Vegetables preservation for income generation, food security & climate adaptation in Kenya

 Fresh vegetables are highly perishable and their drying is essential for increased shelf life and value addition; particularly in the face of frequent droughts and climate change in Kenya and globally.This can be accomplished by using solar driers in Africa.
               

CHART FOR VEGETABLES PRESERVATION  BY Solar  DRYING
Vegetables	Selection and preparation	Method of Treatment Before Drying	Treatment time in minutes	Test for dryness during preservation
Cabbage	Remove outer leaves, quarter and core. Cut into shreds 3mm thick	Steam	5 to 6 ; until wilted	Tough to brittle
Carrots	Select crisp tender carrots Clean, cut off tops and roots. Cut into slices or strips about 3mm thick.	Steam	8 to 10	Tough to leathery
Potatoes	Peel, cut into strips 5mm in cross section or cut into slices 3mm thick	Rinse  in cold water; steam	4 to 6	Brittle
Green Vegetables	Select young tender leaves for preservation. Wash. Cut large leaves into pieces crosswise.	Steam	4 to 5; until wilted	Brittle
Banana	Wash, peel slice into strips 5mm thick	Steam	6	Tough ; brittle
Pumpkin	Chop into strips 2.5cm peel, remove fibre and seeds. Cut into strips 3mm thick	steam	Until tender	Tough ; brittle
Scallop, Zucchini or courgettes or summer/winter squash	Wash, trim and cut into 5mm slices	Steam	6	Brittle
Tomatoes for stewing	Dip in boiling water, chill in cold water, peel, cut into sections 15mm thick	No further treatment	10 to 20	Leathery
Green Peas	Select young tender peas, shell.	Steam immediately	10	Hard, wrinkled, shatters when hit.
Beans; green pods	Sort, wash, remove strings, and split pods lengthwise.	Steam or Pressure cook	15 to 20 5	Brittle
Broccoli	Trim and cut as for serving. Wash, cut stalks into quarters lengthwise.	Steam	8 to 10	Brittle
Sweet corn	Select tender sweet corn. Husk steam on cob immediately 10 to 15 minutes or until milk is set. Detach grains from cob.	Steam; no further treatment required	30	Dry ; brittle
Beet roots	Select small tender beets. Wash; trim the tops leaving the crowns. steam , cool, trim off roots and crowns; peel, cut into shoestring  strips or slices 3mm thick	Steam as suggested before preservation	30 to 45	Tough; leathery
Onions	Remove outer discolored layers. Slice.	No treatment		Brittle, pale
Leaves for seasoning like; coriander, parsley and celery preservation.	Remove discolored leaves	wash for preservation	Till clean	Brittle
Powdered vegetables: grind leafy vegetables into powder after preservation, for use in soups and puree
Soup mixtures: preservation by drying is done according to directions for individual vegetables. Mix and store satisfactory combinations which may be made from cabbage, carrots, celery, corn, onions and peas. However rice, dry beans, split peas and meat stock are added at the time of cooking.