[Nfb-krafters-korner] {Disarmed} dehydrating listmightbeinteresting to some

[Pretty Crafty Kitty]

Guess sealed jars would help keep bugs out. We found that we were keeping our bird seed in the house and it was causing
those pesky bugs to get into everything. We keep most o fit outside now.

Someone said something about putting some fresh holy basil leaves in the cabinet and letting them dry in there and that
would keep them out. I haven't tried that yet.

We have them on the table so David can watch for moisture more easily. In a month or so we will move them to the cabinet
in the basement where we have our canned foods. Or at least this is what I thought. 

I have dried some zucchini. It is actually sweet afterwards and seems when fresh and crisp to have less of a zucchini
taste. I salted some and not some and I think the salted ones taste better as a snack. We have them in a container on
the counter and we have slowly been eating them. I guess it is time to make more since I have plenty. Plus David bought
some cherries yesterday so I'll dry a cookie sheet or two more of those. Enough to fill the jar I started. 

I have never thought about drying greens. What about kale and chard? I may have to do some of that too.

Anne

-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Henrietta
Brewer
Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2011 2:18 PM
To: List for blind crafters and artists
Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] {Disarmed} dehydrating listmightbeinteresting to some

I put my dehydrated things in the freezer so I don't worry so much about bugs and mold. Last year I got an awful case of
pantry moths here. Not sure exactly why but pretty sure all the dehydrating and preserving I did had something to do
with it. Of course, you can pick those guys up at the grocery store too. I don't have anyone  I can count on to see
problems. 

Sealing the jars with a sealer is a very good idea. Keeping the items in the dark might be helpful.

Join the list, go into their files and ask questions. That is how Carol and I got started.

I slice my fruit a bit thicker. Of course, I do have a machine. The best temps to keep vitamins and minerals at the best
levels is under a hundred and fifteen for fruits and veggies. Meats can be higher.

As I mentioned on Monday, I like to take greens, any kind, lettuce, cabbage, beet greens, radish tops and anything else
eatable and dry them and powder them and use the powder in soups, stews, and even barbacue beef or sloppy jo's.  Adds
lots of healthy eating and no one knows. I also do the same with all of those zuccini my friend gives me. lol 


Henrietta
On Aug 31, 2011, at 11:49 AM, Pretty Crafty Kitty wrote:

> Henrietta,
> I would appreciate any help you can send. I'm just getting started with drying food and I'm not really sure enough of
> what I'm doing. I really wish I could have been there Monday night but we had to finish reworking our fence around our
> bees to keep out bears this fall. With the lack of very much fruit and nuts they are more likely to go after other
> things like bees. We would like to keep ours so we rewired the fence and got a fence charger that actually works more
> than a tingle on the arm like the last one was doing.
> 
> I noticed the e-mails you sent and I'm thinking I should be on that list. I really am not sure of what I'm doing and
I'm
> using the oven because that is what I have. So far what I have dried seems okay. I'm not sure how long it will last.
> I've dried tomatoes and put them in a Ziploc bag and they are on the counter and have been for about a month. So far
> they are okay. This week I'm drying pears. I cut them 1/4 inch thick and they dry down to a thin piece. When I can get
a
> bunch more I'm thinking of peeling them and just cutting them in half and taking a couple of days and drying them this
> way.
> 
> I've dried some apples and sweet cherries, wish they had been tart, and they all came out okay. I've got these in jars
> and we are using a pump to draw out the air to seal it tight. We have them on the table so David can watch for
moisture.
> 
> At some point I will need to figure out how to use them, besides eating them straight.
> 
> I know about dried apple pies and cakes, I've made a pie out of some I bought and it was good. Just don't know what
> else.
> 
> I see suggestions of putting them in the freezer but if they are dry then do they really need to be?
> 
> Anne
> 
> 
> 
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