Vietnam's Low-tech Food System Takes Advantage of Decay

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Preserving Potatoes Long Term.

Dried Potato Chips for Storing.

These dried potato chips are not for eating as are, you will need to reconstitute by steaming or boiling. They dry literally rock hard.

The Recipe:

1)    Wash potatoes & peel if necessary.

2)    Steam or boil until cooked but still firm. This is done by checking frequently and testing with a knife which is slim enough not to split the potato. I steamed mine and they took 20 minutes.

3)    Place immediately into ice water, either whilst still in the steamer top, or by placing in a colander, or by draining the hot water off and covering with cold water from the tap or fridge. I left mine in ice water for a couple of minutes which was enough to cool them down so I could handle them.

4)    Slice into chips as thick or as thin as you like and place on cooling racks. If you have a wood fired stove, place in the oven with the door open. If you have the fire open, do not place the rack too close to the top of the oven. The fire can be open or closed and you can leave overnight. Alternately you can also place racks on top of the stove, or even on top of a wood heater if you have one, or you can sun dry.

My potato chips dried rock hard and slightly transparent. If kept dry they should keep for years if necessary.

Hard dried potato chips in a basket.

Apple being dried in the oven and on top of the stove.

Office trays being used to dry foods over the stove on the rack.

Apple rings being dried on a rack on the heater top.

Keith.

Dried Apple & Pumpkin/Squash for Trail Food and Storage.

Trail food.
We have been busy drying apple for storage & trail food. If you can core the apple you can hang it on a string line, or you can use a needle to do the same thing. You can also dry apple next to a fire.
We have been using our stove & heater.
A word of caution: Many years ago on a long trek I made the mistake of leaving my dried apple bag in my haversack with the flap closure down, but not buttoned. A possum stole it in the night. I found it not far away early next morning, but the bag although closed with a drawstring, was severely masticated!!! Yuck!
Pumpkin can also be dried in the same manner.

Dried Pumpkin or Squash.

Pumpkin on oven trays ready for drying in the open oven of our wood fired stove.