Dried produce

[SandraMort]

Summer produce doesn't start becoming available around here until mid June and isn't available after October, so much of the year we rely on frozen, canned or imported produce.  How does freeze dried and conventionally dried produce compare nutritionally?

[cristeen]

I believe dried and frozen are your best options. With dried you have to watch out for additives though. Home canned is a better option than commercially canned, IMO. But i have no idea where freezedried falls.

For me, imported is relegated to those few fruits that just dont grow here, like pineapple or mango.

[JMJ]

Freeze dried is comparable to fresh.  Frozen is good as well.  Conventionally dried preserves many of the nutrients, but a lot of the Vitamin C is lost.  You lose a lot of nutrients with canned.  If you're going to do imported, pay attention to where.  In Utah, I can't get a lot of produce locally in the winter, but I can get it from California (just 2 states over), and when I can't get it from CA, I get it from Mexico.  The produce from Chile and Portugal, I leave on the shelf.