Shopping Coup

We went to the annual Buffalo BBQ at the city park today. After we were done, we stopped by the grocery store.  I rarely go in there because it’s the only one in town and there is no competition.

But timing is everything.  The greengrocer had just put out a whole bunch of marked down produce. So, I loaded up with everything we could use.  I headed towards the checkout counter with a little trepidation. 

What a beautiful sight!

Mike had gone for cat food and pop.  He was already checking out by the time I got there. In the not-too-distant past, he would have made me put all but one bag of each back, but this time he didn’t bat an eye about it. the man behind me eyed my produce and asked if I was having a big chili-fest.  “No,” I smiled. “This is all going into the dehydrator.”

Slick Bell Pepper Trick

Cut off both ends

I was watching a kid’s cooking show on PBS recently and saw a really neat way to cut up bell peppers. Start by cutting off both ends.

Dehydrating Peppers

Ok, it depends on what kind of peppers you are talking about. 

With bell peppers, the first thing I do after washing is cut the stems off, split them open and remove the seeds. Be sure to remove the white cell dividers, as they can cause a bitter taste.

Easiest of the Easy

For you newbies to dehydrating, here is a list of the easiest things to dehydrate. All you have to do is wash, slice, toss onto the racks and go. By morning, Voila! Perfection.

Apple Slices

A few starter tips:

• Even slices mean even drying. Try to cut ...your slices thin and even.
• Use a mandolin slicer if you have one. Makes the job a lot easier.
• If you wash your veggies first, you might want to use your salad spinner get rid of excess moisture.
• Fruits with high sugar content - spray your fruit leather trays first to keep from sticking.
• Drippy things or things that will fall through the slots when dried because of shrinkage - put a fruit leather tray or cut piece of wax paper on the bottom rack. 
• The foods listed below do not need cooking, blanching, or treating before dehydrating.   

Easiest of the Easy

For you newbies to dehydrating, here is a list of the easiest things to dehydrate. All you have to do is wash, slice, toss onto the racks and go. By morning, Voila! Perfection.

Apple Slices

A few starter tips:

• Even slices mean even drying. Try to cut ...your slices thin and even.
• Use a mandolin slicer if you have one. Makes the job a lot easier.
• If you wash your veggies first, you might want to use your salad spinner get rid of excess moisture.
• Fruits with high sugar content - spray your fruit leather trays first to keep from sticking.
• Drippy things or things that will fall through the slots when dried because of shrinkage - put a fruit leather tray or cut piece of wax paper on the bottom rack. 
• The foods listed below do not need cooking, blanching, or treating before dehydrating.   

Slice And Go:

• Celery
• Onions - NOT Vidalias, the high sugar content will caramelize... they become rubbery but so impart the good flavor; I just didn't like the "chewiness" in my soups
• Bell peppers
• Cucumbers
• Zucchini
• Apples / pears - peel and core first
• Garlic
• herbs
• Greens - turnips, collards, spinach, beet, kale - wash & stem, salad spin, spread out whole on racks. Takes a bit of room, but well worth the effort
• Cabbage, definitely cabbage! Chopped, diced, shredded. Cabbage can be cooked first. Just make sure you don’t use any fats or oils in the cooking.