to use your oven. Wash all dirt off the vegetables and cut out any bad spots.

Cut the vegetables into pieces of a suitable size. Keep in mind that thin pieces will dry faster than thick one. For example, french-cut green beans take less time dry than cross-cut beans.


BLANCHING

Almost all vegetables need to be blanched (scalded in boiling water a short time before drying. Blanching stops the enzyme action, which drying cannot stop. If vegetables are not blanched, enzymes will destroy the color and flavor during drying and storage. A few vegetables such as mushrooms, okra, and onions do n need to be blanched before drying.

Blanching also protects certain nutrients and bel reduce the drying time somewhat. Some nutrient however, are lost during blanching in boiling water b cause they dissolve into the water. Steam blanching takes more time, but fewer water-soluble nutrients a lost. To minimize the loss of nutrients, blanch only f the required length of time. But don't underblanch; the enzymes will not be inactivated, and the quality of the dried vegetables will be inferior.

Blanch the cut pieces of vegetables in a large amou of water. Follow the blanching times for freezing vegetable. Chill in ice wa ter or in cold running water the same length of time recommended for blanching. Drain well and blot the pieces dry on paper towelling to remove excess moisture. Save the water. It will add flavor and valuable nutrients to your soups, stews, and gravies.


DRYING

Spread the prepared vegetables in thin layers on the drying trays. Then stack the trays in the oven or dryer. Make sure to leave at least 1 inches between the trays so that the air can circulate freely around them. If the trays are too close together, drying will take longer.

If you are using an oven, keep the door open slightly and use an electric fan. A food dryer is equipped with a fan for ventilation, so close the door. Keep the oven temperature at 140 degrees F. (60 C.). Stir the pieces of vegetables about every half hour so that all surfaces are exposed to the air. Also, shift the trays around on the racks periodically because the temperature inside the oven varies somewhat from top to bottom and from front to back.

Vegetables take from 4 to 12 hours to dry. The length of time depends on the kind and amount of food being dried, the method you use (oven or food dryer), and the drying temperature. When sufficiently dry, the vegetables will be hard and brittle. You can test them by hitting a piece with a mallet; the piece should shatter.


SPECIAL HANDLING OF VEGETABLES

Mature beans, peas, and soybeans may be fully or partly dried on the vine.

Carrots, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, and potatoes are better stored fresh than dried. They can be kept for several months in a cellar or basement.

Broccoli and asparagus are better frozen than dried because freezing helps preserve their fresh flavor and texture.

Combinations of vegetables can be dried at the same time. just remember that vegetables have different drying times, so some will be dry before others.

Vegetables with a strong odor should not be dried at the same time as other vegetables because those with a mild flavor may absorb the strong odor.

Salad seasoning ingredients should be dried separately, then mixed and stored together for delightful blends. A good mix for salads might include tiny bits of carrots, tomatoes, celery, onion, spinach, green peppers, and parsley.

Soup vegetables should always be dried separately. Then you can combine them in different ways so that you will have a vast variety of gourmet soups at your fingertips. You can blend the flavors to suit your own taste; just let your imagination be your guide. These home-prepared combinations will be much cheaper than those available commercially.







USING DRIED VEGETABLES

You don't need to soak dried vegetables before cooking them, but soaking will shorten the cooking time. Reconstitute by soaking I cup of dried vegetables in 2 cups of water for about 2 hours. Add more water if necessary. Vegetables will return to almost their original size and shape. Reconstituted vegetables are tasty additions to stews, casseroles, and soups. The water you use for soaking and cooking contains valuable nutrients, so use it in sauces and gravies.

Vegetable mixes for seasoning salads should not be soaked. Simply combine the dried vegetables with the other salad ingredients and add your favorite dressing.




Drying is the oldest method of preserving food. The early American settlers dried foods such as corn, apple slices, currants, grapes, and meat. Compared with other methods, drying is quite simple. In fact, you may already have most of the equipment on hand. Dried foods keep well because the moisture content is so low that spoilage organisms cannot grow.

Drying will never replace canning and freezing because these methods do a better job of retaining the taste, appearance, and nutritive value of fresh food. But drying is an excellent way to preserve foods that can add variety to meals and provide delicious, nutritious snacks. One of the biggest advantages of dried foods is that they take much less storage space than canned or frozen foods.

Recommended methods for canning and freezing have been determined by research and widespread experience. Home drying, however, does not have firmly established procedures. Food can be dried several ways, for example, by the sun if the air is hot and dry enough, or in an oven or dryer if the climate is humid.

With the renewed interest in gardening and natural foods and because of the high cost of commercially dried products, drying foods at home is becoming popular again. Drying is not difficult, but it does take time and a lot of attention. Although there are different drying methods, the guidelines remain the same.

Although solar drying is a popular and very inexpensive method, Illinois does not have a suitable climate for it. Dependable solar dehydration of foods requires 3 to 5 consecutive days when the temperature is 95 degrees F. and the humidity is very low. The average relative humidity in central Illinois on days with 95 degrees F. temperatures is usually 86 percent. Solar drying is thus not feasible.

Drying food in the oven of a kitchen range, on the other hand, can be very expensive. In an electric oven, drying food has been found to be nine to twelve times as costly as canning it. Food dehydrators are less expensive to operate but are only useful for a few months of the year. A convection oven can be the most economical investment if the proper model is chosen. A convection oven that has a controllable temperature starting at 120 degrees F. and a continuous operation feature rather than a timer-controlled one will function quite well as a dehydrator during the gardening months. For the rest of the year it can be used as a tabletop oven.