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  • From: <eureka AT hctc.net>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Dehydrated veggies and fruit
  • Date: Fri, 30 May 2008 15:19:06 -0500

What a great idea Bev!!! Never thought about using a vehicle but you are so right, you could cook a meal inside one in the Texas summer. We just bought a dark-colored Nissan beater truck (formerly of Montana where dark-colored vehicles make more sense) for the farm so it would be perfect. Unfortunately my Honda Pilot is prone to mouse invasion--go figure. I am a great Honda fan, love the mpg, but for all the bucks the designers can't figure out how to keep rodents out and the dealership actually suggested I keep rat poison under the hood!

They once replaced an entire blower motor because I proved it was stuffed with shreads of upholstery from the car sitting next to mine while it was in their care for deer crunch body work...blower was working when it went into the shop. Then, I left a bag of birdseed overnight and the next day every orafice (door handles, vents, etc.) were stuffed full of it. Every time I turned on the air conditioner it rained birdseed onto us. So I don't think I could use this vehicle.

Maybe we have less humidity, but I've had great luck with zuchinni chips--I cut them as thin as possible and coat with tamari so they are snacks when finished. I love dried cantaloupe. You can make a great spinach soup for the trail with dehydrated spinach mixed with parmesan and some herbs.

When the tomatoes come in, I'll try some in the truck and give a report!

--Sage



On Fri, 30 May 2008 13:56:16 -0400
EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net> wrote:
I'm also a big fan of drying. I have two cheapie dehydrators that are commonly found at WallyWorld, and of course, I have drying screens and also use the oven. I love making jerky-it's my candy. I make almost all of my own dried herbs and spices. I keep a quart mason jar of dried onions that I sprinkle into sauces, meatloafs, etc. I also have a similar jar of garlic and celery powder that I use for seasoning. I grow my own basil, oregano, thyme, etc., so it is easy. My hint is that sometimes the size and shape of the fruit/veggie affects the outcome. I had poor luck drying zuke chips-they just did not taste right when rehydrated-but good luck drying grated zucchini. I dry my onions in rings, then crush into smaller pieces. Chunks are harder to powder for me, for some reason. I love drying stuff. There's no better fruity snack than dried apples or pears with a bit of cinnamon. (Well, there probably is, of course!<g>)

To thwart ants, Sage, try drying things in your truck/car. Use window screens or make something similar and simply place it in the truck with some towels or something underneath on the seats. That hot Texas sun will do its job and you shouldn't have to deal with too many ants. Of course, the temps in a vehicle often hit 140 in the sun. Perhaps you could start it there to eliminate the bulk of the water, then finish it somewhere else, like in your oven where you can better control the temps.

Bev

eureka AT hctc.net wrote:
We dehydrate peppers and a lot of other veggies if we can't eat them fast enough. They all make great soup, stew, and casserole additions later. I figure it costs less energy to dehydrate something and keep in on the shelf than in the freezer. We don't have much freezer space anyway, and I don't like the taste of freezer burn. I use a Harvest Maid dehydrator I bought over two decades ago (still works fine). My few attempts at sun dried anything has mostly attracted ants. According to raw food books if you dehydrate something at or below 115 degrees you do not destroy the enzymes. That's what I keep the thermostat set at on it.

I got into dehydrating food because of the lack of vegetarian choices in available backpacking meals. Once I dehydrated an entire watermelon (this took a long, long time) and the contents could fit in half a sandwich bag. It was the best "candy" ever tasted! Broccoli is truly amazing, it rehydrates in a little boiling water to almost its original form. I remember backpacking and eating broccoli with hollandaise sauce (and other wonderful food I'd dehydrated) when others were eating macaroni and cheese. Could have sold my meals for a fortune up on the Continental Divide! The Sierra Club has a great cookbook called Simple Foods for the Pack which is great for ideas of what to do with dehydrated veggies.

We avoid WalMart most of the time, but ocassionally it is unavoidable. It's amazing you can get a soldering iron, veggie burger, and evening bra in one place. Too bad their ethics are so deplorable.

--Sage
Way Out in Texas

On Fri, 30 May 2008 10:11:21 -0400
"Lisa K.V. Perry" <lisakvperry AT gmail.com> wrote:
On Fri, May 30, 2008 at 7:58 AM, Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com> wrote:

On May 29, 2008, at 8:06 PM, Clansgian AT wmconnect.com wrote:

So I ain't buyin' the 30% blather.
Nor I.

I haven't set foot in a WalMart in close to two years, and even then it was
only one or two times per year. I was never a WalMart grocery shopper, so I
haven't checked out their prices recently.

Well, I can report that inferior coffee at WalMart costs substantially more
than superior coffee at Trader Joe's in Phoenix, which is not a place
where poor families go to buy their groceries.

Based on this, I will happily continue living my life without visits to
WalMart.

And after viewing the fresh veggie prices I bought not a single thing.
Has anyone ever seen higher prices for bell peppers? Grow, garden!

For the first time since we've lived here (8 years) the deer got into my
older fenced garden, I lost 3 bell pepper plants a couple days ago. We
repaired or shored up weaker areas of the fence to keep them out until we
can put up a new fence. Hope that does the trick.

Since it's not too late, I'll get another 4-pack and replant those lost
pepper plants. I'll bet peppers are easy to dehydrate. I usually diced and
froze them to put into soups and stews.

Lisa
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--
BevanRon of EarthNSky Farm NW Georgia USDA Zone 7
34.498N 85.076W Bev is Earth, Ron is Sky

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