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Nuts and Seeds – Nuts and Seeds contain phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors. Phytic
acid is biologically necessary, as it helps safeguard the nut or seed until proper
growing conditions are present and germination can occur.
Prepare your nuts and seeds by soaking them in warm water (filtered is best) and 1
tablespoon of salt to every 2 cups of raw nuts or seeds. This will neutralize many of
the enzyme inhibitors and increase the bioavailability of many nutrients, especially B
vitamins.
Within 7-24 hours (depending on the seed or nut), many of the enzyme inhibitors are
broken down.
NOTE: Linseed, Flaxseed and Chia seeds are not suitable for soaking. Cashews can
only be soaked for 3-6 hours as they have already been heated to rid them of the
naturally occuring toxic oil, cardol.
Grains (45-55ºC/113-131ºF) – For best results with dehydrating grains you will need to
sprout them beforehand, this is especially necessary when making sprouted flour. The
sprouting process occurs over a period of 2-3 days, depending on the humidity of the
surrounding air, and will involve soaking, draining and rinsing your wheat berries in
filtered water every 6-8 hours. You will need to ensure the wheat berries are covered
with a mesh or cheesecloth and set at an angle to allow an even circulation of air for
fermentation to take place. Once the root tips have grown to 1.5cm the seeds can
be spread on the dehydrator trays, using the mesh sheets to prevent them falling
through. After the sprouted grain has been dehydrated, you can use a power blender
to make fresh sprouted flour.
PLEASE NOTE: There are no exact rules that apply to food dehydration, as results can
be affected by room temperature, relative humidity and moisture levels in the food
that you are drying. To become proficient it will be necessary to experiment with your
drying techniques. If you use too much heat, food may harden on the outside while
being moist inside; however, with too little heat your drying times will be very long.
With a little practice you will be creating tasty, ready to eat snacks in no time.
Dehydrating Tips
• Do not overlap foods. Make sure foods are flat when placing on dehydrating trays.
Overlapped foods can greatly increase drying time.
• Make sure foods are completely dry before removing. If you are not sure, cut a
sample down the middle to check for internal dryness.
• Make sure to label containers when you store your dehydrated food.
• Proper storage helps maintain quality food. Package the food when cool. Foods can
be kept longer if stored in a cool, dark and dry place. The ideal storage temperature
is 16°C/61ºF or lower.
• Vacuum sealing is a great way to keep dehydrated foods.
• Food will shrink approximately ¼ to ½ their original size and weight during
dehydration. Make sure not to cut pieces of food to be dehydrated too small.
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