Dehydrated Strawberries

1. Wash berries well. Use a salad spinner to remove a lot of the water. Pat dry with paper towel.
2. Remove hull. Use a hull remover or a sharp paring knife. With a knife, come in on one side of the hull, slice down and then angle the knife back up on the other side of the hull to slice a "v". This will remove the hull (the green stem and leaves) and preserve as much of the flesh as possible.
3. Slice strawberries, either crosswise or lengthwise into ¼ inch slices.
4. Arrange them in a single layer on racks of your dehydrator. To use your oven, arrange the slices on cooling racks placed over a sheet of parchment paper covered on a rimmed baking sheet.
5. Slide the racks into the dehydrator. If using oven, heat to lowest heat setting, usually 155-175°F/ 90°C.
6. For dehydrator, set temperature at 135°F / 60°C. Set time at 5 hours. Start machine. Flip slices every hour or so to prevent sticking.
7. For oven, set timer to 2 hours. Prop door open with a heat resistant spatula or wooden spoon. The oven gets much hotter than a dehydrator so keep a close eye that they don't burn. Flip slices after an hour or so to prevent sticking.

Conditioning

1. This is an important step for food safety, so don't skip!
2. Once fully dry, and cooled, place berries in a glass or plastic jar. Place the jar in a dark area. Daily, for 7-10 days, shake the jar to break them apart. If you see any signs of moisture on the jar, dehydrate them again.
3. Once fully dry, condition them again.
4. See notes for storage tips.