← Drying H51-02 · Module 2 of 7 · Pages: 18 · Worksheets: 5

Sun and shade drying

When the sun really dries, where to set the trays, the daily routine from dew to dew, stringing, protection from insects and birds, and the pasteurising you must do at the end

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Sun and shade drying

In short

  • The sun dries when it is 30 °C (86 °F) or more, air humidity is below 60 % and you have 3–5 clear days ahead.
  • Trays are raised off the ground and covered with muslin; every evening they are brought in before the dew.
  • Herbs, pepper garlands and mushrooms on strings dry in the shade: where there is a draught, but no sun or rain.
  • Everything dried outdoors finally goes 48 hours in the freezer or 30 minutes in the oven at 70 °C (160 °F).
  • In lowland UK and Ireland the sun is good only for thin pieces on the hottest, driest days of July and August; plums and apples in autumn need a dryer.

What's inside

Chapters

  1. When the sun dries and when it dampens
  2. A spot for sun drying
  3. The daily routine in the sun
  4. What dries in the sun
  5. Drying in the shade
  6. Stringing and bunches
  7. Protection from insects, birds and mice
  8. Finishing: drying off and pasteurising
  9. Common mistakes
  10. Printable checklist

Worksheets

  • Sun and shade calendar
  • Tray and string calculator
  • Weekly routine card
  • Weather and drying diary
  • Date calculator and site sketch

Fields and checkboxes can be filled in with Adobe Acrobat Reader (desktop and mobile), and the calculator adds up by itself. Filling in may not work in some browsers. A print version comes with the screen PDF.

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