Dehydration - Problems, Solutions, & More

For the past two weeks I have been slicing and dicing and dehydrating - amongst other things like pressuring canning, baking & freezing, making hygiene items, and herbal stuff.  I literally got up two Saturday mornings ago and started slicing eggplant to make a "fake bacon" - note to self, add salt to the marinade.  I started using a mandolin to get the perfect slices and I'm so glad I started using this consistently!!

Since then I've dehydrated celery, red bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, frozen strawberries, and apples coated with cinnamon sugar.  Onions will be next when the rest of the apples are complete.

I've decided to start storing my dehydrated produce in the various jars that we'd normally throw away.  Of course, I'm starting to make a lot of the stuff I buy from the store from scratch so this may not last too long.  I'll be happy to buy more canning jars for storing the dehydrated stuff or vacuum sealing it all - but for now, why waste the resources I have.

I had an issue with the trays on my dehydrator.  I have a round one that is obviously not an Excaliber.  But at the same time I do like this that MrBeans got me back in January - it doesn't get too hot and there is lots of air circulation.  So far, I'm very happy with the results.  It's an Oster brand - and I've kept the trays from my previous dehydrator that finally kicked the bucket last fall.  Because that is an issue with the new Oster - not enough trays.  There is also no flexible mats to put small things on or to make fruit leather.  So I've made some.  Now I do not have to spray my trays which was causing a problem - my fruits and veggies were a bit greasy.  That's okay for short-term storage but not for long-term ... and sometimes, things get stored for a long time here if they aren't used often.  I don't want my stuff going rancid - that's worse than it rotting on the counter after having gone through all the work to slice, dehydrate, and store.

So anyway, two birds one stone, as the saying goes with this little flexible mats.

I would love to get cross-stitch plastic but the store I was in didn't have any so I settled for those little silicon-type chopping mats.  I got 2 for $1 at the Dollar Store.  They aren't quite wide enough to cover the entire round tray BUT that's okay cause it's just a little bit and I think it helps with the air flow considering I have solid sheets versus screened trays.  So far everything is coming out wonderfully and I couldn't be happier with the performance --- well, I could use some more trays, that would make me happier!! :-D

What do you do when...

you wake up to your throat hurting so bad, head feeling like it is gonna explode, aches and pains alllll over your body, swollen lymph nodes right below your ear, ears hurting so bad you can't put in your hearing aids, a fever, and sinus drainage out the wazoo?

I probably do things a lot different than most folks. First I got a hot cuppa tea to ease the pain in my throat. I was already feeling pretty bad but it kept getting worse.  I finally got up and chopped me some garlic and swallowed it with some honey.  After a nap I had two asthma attacks so I first sat back and opened up my chest and breathed slowly until they passed.  So I made some more respiratory support tea to drink.

A couple of hours later I was sitting there almost in a state of panic about herbal medicine not working.... I had to have been delusional, after all I had a fever.  When out of nowhere I was reminded of my very words I'd just lectured MrBeans with .... "Garlic and other herbs are just like modern medicines.  You can't take them once and expect to be better immediately.  You have to take them three times a day or more just like modern medicines.  Otherwise you aren't going to get better."  So I got up and chopped some more garlic to take with honey.

Later that evening, I felt a small pain in my chest like another asthma attack coming on so I grabbed a peppermint tea bag and started breathing it in for a few minutes (because I still haven't gotten any peppermint essential oil) until I dunked it in water to drink a cup of peppermint tea.  That felt so good!  Then I made a bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon and honey and followed that with some more garlic and honey a little later.  Followed by rinsing with a neti pot after my shower.

Around 4 am I woke up with my chest hurting and decided to go grab another peppermint tea bag to breath in for awhile.  I cannot even begin to describe the relief that brings.

I initially started feeling better a couple hours after my second dose of garlic.  I'm still sick but boy do I feel much better than I did yesterday!!!  I volunteered to read names of fallen soldiers today at the college for the Veteran's Day observance and I have a test to take at 9.  I really thought I was going to have to cancel on them.  That's how bad I felt yesterday - barely able to get up for feeling so weak, taking several naps and still going to bed at regular time.  The only thing I did was knit a little.

(March 18, 2014 - just saw this link is broken - will attempt to fix as soon as I can)

Bronchitis

Friday I began to feel something going on in my chest and I had an asthma attack (something I don't do unless I have an upper respiratory infection).  By that evening during Bean6's birthday party I realized I had bronchitis.  I haven't had that in a long time and it is usually pretty nasty when it hits me.  So I went straight inside and started drinking some Nettle Leaf and Licorice Root tea.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take some garlic before bed.


Saturday, the gunk in my chest was already starting to break up and I was coughing pretty bad.  I had three asthma attacks throughout the day.  Luckily they weren't bad and I was able to control them with slow, easy breathing and loosening my clothing.  During one I inhaled Sweet Orange Essential Oil and Melaluca Essential Oil (otherwise known as Tea Tree), then I followed that with a warm bath with Lavender Essential Oil when I realized I couldn't find the Peppermint Essential Oil (which should be the first essential oil used).  I also continued to drink Nettle Leaf and Licorice Root Tea but then changed to Marshmallow Root and Licorice Root Tea that night and all day Sunday.



I also made sure to take chopped garlic in local, unpasteurized honey all day Saturday.  It probably would have done me good to take it Sunday as well but I was a bit nauseous from the gunk and I get more nauseous when I take garlic on a nauseated stomach.  So instead I mixed cinnamon and honey together and ate that while canning apple butter.  Unfortunately, I had to miss church Sunday which was a bummer :(  Thankfully, someone was able to take over the class I was teaching for me so it turned out alright.


Here it is Monday and the bronchitis is almost completely gone!  There's still a bit of a small cough here and there but not the constant hacking that has been my friend for two days and I've had no more asthma attacks since Saturday night - oops, no, one small one Sunday afternoon.  I'll continue to drink Marshmallow Root and Licorice Root Tea for a full day after there is no more coughing.  Then I'll know I'm all better :-D