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Farm Kitchen:  Dehyrating Peppers!  |
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1930sgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
233 Posts
Joyce
Alberta
Canada
233 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 01 2009 : 6:16:25 PM
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I'm trying my new Excalibur dehydrator for the first time!
I'm starting small with about 6 red peppers. I can't believe how tiny the pieces are getting! It looks like I will be able to store about 50 peppers in one jar.
Do you dehydrate food? What are your favorite things to dry? I've been thinking about drying celery and carrots next.
Joyce |
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Singing Tree Farm
True Blue Farmgirl
196 Posts
Cari
Chase
Michigan
USA
196 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2009 : 6:44:35 PM
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Peaches and fruit leathers
Psalm 121:1-2 "I lift my eyes up, unto the mountains, where does my help come from? My help comes from You, Maker of heaven, Creator of the earth." |
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lovelady
True Blue Farmgirl
533 Posts
Toni
Indiana
USA
533 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2009 : 6:57:56 PM
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| I just got a dehydrator this spring and so far I have dried strawberries, zucchini, canteloupe, peppers, bananas, cherry tomatoes, and some herbs. I agree about the peppers. I cut mine into slices that were probably 3/4 of an inch wide and they shriveled up to almost nothing! I think that I have a tendency to not dry things as much as they should be, because I am afraid I am going to ruin them or something, so I always put them in the freezer, too, if there are any left. I would really like to try making some fruit leather soon. |
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mom2my2boyz
True Blue Farmgirl
56 Posts
Sarah
MN
USA
56 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2009 : 7:18:53 PM
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I have a solar food dryer -which my hubby built for me this Spring and have had great success drying herbs for teas, parsley and carrots - my peppers and tomatoes will be ready to be picked out of the garden in the next week or so and then I'll try drying some of them. In the meantime, I will say I have had NO luck in drying green beans. The first time I did not blanch them - just washed and snapped them - and I think I over-dried them because they kind of bleached out and looked a little too "done". The second batch, I blanched and put in the dryer - just today I did this - and they look not-so-great. They lost a lot of color and just don't look appetizing. So in my very-new-to-drying opinion, I say stay away from drying green beans! Maybe someone else here has had better luck with green beans?? I'm excited to dry some peppers! How do you girls use your dried peppers and such?? I'm new to using dried foods, so any ideas/input would be much appreciated. :o)
"So I threw my hands in the air. I was done with Wal-Mart and Wonderbread. I wanted something real."
-Excerpted from Jenna Woginrich's book, "Made from Scratch" a must-read! |
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lisamarie508
True Blue Farmgirl
2648 Posts
Lisa
Idaho City
ID
USA
2648 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2009 : 10:51:07 PM
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Sarah, you can use your dried peppers the same as fresh...only you don't want to throw in a handful of dried if you throw in a handful of fresh as it would amount to quite a bit more when they plumb back up again! In your spaghetti sauce, hamburgers, soups, whatever!
I dry EVERYTHING. Except green beans. Never thought to try them, I always froze those. To save produce that has been around a while, I've dried grapes, peaches, plums, lemon and orange zest, apples, tomatoes, peppers, bananas, cherries, zucchini, celery (which also shrivels up to nothing), onions, etc. I won't dry different aromatic things in the same machine at the same time, though. I've always worried that I'd end up making my apples taste like onions if I did.
Farmgirl Sister #35
"If you can not do great things, do small things in a great way." Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
my blog:
http://lisamariesbasketry.blogspot.com/
My apron website:
http://lisamariesaprons.bravehost.com |
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lovelady
True Blue Farmgirl
533 Posts
Toni
Indiana
USA
533 Posts |
Posted - Aug 02 2009 : 04:27:09 AM
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I have also heard that you don't want to dehydrate hot peppers in your house, that it kinda gives a pepper-spray effect if you are around the machine. So it is best to do it out on your deck or garage or somewhere that is well-ventilated.
I have a couple sweet potatoes that should probably be used up so I am going to try to make some "chips" this week. |
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Ms.Lilly
True Blue Farmgirl
826 Posts
Lillian
Scotts Mills
OR
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - Aug 02 2009 : 06:18:33 AM
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I dehydrate what ever I can get my hands on!
Blueberries, apples, pears, pineapple, cherries, bananas, plums, peppers, cherry tomatos, zucchini, cabbage, kohlrabi, kohlrabi leaves, broccoli leaves, asparagas, potatos, onions, hot peppers, celery, peas, green beans, carrots, mushrooms, turnips, I am sure there is more that is hanging out in my pantry that I have forgotten to mention.
I have had great success with my green beans, just give them a quick blanching and dehydrate. Yes they lose a little color, but they just go into soups for the winter anyway.
Also I would like to mention if you dehydrate hot peppers and then grind them into a powder it is an excellente addition to your spice rack!
Lillian |
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1930sgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
233 Posts
Joyce
Alberta
Canada
233 Posts |
Posted - Aug 02 2009 : 08:19:38 AM
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Wow! You girls dehydrate just about everything!
Do you have any favorite books on the subject? I'm never quite sure what foods should be blanched before drying. How small and what shape to cut things. Do flavors transfer if you dry two different foods at the same time? My dehydrator has 9 trays, so I could easily dry more than one item, if they don't transfer flavors to each other.
Thanks for your help, girls!
Joyce |
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Lessie Louise
True Blue Farmgirl
1406 Posts
Carol
PECULIAR
MO
USA
1406 Posts |
Posted - Aug 02 2009 : 08:39:05 AM
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I've been drying everthing for years, and one of our favorite snacks is taking red bell peppers, cutting them longways and drying the strips. They are great to snack on. I recently started drying the yellow cherry size tomatoes-yummy! FOOD DRYING with ADDITUDE is a good book, they have some cracker recipies that are awesome!
how sweet it is to love some one, how right itis to care |
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lovelady
True Blue Farmgirl
533 Posts
Toni
Indiana
USA
533 Posts |
Posted - Aug 02 2009 : 11:23:09 AM
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| Lillian~ About your kohlrabi and broccoli leaves, do you just throw them into soups or what do you use them for? I have some out in the garden and it never occurred to me to use the leaves, too. Thanks for the ideas! |
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lisamarie508
True Blue Farmgirl
2648 Posts
Lisa
Idaho City
ID
USA
2648 Posts |
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Ms.Lilly
True Blue Farmgirl
826 Posts
Lillian
Scotts Mills
OR
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - Aug 03 2009 : 06:40:32 AM
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After dehydrating the Kohlrabi leaves, I broke them into medium size pieces. They will be used to put into soups......The broccoli leaves (which is the most nutritious part of the plant) after dried are crushed and placed into the food processor and powdered. I will use this to make cream of broccoli soup. You can also leave them in pieces and add to soup just like the kohlrabi leaves.
I do have a favorite book- Making and Using Dried Foods by Phyllis Hobson. It pretty much covers every way of drying and then tells you how to re-hydrate the food. Also she gives you a few recipes for each of the foods. I also have Food drying with an Attitude. It is a good book, but Making & Using Dried foods is my go to book for any questions.
Lillian |
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Rivergirl_2007
True Blue Farmgirl
332 Posts
Shirley
Karnak
IL
USA
332 Posts |
Posted - Aug 04 2009 : 2:11:32 PM
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I have dried all kinds of vegetables and fruits, as well as making jerkies. There are a lot of good books on dehydration and I am sure there are websites for it. I used to go to a farmers market that would have a weekly sale on a vegetable - say onions or carrots or celery for 10 cents a pound - and buy 25-50 pounds and dehydrate it. Then when I had enough variety, I made my instant soup mixes - great gifts. Now I dry what I have left from canning or freezing. Dehydrated foods have just had the water removed and can be restored by soaking the food in a liquid.
Lisa - dried green beans are sometimes called leather britches. Give them a try. |
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1930sgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
233 Posts
Joyce
Alberta
Canada
233 Posts |
Posted - Aug 04 2009 : 3:00:47 PM
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Thank you all for all the helpful tips and book suggestions!
I am so inspired! My red peppers turned out wonderfully. So colorful and satisfying in the jar.
I'm definitely going to try lots of other things,
Joyce |
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Singing Tree Farm
True Blue Farmgirl
196 Posts
Cari
Chase
Michigan
USA
196 Posts |
Posted - Aug 04 2009 : 6:37:14 PM
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Sliced apples mixed until coated with jello and dried are just like candy, jello can also be sprinkled on top of a fruit sauce (such as apple), or a fruit leather that is yogurt mixed with the sauce. These are very good for treats.
All of creation sings Your praise! |
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1930sgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
233 Posts
Joyce
Alberta
Canada
233 Posts |
Posted - Aug 05 2009 : 08:36:54 AM
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Sounds yummy, Cari!
Thank you,
Joyce |
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CathyM
True Blue Farmgirl
344 Posts
Cathy
Tulsa
OK
USA
344 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2009 : 1:40:57 PM
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I have dehydrated bananas, mangos, tomatoes, just recently but my dehydrator is to hot on one side so if I don't turn the trays every 2 hours or so i end up with brown pieces and just barely dried pieces, it's so frustrating. I can't wait to get my new one.
Joyce, Do you like the excalibur? I have looked at those before but just don't have the cash right now to get one.
"Not all who wander are lost"
JRR Tolkien |
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CathyM
True Blue Farmgirl
344 Posts
Cathy
Tulsa
OK
USA
344 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2009 : 1:45:02 PM
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Has anyone ever dried garlic? my local farmers market has a ton of different types garlic to chose from. I want to buy them all, lol, but know I wont be able to use it all. And I would love to make my own garlic powder. I also want to try drying onions. The same woman at the farmers market with the garlic has amazing onions. And they are all organic.
"Not all who wander are lost"
JRR Tolkien |
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Farm Kitchen: Dehyrating Peppers! |
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Dehyrating Peppers!
