A pilgrimage to resource efficiency 

Dehydrating

The Blogging Pilgrim

    Old world self-sufficiency in a new world … 

So much of our lives literally revolves around the kitchen. We eat all our meals together there, sharing the day’s challenges and successes. It served as the school room and the family room for playing games. Plans for the day and the future are discussed and solidified over food and drink. The bills get paid, records are kept and taxes figured there. Seeds are spread on the table while planning the garden and jars are sorted and filled there at harvest time. Quilts and clothes get cut and sewn on that table. Neighbors and friends are always welcome to share a cup of coffee and baked goods of the day. Wonderful memories reside in the kitchen while delightful new, little people come to add their chapters.

All food is storable food, let’s talk about the long term.

The term storable food actually covers all food. Storable food, simply put, is stored away for later use.  Even fresh food is stored for days in the refrigerator. The real question is how long a particular food item can be stored, what difference the processing method makes, when it starts to lose nutritional value or change in consistency and when it becomes dangerous to consume. Home canned food can be stored for anywhere from a year to a decade depending on how acidic it is, if it’s heavily salted, or

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Dehydrating

Dehydrating is a wonderful way to preserve bumper crops for winter time and beyond. Besides hanging herbs to dry for use in the winter months, I often dehydrate large quantities of onions for soups and breads throughout the winter, and into the summer as we await our next harvest of onions. The smell in the house, is wonderful. It makes the house so warm and cozy, a true signal that fall is in full swing and winter is on it’s way.

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