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Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/Image Point

Tomatoes that have been dried in a vegetable dehydrator have the same sweet, rich flavor as their traditional, sun-dried counterparts.

While the primary purpose of growing vegetables is to eat them soon after they’re picked fresh from the garden, many of us like to extend their flavors throughout the year by storing and preserving any excess.

Some garden vegetables, like corn, peas and radishes, begin losing taste and texture from the moment they’re picked. There’s no substitute for eating them fresh. (Although drying peas maintains flavor.) Many others, including root and tuber vegetables, winter squash, pumpkins and cabbage or cucumbers, can be preserved in brine or pickled. Other popular means of storing and preserving vegetables are dehydration and drying. Finally, you can pressure-can some produce in glass jars; make jellies, jams and chutneys; or, with some preparation, blanch, pack and freeze it.

Storing fresh vegetables requires sorting them into groups, depending on the conditions they need. Choose a dark, warm, dry spot for gourds, potatoes, pumpkins and squash – at about 55-65 degrees F. Cool and dry is the best choice for sun-dried vegetables, including peas, beans, peppers and tomatoes, as well as for dried and dehydrated chives, garlic, leeks and onions – keep the temperature between 40-50 degrees F.

Your refrigerator’s vegetable keeper is the best spot for produce that needs cool and moist storage, including green beans, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants, melons, okra and summer squash. Finally, store asparagus, beets, broccoli, cabbage, celery, lettuce, rhubarb, green onions, leeks, fresh peas and radishes in moist conditions, at temperatures from 34-38 degrees, as in a porous paper bag placed in the lower compartments of a home refrigerator.