How to Dehydrate Broccoli Leaves

Dehydrating Broccoli Leaves: A Unique Search and Solution
If you’re reading this, it’s likely you searched for “how to dehydrate broccoli leaves” – an uncommon search request. Perhaps you’re curious about broccoli leaves, or maybe you’ve had a similar experience to ours: a disappointing yield of leaves instead of broccoli.

We refused to let our efforts go to waste and decided to maximize every part of the journey. So, we embarked on the challenge of dehydrating broccoli leaves for three consecutive days. Sometimes, you just have to make the most of what you have!

There are actually a ton of health benefits to broccoli leaves.

It is actually said that broccoli leaves have the same if not more nutritional value as kale. Broccoli leaves are extremely high in vitamins A & C, as well as, calcium, iron, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B6, niacin and magnesium.

What are the benefits of dehydrating broccoli leaves?

Dehydrating food offers a compelling advantage: it significantly extends the shelf life of the product. Although some nutritional value may be compromised in the process, consider this: isn’t it far better to preserve and utilize these items than to simply discard them?

When faced with an abundance of broccoli plants failing to produce the desired harvest, our solution became clear: dehydration. Despite our best efforts and the tender care given by my husband, the unpredictable weather in our region left us with broccoli that simply refused to, well, broccoli! To be precise, our broccoli bolted prematurely, a phenomenon triggered by soaring temperatures that caused the plant to hastily shoot up flowers and leaves, eventually leading to seed production.

Before we get started a few things on dehydrators.

When buying a dehydrator, you want to think about one main thing:

How am I going to use this?

Is it going to be for a few things here and there? Are you buying it to just have some fun? Or are you serious about storing the food that you are growing or buying?

These questions really help narrow down what kind of budget you may need for a dehydrator. And something I did not ask myself when we bought ours. A dehydrator just seemed like a fun thing to have but now it would be nice to have a different one that could support large batches of drying. Like this one.

Don’t get me wrong, I love this little dehydrator and it has worked beautifully for me, I just wish it was shaped rectangular rather than circular.

How to dehydrate broccoli leaves.

With our dehydrated broccoli leaves, we’ve embarked on an adventure to create a versatile powder that can be added to smoothies, soups, or used as a unique supplement. But wait, there’s more! You can also transform these magical leaves into delightful broccoli chips simply by adding your favorite seasoning. The possibilities are endless, my friend!

Here’s how we did it in the easiest way possible:

1. Carefully select the best leaves and give them a gentle soak to remove any unwanted guests or dirt. Handle them with care to preserve their natural goodness.
2. Lay the leaves on a paper towel to soak up excess moisture, a crucial step for efficient dehydration.
3. Lay the leaves on a cutting board, back side up, and skillfully remove the stems for a finer powder or crispier chips.
4. Arrange the prepared leaves on the dehydrator racks, allowing them to mingle as they dry. Set the heat to 110-115 degrees and watch as magic happens. The leaves are perfectly done when they break with ease. If they still have a bit of flexibility, let them bask for a while longer.
5. Depending on the quantity, the drying process may take 8-10 hours or even a leisurely 3 days for a larger batch.
6. Finally, toss the beautifully dried leaves into a high-power blender or food processor and blend to your heart’s content until you achieve the desired powdery softness. It’s like creating culinary stardust!

How to use this new super food powder?

• Throw a teaspoon in a smoothie. Great for hiding much needed nutrients in your kids smoothie.
• You can make supplements out of it by using your own capsule filling machine
• Put a teaspoon in 4 oz of water and chug away.
• Throw some in a soup or stew.

Well my homie, you did it. I bet you never thought you’d be researching how to dehydrate broccoli leaves but you did, you found it, and you dehydrated it.

I am so proud of you. And if you want to learn how to harvest and store potatoes successfully, head on over here!

Until next time….