Introduction to Dehydrating

As perhaps the oldest form of food preservation, people have been dehydrating food for thousands of years.  It is the easiest form of food preservation both in the sense of learning and in doing it. And it is the most compact, which is especially important when storage space is an issue.

It is also the most inexpensive way to preserve food.  While a food dehydrator makes it easier, it’s definitely not essential.  Individuals on a limited budget can even dehydrate food in a car or in the oven.  No special equipment is necessary.  There is no need for canning jars or lids, though they can indeed be quite helpful.  In dry climates, food saver or freezer bags will work for packaging.  If dehydrated foods are being stored in canning jars, canning lids can be re-used. 

Handy individuals can build a dehydrator, but it is often less expensive to acquire used ones at thrift stores or garage sales.  When I first began dehydrating many years ago, I often picked up the Nesco brand dehydrators for $2-3.  They normally come with four trays, but you can stack on additional trays, up to twelve.  There isn’t a thermostat control, and the trays have to be rotated to facilitate even drying.  Excalibur dehydrators are more expensive and harder to find second-hand.  They have the advantages of temperature control and flat trays so that making fruit rolls is easier.  Trays can also be removed so that the dehydrator can be used for raising bread or culturing yogurt. 

So what foods can be dehydrated?  Honestly, just about everything.  Fruits and vegetables are the most popular items, but jerky is also high on the list.  Eggs and milk can also be successfully preserved in this manner.  Cooked rice and pasta can be dehydrated for faster meal preparation in the future.

And finally, why exactly do people dehydrate food?  Some do it to make just-add-water instant meals.  This is especially popular among backpackers and campers, but these meals are also great for emergencies.  Everything is already prepared.  In a crisis, thinking is sometimes difficult.  Having the food ready to go makes a difficult situation easier. 

Another reason is to be able to store a lot of food very compactly.  A bushel of peppers when dehydrated can fit into a quart jar.  The same goes for nine bunches of celery.  That’s a lot of food in a small space. 

A third advantage is that the food is already prepared the way it’s needed.  It just needs a little time to rehydrate.  Zucchini can be sliced thin for soups, thick for making deep-fried zucchini, shredded for cakes and breads, or powdered and substituted for some of the flour in baking to increase nutrition.  Pineapple can be prepared in strips, chunks, or fruit rolls. 

Other fruits can be dried and powdered for adding to yogurt or smoothies.  Tomato powder can be used to thicken soups or make a little bit of ketchup.  Tomato or spinach powder can be added to the flour when making tortillas to color them.  The possibilities are really endless. 

Links to related posts:

Dehydrating pineapple

Pina colada fruit rolls and crackers

Tortillas for wraps

Deep-fried zucchini

Zucchini cupcakes

DIY Minute Rice

Instant Meals

Instant Soups

DIY Tomato Powder

Pumpkin Powder

Quick and Dirty Dehydrating

 27 january 2024

Molasses for Food Storage and Health

Molasses is another sugar option that doesn’t get a lot of press.  It’s a bit more expensive, sticky, and less commonly used.  However, there are good reasons to consider adding some to your food storage program. 

For one, it is simple to add molasses to granulated sugar to make brown sugar. 

·        To make light brown sugar, add two tablespoons of molasses per cup of granulated sugar.

·        To make dark brown sugar, add four tablespoons of molasses per cup of granulated sugar.

Beyond this most basic of uses, there are a few things to understand about molasses.  First off, molasses can be made from sugar cane or sugar beets. 

·        Sulfured molasses is obtained from young sugarcane and treated with sulfur dioxide to preserve it.

·        Unsulfured molasses is extracted from ripe sugarcane and is not preserved with sulfur.

In addition, there are three main types of molasses:

·        Light molasses has a sweet, mild taste.

·        Dark molasses has a rich, full-bodied flavor.

·        Blackstrap molasses is obtained from the processing of raw cane sugar.  It tends to be bitter and is usually not eaten alone.  It has the highest concentration of antioxidants compared to other sweeteners.  And it is actually better source of iron than red meat for treating individuals with anemia.

Culinarily (apparently that’s not a word), molasses is most often used in making gingerbread and baked beans.  I use it in Molasses Oat Bread, and my husband likes it on toast. 

Molasses Oat Bread

2 2/3 cups boiling water

1 1/3 cups rolled oats

2/3 cup molasses

2 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 tablespoons yeast

6-7 cups flour

In a large mixing bowl, combine the first six ingredients.  Cool to 110-115°F.  Add yeast; mix well.  Add enough flour to form a soft dough.  Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.  Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch dough down and divide half; shape into loaves.  Place in greased loaf pans.  Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.  Bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

 

Like many articles describing the latest wonder food that will cure everything from colds and zits to cancer, many health benefits are attributed to molasses as well.  If you are looking for a good, natural source for calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, folate (important for women planning to become pregnant to prevent birth defects), vitamins B5 and B6, blackstrap molasses is the way to go.  Unfortunately, you need at least a tablespoon per day.  That’s a lot of blackstrap molasses, both to eat on a daily basis and to store for the long term.

In addition to being a natural source for vitamins and minerals, molasses has a medicinal use as well, in managing constipation.  Research has demonstrated that a 50/50 mix of milk and blackstrap molasses administered as an enema is more effective than its conventional pharmaceutical counterpart of sodium phosphate.  (And it is perfectly acceptable to use powdered milk for this.)  More on this will be covered in a post on constipation.

How much should you store?  Probably 16-32 ounces per person per year.  If constipation is a concern, especially in children, you may wish to store double to triple that amount.

 

Links to related posts:

Basic Food Storage--Sugars

References:

https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/other/health-benefits-of-molasses.html

http://www.fammed.usouthal.edu/Guides&JobAids/handouts/Constipation.pdf

https://med.virginia.edu/pediatrics/clinical-and-patient-services/patient-tutorials/chronic-constipation-encopresis/treatment-of-chronic-constipation/

 11.21.22

Making Turkey Bone Stock

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!  I hope you all have a great day visiting with family and friends whether in person or remote. 

As usual, I bought a bigger turkey than what we will eat for our Thanksgiving dinner.  We love leftovers.  I love leftovers.  I love not cooking for another two days, playing games, and decorating for Christmas. 

While for the past seven years I had a cold, screened in back porch where I could safely store the turkey carcass, I don’t have that luxury in the new house, and I’m pretty sure there won’t be any room in the refrigerators.  The carcass will have to be immediately turned into stock.  It’s so easy to do.

First off, for clarification purposes, let’s discuss the differences between broth and stock.

Broth is based on meat.  It is thinner than stock and takes less time to make.  If cooking the broth longer than an hour, remove the meat or it will become tough.  Add the meat back in later, if desired.  Bouillon is the French word for broth and is often used interchangeably with broth.  One teaspoon of bouillon powder is usually added to one cup of water to make broth. 

Stock is based on bones, sometimes with meat still attached.  It is thicker and takes several hours of cooking to release the minerals, collagen, and bone marrow.  For a neutral stock, seasoning and aromatics are not added.  As much meat as possible should be removed.  Stock contains more carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals.  A few tablespoons of vinegar is often added to help extract the minerals from the bones.

Bone broth is made by simmering bones and often vegetables in water up to 24 hours.  While it is often called a broth, because bones are involved it is technically a stock. 

Both stock and broth are often used interchangeably in recipes to make sauces and soups or eaten alone.  However, for best results, use a broth when the flavor is based largely on the liquid, like with soups.  Use stock when the flavor of the dish comes from other ingredients, like in stews.

The directions below are for turkey stock, but chicken can also be used.

Turkey Stock

Place the turkey carcass in a large stockpot.  Add in the following:

• Celery, including leaves
• Carrots, including leaves and root ends
• Onions, including ends and skins
• Thyme and oregano stems leftover after you've stripped the leaves (avoid strong herbs such as rosemary, sage, and cilantro, which can overpower the flavor of the other ingredients)
• 2-4 tablespoons vinegar

Add water to cover and simmer.  Do not allow to boil or the stock will be cloudy.  Reduce heat so that the stock just barely bubbles.  Top with boiling water as necessary to keep bones and vegetables covered.  Cook at least 6-8 hours.

Cool overnight in refrigerator.  In the morning, remove the solidified fat from the top.  Bring the stock to a boil.  Remove from heat, strain and pour stock into canning jars, leaving 1-inch head space.  Add salt if desired, about 1 teaspoon per quart, ½ teaspoon per pint.  Process per instructions in your canning book, usually 25 minutes at 10 pounds pressure for quarts, adjusted for altitude if necessary.

Notes.  The vinegar helps extract minerals from the bones, yielding a more nutritious stock.  The organs will make the stock bitter and should not be used.