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

Canning Meat for the First Time

I finally got to use my pressure canner!!  I canned 8 pintes of ground beef.  I was originally going to do our ground venison but then I saw that we had some older beef so I went with the older first.  MrBeans watched a youtube video with me and he really liked what he saw.  So when I slaved in the kitchen ;) to can all of this he was right proud and can't wait for me to do other stuff!

Here are photos of my foray with notes....

My 8 pounds of ground beef beginning to brown ...



Draining some of the meat....


Filling the jars....



Broth in with the meat....



Jar ready to go in the canner ....




Getting started in the canner ....



All finished ....



Not bad for my first batch ;)

Shampoo and Conditioner Alternatives

I have decided to go back to using baking soda and apple cider vinegar for shampoo and conditioner.  I used to use it all the time and my hair was so healthy and clean.  I honestly loved it.  I'm pretty sure I stopped using it only because I wanted to use a coconut smelling shampoo I used to love one summer some years back.  I just sort of got out of the habit.  I've thought about doing this again several times over the past several years but I never do ---- several reasons why not 1) too lazy to go get the stuff to put in the shower (now that's sad) 2) I really didn't want to listen to MrBeans complain and alternately make fun of me for this - nevermind that I had been doing it long before I ever met him and he liked my hair just fine, thankyouverymuch! 3) I didn't want to hear my teen and grown children turn up their noses and consequently make fun of me as well.  They would all pretend to smell the vinegar in my hair - nevermind that you can't smell it after your hair is dry :-/ and nevermind that my husband never smelled it while we were dating.

So yeah, it really came down to what other people thought and, how they'd be watching and if everything isn't perfect, how much I'd be criticized.  I finally say - forget them!  I haven't much cared what anyone thought of me to begin with so why am I worrying now?!  So I found a bottle specifically to keep my baking soda in the shower - I'm in the process of getting the lable off of the bottle now so it doesn't attract attention ('cause you know that snoopy husband of mine will just have to take a peak ;-) ).  Now I'm working on a squirt bottle for the ACV.  But I had to get lunch and start blogging again....

So anyway, the basic instructions are .....

1) Wet hair normally
2) Either mix approx 1 Tbsp of baking soda with a cup of water and gently pour all over head, or simply start daubing 1 Tbsp on scalp without mixing in water
3) Either one you use in #2 - massage into scalp and let sit for a few minutes
4) Mix 1 Tbsp of ACV in a cup of water and add just a little to hair ... yes, there might be a little fizz action ;-)
5) Thoroughly rinse hair.
6) Slowly rinse ends and middle of hair with the rest of the ACV mixture, allow to sit for a little bit.
7) Thoroughly rinse hair - yes, you will probably smell the ACV
8) Towel dry or hair dry hair as normal - the smell will be completely gone by the time the hair is completely dry

Now, when first starting out, you will probably need to "wash" every day.  This is due to the hair being used to being stripped of the vital oils when we use "normal" shampoos.  Somewhere down the line, you can stretch it a little bit and try for every other day or maybe skip one day, wash two/three/four days, skip one day, etc, until you are stretching it out to what fits you best!  Everyone's head of hair is different - therefore, everyone's time frame will be different.  I have confidence you'll figure it out!

Menu Monday

All meals begin with a Salad-Bar Salad (that has to fill your dinner plate).  All meals are Gluten- & Dairy- Free.

Monday: Asparagus, Peas, & Lemon Fettucine with Baked Marinated Chickpeas
Tuesday: Fish Chowder & Seared Cauliflower w/ Garlic & Tamari
Wednesday: Moroccan Bean & Lentil Stew (Bean7 begged for me to make it again!!)
Thursday: Jamaican Fish (not spicy), Steamed Broccoli, Peas, Ginger Glazed Carrots

I will be out of town this weekend so my family likes to fend for themselves while I'm away so that MrBeans can make them all sorts of things they aren't supposed to have!  We will be mostly eating out on our dive trip.  I'll be packing lots of healthy snacks to take with me and a frozen fish & veggie foil packet to grill over the campfire that first night that we're campfire eating.  So that's it for this week!

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)