WAYS TO KEEP DEHYDRATED POWDERS DRY AKA NOT CLUMPING

WAYS TO KEEP DEHYDRATED POWDERS DRY AKA NOT CLUMPING

At The Herbal Connection we avoid wherever we can having anything but the ingredient listed.  We do not using caking agents.

Never store your dehydrated products in only zip-top bags. While helpful for short-term food storage, plastic storage bags for food are not air-tight. Air can permeate the plastic over time, allowing your produce to being to reabsorb moisture and for oxygen to break down your produce.

You can store smaller portions in zip-top bags and then store all of those in a larger airtight container. It's how we store much of our long-term storage powders because we don't want to take the chance of dropping a jar and losing the whole batch. Having them in smaller bags helps keep them safe, and adds an extra layer of protection.

Airtight containers could be one of the following:

• Glass jars with tight-fitting lids - these can be canning jars, commercial food jars you recycle, etc.
• Kilner jars - glass jars with clamping lids and rubber seals
• Mylar bags
• Vacuum seal bags
• Plastic containers  that do not allow air to move in or out of the seal (one good test is to use both hands to squeeze the container. If you can hear or feel air movement in the lid or closure, it is not airtight.

One caveat about using glass jars or other light admitting storage containers is that light also breaks down your dehydrated products, decreasing their shelf life. It's important to store your dehydrated products in a cool, dry, dark location when possible.

This is even more important with powders as more of the surface area of the dehydrated food is now exposed, so oxidation, moisture, light, and other factors play into your food degrading more quickly.