I used to buy marked down veggies in the produce department
because that was all I could afford. But the problem was, often a head of
celery or a bag of onions would spoil before I could use it all.
I hadn't done any dehydrating for a number of years after
Joe died, but then one day I decided to pull mine out again. This time, there
were 8 heads of celery and two bags of onions marked down, plus one container
of marked down tomatoes. I dehydrated every lick of it.
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| American Harvester (Nesco) dehydrator with 12 racks |
It was about that time I had been introduced to survivalism
by a friend on line who had directed me to http://www.stevequayle.com/
Steve had been talking about the coming economic
collapse a good four years ago. Things he warned about are now happening.
My biggest concern had been trying to deal with living $400
per month below the national poverty level (only income a disability check).
How could I possibly stock up when I could barely put food on the table, pay
for my medication and have anything left over for rent, etc?
But dehydrating
became the answer for me. I realized it wasn't just a nice, novel, and fun
thing to do like it had been when Joe was alive, but it truly was a viable
option for someone on a fixed income.
I became quite famous at the grocery store. It didn't matter
what it was, if any sort of produce was marked down, I bought every bit of it,
brought it home and processed it! After a number of months I finally began to
build up enough stores to have balanced, rounded out meals.
More information will be put on posts
so you can search the key words to
find what you need to know.
Keywords to use:
- dehydrating
- economics
- freezing
- canning
This is truly a wonderful and informative site! I am so glad God led you to share this information and me to find it. It has most recently been impressed upon me that, like Joseph whom God gave a plan to store up in the plenteous times for the coming famine, I need to be aware of the signs of impending changes that will alter how we live, thrive, and survive. I know God is sufficient to supply all our needs but He still expects us to do our part. However, like you, I had been trying to figure out how I could do this with seemingly limited funds (primarily due to debt which I'm working to eradicate that too), storage space,and knowledge. However, God always has a ram in the bush and makes a way out of no way. After repenting for my slothfulness and praying for direction He is opening doors and providing resources that point me in the way He would have me to go to do what needs to done. May He bless you tremendously for the blessing you have been in freely sharing your story and this very helpful information with those of us who have been sluggish, apathetic, and dense as an ostrich with its head in the sand. Even though we are just now awakening to the urgency of God's direction and timing, He is still gracious in forgiving and giving us opportunities and resources like your site to help us catch up so that we, too, can be a blessing! May His peace, provision and mercy follow and surround you always (1 Corinthians 1:4-9).
ReplyDeleteThank you for this site. I have been looking all over the web for something on dehydrating and telling me how to use my dehydrator that I received for Christmas...well now I can use it thanks to you!
ReplyDeleteHi Evelyn,
DeleteThanks so much for writing. I'm delighted you got a dehydrator for Christmas.
I created this site for that very purpose. When I bought my first dehydrator over 15 years ago, all I had was a little four-fold pamphlet.
Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
hello dont know if this blog is still active but: Im homeless living in a kitchen for the momento and just learned about your pasta thing - been looking for a roman alternative for some time. how do i dehydrate in a oven? thebrizzell@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing.. Yes, the blog is still active, I just don't have access to the internet at home, so have to go somewhere and use WIFI.
DeletePeople have dehydrated food in an over for many years. Yu need to keep two things in mind.
First, can you keep the temperature low? 140 degrees for meats and 115 for most fruits and veggies. If your temp is too high, the surface of the food can dry too quickly, preventing moisture on the inside to escape. That is called Case Hardening and can cause you food to mold.
Next, when you dehydrate with the oven, you need to keep the door cracked to allow moisture to escape.
You didn't mention where you are located. If you're in an arid climate, you don't need any special equipment to dehydrate fruits and veggies. Just meats need 140 degrees. You can simply lay your foods out on a rack and let them air dry.
See my post on a makeshift dehydrator...
http://dehydratingwaybeyondjerky.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-makeshift-dehydrator.html