Drying of vegetables as a means of improving storability
has been practiced for may centuries. Compared
to fresh vegetables which can only keep for a few days
under ambient conditions, dry products can be stored
for months or even years without appreciable loss of
nutrients. Drying vegetables also reduces the bulk
weight thus facilitating ease of transportation. In some
cases drying may lead to a considerable reduction in volume
and hence reduction in storage space requirements.
Also, vegetable yields usually shoot up following the
rain season thus forcing prices to dramatically fall. Drying
kale at this time of plenty will help to reduce price
fluctuations while increasing incomes for the producers.
Fresh produce losses that can at times be as high as 70%
can also be avoided