I spent the weekend drying vegetables from the garden. They are my first addition to the pantry stock for winter use. Thanks to Doug's mom and the dehydrator she gave us, I was able to dry four pints of zucchini and squash, and one pint of peppers.Don't they look so pretty in the jars? That's THREE zucchini in there!
There are lots of different ways to dry your vegetables and fruits. Some suggest blanching, adding citric acid, drying in the sun as opposed to dehydrators or ovens, etc... Some of the best information I have found has come from my new bible, The Encyclopedia of Country Living.
It contains lots of good practical advice and information as well as recipes and anecdotal stories (not to mention that it's a steal on amazon.com for 20 bucks!)
The vegetable chips turned out really well and I can see us eating them as snacks, but their intended use will be for soups and stews during winter time.
It contains lots of good practical advice and information as well as recipes and anecdotal stories (not to mention that it's a steal on amazon.com for 20 bucks!)
The vegetable chips turned out really well and I can see us eating them as snacks, but their intended use will be for soups and stews during winter time.
That is an AWESOME book!!! As for hands on "simpler living", it is a top-notch resource.
ReplyDeleteI used my dehydrator a lot last fall and will use it even more this year! I prefered my dried pears and plums to anything I did with them and heat. I am going to try dehydrated summer squash this year but can't really imagine what to do with them.....
ReplyDelete