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| Drying. Fewer burns than canning. |
Dehydrators are not available in stores. Now they have juicers and food savers. (Does anybody else get creeped out by hunks of red meat vacuum-sealed in plastic? I'm the only one? That's fine. Just asking.)
But garlic chicken with sun-dried tomatoes over pasta is on my winter list. My Sunday Winter list. With a dehydrator, I can make lemon grass tea! Hot pepper flakes! Christmas gifts! I will save money! I must have a dehydrator.
The link to buy one is in the right column. That is where I got mine. You can order them online or special order them, but don't expect to, "just go out and buy one."
The tomatoes have been staring longingly at the link. They are practising their, "What's a nice dehydrator like you doing in a place like this?"
I ordered extra...
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| I could dry basil! |
dehydrator.
A few years ago stores had quit selling canning supplies like jars and lids. My grandmother and I went to St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store to buy them. She canned tomatoes. Hats off to all those hard-working pioneers who had to can things. Nothing makes me appreciate my car like driving to the store and getting a can of tomatoes. The kind somebody else burnt their fingers to stuff. All for $1. I'm not going to can tomatoes. I will need a dehydrator.
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| I can make hot pepper flakes! |
It's still too hot to heat up the house drying things in the oven and those tomatoes aren't going to dry themselves!
I'll offer a hearty "Harrumph!" of approval for the dehydrator. We use ours a ton. As onions, carrots, and celery are ready, they get dehydrated and used in winter/spring as a base for soups/stews or easy additions to chili or other dishes. We're also guilty of over-planting (or letting volunteers run rampant) cherry tomatoes. These are easily sliced in half, dried and spice up everything from pastas, risottos, soups, chili, etc. The flavor of dried cherry tomatoes is unmatched and can take the edge off a long, veggie free winter.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad to hear you say that (or see you type that?) I am SO guilty of over planting and letting volunteers live. The food pantry people send me Christmas cards. A lot of produce that could have been dehydrated ended up being composted. Not any more!
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