Pre-treating
The best way to pretreat (remember you want to be sure to kill any contaminants) vegetables before dehydrating is to steam blanch them. You can blanch them in boiling water, if you like, but that only adds moisture, increasing drying time, and increasing the possibility that they will mold.
To Steam Blanche: Pick fresh, tender young peas, and shell them as soon as they are picked. Fill a pot half full of water and bring it to a boil. Suspend a metal colander or steamer pan over the water, being certain that the vegetables will not actually get submerged in the water. Place a single layer of the freshly shelled peas in the colander or steamer pan, and cover with a lid. Steam blanch for 2-3 minutes. The peas will feel heated through, but not cooked enough to become soft. Remove the peas from the pan, cool them immediately in cold water to stop the cooking, and spread them on a towel and pat dry.
To Dehydrate: Spread in a single layer on dehydrator trays and dry at a temperature of 120-130 degrees for 12-18 hours, or until they are wrinkled and very hard. During the drying time, I usually stir the peas every few hours and rotate the trays at least once. Peas and beans, when well dried, will break or shatter when tapped with a hammer.
To Oven Dry: Spread the peas in a single layer on a shallow sheet pan. Dry in a 120 degree oven for 12 to 24 hours. If your oven won't set that low, leave the door cracked. Drying takes longer this way, as you will have them on pans with solid surfaces, and they won't have the benefit of forced air as they would in a dehydrator. Stir them often, rotate the pans, and check to see if they are dry as described above.
To Sun Dry: Spread the peas in a single layer on trays covered with screening or
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