Salting and Brining

  One of the most common ways to preserve food is by removing it's water content. Salt does an excellent job of just that.



  Basically, if you take a jar or ceramic jug or other container, fill it about halfway with salt, put the sort-of-dryish food you're trying to preserve in, shake the heck out of it, and then fill it the rest of the way with salt, that food is going to dry out a bit. Obviously, moister things need more salt and less food, while dry goods can have a fair bit of food to the salt.

  The salt will also take on the flavor of what was dried and stored in it, which is how 'onion salt' and 'garlic salt' became a thing.



Brining

  If one brings water to a boil, and adds salt until no more salt will dissolve, one has saturated brine.

  If one dips something in this, lets it dry out, dips it again, over and over, salt crystals will grow inside and out. This tends to have a drying and preservative effect, though the resulting food is very, very salty.

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