Dehydrate spinach and make spinach powder to extend the life of your garden-grown spinach or the great grocery deals you can get! It is one of the easiest dehydrating projects you can do and is so versatile!
Do I Need to Blanch Spinach?
Spinach, like all greens, contains oxalic acid which can work against your body absorbing the vital nutrients from spinach. We often eat spinach raw in salads, etc., and that's fine.
But because, in most cases, you'll be using dehydrated spinach in foods that you cook, you don't need to blanch as the cooking takes care of it.
Blanching can help reduce the size of large spinach to make loading onto trays easier, but you'll need to separate them more so that leaves don't stick and not dry properly.
When Is Dehydrated Spinach Done?
When your spinach shatters in your fingers it is done. But be sure to check those stems, too. If they are not dry, keep drying!
Equpiment needed:
- Dehydrator
- Grinder'
- Mason Jars
- Salad Spinner (this is optional, but I find it helpful.
How to Dehydrate Spinach
- Wash leaves.
- Dry off leave (I find a salad spinner works great to remove excess surface moisture).
- Place on trays.
- Dry at 125F / 52 C for 4-8 hours.
- Condition.
- Store in an airtight container.
How to Store
After conditioning, dehydrated spinach can be stored in an airtight container for six months to a year.
How to use Dehydrated Spinach
Dehydrated flakes, as we like to call them, make a perfect addition to just about any meal you are going to cook.
We crush them just enough to not be large leaves, but not so much that they are like crushed herbs. It gives spinach bulk to a meal, without being overwhelming.
They will rehydrate naturally in whatever you are making.
- Quiche
- Fritattas
- Casseroles
- Soups
- Meatloaf
- 10 oz package of bulk spinach=
- 9.5 C of fresh bulk spinach=
- 8 C of dehydrated spinach=
- 1/4 C of spinach powder
How to Make Spinach Powder
Powdering spinach is easy, and you don't need any special equipment. Simply placing your spinach in a zip-top bag and crushing it with your hands can be enough for a rough powder that looks like the typical dried herbs you get at the store.
I use a large blender because of the bulk, but you can use a coffee grinder or bullet blender, too.
It's a good idea to place your powder back onto trays in order to dry it as heat from grinding can create moisture. Here's how I do it.
You can also mix your spinach powder with greens of every sort to create a master mix of Green Powder.
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Let me know what you think!