part two is going to wait

cause i misplaced the camera
sorry about that

we had a decent weekend, i hope all you folks did too
we did have a bad storm yesterday afternoon, for about 45 minutes......bernie missed it as he was in the shower
the chickens hid
the ducks lamented

it cooled everything off

later when it was a bit dryer, we went out to bring in the chickens, we put the actual trellis netting on the wood framing so the latest bed is finished, tonight i will plant out the tomatoes, eggplants and peppers that have been waiting
and i believe also a butternut or three, and some patty pan
i want a spaghetti squash or two as well

now part of todays work is putting up cucumber thingies......i think i am going to make sorta ladders for them to grow on sections of fencing and zip tied tops
i also have to continue on the kitchen, i am washing my stash of canning rings, and setting up the dehydrator ( i have an excalibur 9 shelf, in case anyone wants to know, i also have an excalibur 5 shelf..... and a round american harvester...... go for the excalibur 9 shelf if you possibly can)
there weren't any vidalia onions cheap this year like normally...... i normally get about 5 of the 'ten' pound boxes for 4.99 a box (boxes usually weight about 12-14 pounds) and i slice and dry ALL of them...do it outside...trust me, do dried onions OUTSIDE or you will be very sorry.
so i don't have the dried vidalias on the shelf this year yet...... i will be drying things like celery, peppers ( love dried sweet peppers, cut them in recipe sizes first- diced for soups, stews, pilafs, sauces and dips....sliced for other uses but mainly i dice them..they dry faster that way too)
btw, i love dried peach slices i eat them like candy
i also dry cabbage sliced, asparagus ends which are powdered for soup, broccoli stalks also powdered for adding to EVERYTHING, potato slices, leek slices, garlic ( powdered it makes garlic powder !!! but wear gloves to handle this much garlic or it'll burn your hands)
i have dried and love to use, zucchini slices, eggplant chunks, mushroom slices and dices, lemon, lime and orange slices ( get them when their cheap and slice thin and dry)
i dry small italian drying tomatoes and also some cherry and paste tomatos
dried foods save space, and electricity not to mention the harvest is ready
i dry alot in dices so that i add a variety to soups (yes i dry beans too, and i tried cauliflower, but it's only good for soups)
i like carrot slices dried btw, to add to soup too
and if the kids (or your partner) won't eat their veggies.... grind the dried ones up and add them to stuff for poultry
or bread crumb coatings
or meat loaf
add them also to stews and pilafs....
they won't realize it.............. and bernie loves it....never fails when i do that he tells me it's soooooooooo very good and eats two or three or more plates
SHHHHHHH that's our secret right?
ok and after they are dried....... store in air tight
i use canning jars, and i use that vacuum sealing jar attachment thingie.... i also use the used canning lids that i save, washed and dried for the vacuum sealing thingie
and try to pick a less humid day to pull the dried stuff out of the dehydrator...
you know how we always get the bunch of celery and half goes bad? dice it into the dehydrator and you've saved it

so that is what i have doing today
i have a few books on drying foods, including drying full meals for reconsituting later.... mostly for hiking etc.....
i haven't done that yet
i would like to have a couple of dried meals on the shelf for emergencies
one of my friends, kacey down in texas does 'instant soup' dried and powdered veggies and even tiny diced cooked and dried meats! she vacuum seals them in the vacuum bags though.... she's told me several times how to do it and i can't remember if she uses commerical bullion or dried her own stock

let's see..... what else?
well i should deal with the mildew problem on the ceiling of the bathroom
oye
and on the front door
oye
but right now i am going to finish my coffee, finish getting dressed and then get going on my day
i hope you all have had a restful and productive weekend..
and i hope you all have a lot of fun today