Category: Food Storage & Cooking

Hugh, The article about dehydrating foods was very well written, thanks. Subsequent comments about preventing small foods from falling through the trays prompts me to offer my solution. I use an ordinary American Harvest dehydrator with stacking trays. I line the trays with parchment paper that I have ventilated by punching holes through the paper, using an ordinary hole punch with the paper folded prior to punching, like making paper “snowflakes.” I lightly oil the paper with coconut oil, and find I can reuse them many times before they need to be replaced. Thanks for all the very informative articles. …

Hugh, Just wanted to mention that in the absence of electric power to run dehydrators, you can also dehydrate leafy greens and salted tomatoes in the back seat of a closed car on a hot day. I have had good success using a muslin dishtowel placed on a cookie sheet (do not allow greens and tomatoes to touch metal during the drying process as this will turn them brown and icky) and just place the washed and patted dry greens (preferably not touching each other, place each leaf or slice singly not overlapping) and put the tray(s) on the back …

Hugh, In regards to what to use to keep your small foods from falling through the cracks of the screens, I have an answer that may or may not be safe, but I’ve have years of good luck. I put tin foil on the screen, then put a spritz of Pam cooking spray, then use a bit of paper towel to make sure the foil gets covered. I don’t spray the foil completely because I don’t care for the oily texture that remains after dehydration. When I use foil, I only use every other tray giving my machine ample air …

Making and Storing Tomato Sauce for the Long Haul Crushing, Peeling, Seeding There are a number of ways to do this, but I am one who likes efficiency. I just have too much to do to take time to do things the “hard” way. Of course, I like to do things myself, but why make it more difficult than it has to be, right? At some point, if the grid goes down and the solar power system fails, I may be forced to boil and peel tomatoes and hand crush them or use a hand-cranked crusher/separator, but until that happens …

Hugh, Thanks to the author for a very informative article on food dehydrating. Dehydrating frozen vegetables from the grocery store is a very easy way for the beginner to start; however, as these small particles of food shrink they will fall between the openings of the trays. Don’t use cheesecloth unless you want to spend an hour with tweezers picking them free. Try to find a fiber-free porous inert material and then let me know what that is. A pulverized mixture of various dried vegetables makes a great soup additive or a table seasoning. I’ve made dried soup mixes from …

It is that time of year when the garden is bursting with its bounty, and I am regularly giving thanks to our Creator for His provision and kindness in giving us a diverse and pleasurable taste and texture smorgasbord for our palates as well as the necessities of nature, mind, and body to work the land and see its fruit come forth. He created the very earth from which they came and provides the balance of nature– the appropriate amount of sun so that the plants don’t freeze or burn, have enough oxygen, and have water and nourishment from the …

HJL, The writer stated that he doesn’t typically blanch so that he doesn’t destroy the enzymes. However, acid in the stomach will do the same thing as blanching. So it really doesn’t matter whether he does or not, at least as far as “destroying” the enzymes. If he eats the food, the enzymes will naturally break down as the second step of digestion. An enzyme is simply a type of protein, a molecule that is too big for our bodies to absorb intact. (An very simplistic example: Insulin is an enzyme. If eaten, it will break down and not be …

HJL, I just wanted to let the readers know that Uline has a wide selection of jars, from 1/2 pint up through 1/2 gallon, with lids and rings. – C.S. o o o Hugh, Here is an interesting way to store mason jars in your pantry: Bug-Out Pantry – R.T. o o o Hi Hugh, Thanks for the info on food preservation. In this latest round, you mentioned pressure canning only lean meats. Why is that? Fat is an essential nutrient. – J.J. HJL comments: The fat complicates the canning process and can cause less than desirable results. Because the …

Hello, Hugh, I’ve been following Sarah’s articles on food storage with interest,and learning a great deal from them. My question is this: Has your family performed any food storage involving vacuum-sealing “wet” food in mason jars and freezing them? I’m wondering if putting hamburger and chicken in mason jars, vacuum-packing them, and freezing them is a reasonable long-term storage solution (assuming electricity exists to maintain storage temperatures at 0F or below). If such a procedure is feasible, are there any cautions I should be aware of? I would guess that, since water expands as it freezes, the jars should not …

Hello Hugh and Sarah, Do you sterilize your jars before using when dry canning? Do you boil or use dry heat (oven)? Wonderful articles! I’m converting. I’ve had too many reservations about the mylar bags. Have done a lot with them but some don’t seem to pull a vacuum. It makes me question whether they are truly sealed. In fact, I wonder about whether I should repackage everything in jars. Yikes. We’re talking a 300-400 half gallon bags. – P.B. HJL Comments: We don’t use water bath canning as a general rule so we don’t worry too much about sterilization. …