Preserving Your Harvest

[BReeder!]

Pro Tip - if you are going to be away or asleep when it is time for it to shut off, add extra time (unless you're doing honey, which can burn) That way, things that aren't quite dry keep going and you have lost no time in the process.

Yep... learned that the hard way. Just got home to a dehydrator full of not quite dehydrated pickles. Also learned that the suggested time of 3.5 hrs I found in a recipe article online was way wrong - at least it isn't the case with my dehydrator with 10 full trays. I actually added an extra hour before we left, so 5 hours. They have significantly shrunk, but are still quite moist. I have the dehydrator running again now.

 

[BReeder!]

1st product made with the dehydrator - 1st batch of pickle chips is done. Plenty more batches to go.

For now I put these in a gallon zip bag with a silica packet. It's about half full, maybe a but a bit less. Once I have a bunch to store, I'll vacuum seal them.

Lessons learned so far:
- they are salty so need to rinse in water before dehydrating to remove some salt
- they are more like crisps than chips. I could cut them a little thicker in the future - although the entire 4-5 gallons of pickles I made to dehydrate are cut just as thin as these do that's a note for next year.
- Let the dehydrator run long and be there when the product is done to package it right away or else it may reabsorb moisture.

 

[ladybrasa]

Yes, definitely on the moisture part! I had mine in a gallon ziplock also with a silica packet. I think I ordered the packets after the fact though?

Mine weren’t salty, or at least not that I thought. Maybe I didn’t put as much. Tbh I don’t remember at this point

Please let us know how they hold up vacuum packed long term!

 

[WthrLady]

I picked the last of the whiting tomatoes and will wrap them for flats in the dark cellar tomorrow.
I really want some blackberry jelly, but argh the amount of sugar. So I'll pass.
Apple season is fast approaching so there's that. My favorite local variety is Rosalee and those start up this week, so I'll call and check.
I'm going to behave and NOT buy a ton of apples this year.
I still have 4 gallons of dried apples downstairs from two years ago. (I like making dried apple schnitz pies and danish.)
And I AM out of apple sauce and apple butter, so maybe I DO need to buy a ton of apples, eh?

 

[wyoDreamer]

My favorite apples for pie filing and dehydrating are the Johnagolds. Pie filling needs at least 2 varieties of apples, in my opinion. I like to use Golden delicious, Sweet Sixteen and the Johnagolds, with a couple of Granny Smith just to keep you honest (a touch of tartness), lol.
Dehydrated Sweet Sixteen are fabulous.

I finished up canning the box of peaches and box of pears that I bought. They look so nice all canned up and stacked on the counter. Now to figure out where to store them. DH is still working on the pantry cabinet that he is making for the kitchen. 20 pints of peaches, 1 quart of peaches, 12 pints of pears, 8 guarts + 6 pints of cherry pie filling, 4 quarts +4 pints of blueberry pie filling all made this fall so far. Time to start on the tomatoes.

 

[WthrLady]

Dead on about apples. Johnagold are the end of september here ::checking watch:::
Rosalee are like eating a sweet tart! LOL

All my apples are spread out week by week. Drives me bonkers, but that's nature.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I didn't do anything with our apples this year. The trees produced really good again, but i just didn't have time to pick apples and make applesauce. Next year I plan to tend them better to reduce the worm load. We have done some pretty aggressive pruning on those 2 trees since we moved in, and they are producing really good - but they are ready the first week of August. That is so early, but they make a fantastic, tart apple cider. they cook up to a much, so good for applesauce and apple butter, but that's about it.

 

[WthrLady]

Do you know what they are? They sound like Lodi.

 

[Sally PB]

Love my excalibur!

Me too! 25 years, and going strong!

- Let the dehydrator run long and be there when the product is done to package it right away or else it may reabsorb moisture.

When I have done very "wet" stuff like banana chips and cherries, I turn them over about half way through. They seem to dry more evenly that way.

One thing that was a happy accident... My dehydrator turned off while I was at work, and stuff wasn't done. But it's like the moisture "evened out" in the pieces while they sat. So, they weren't dry, but a few more hours and they were perfect.

 

[ladybrasa]

Anyone one know if it is possible to can fruit and flower juices? I know you can water bath grape juice, but I was thinking more along the lines of hawthorn juice/cordial/drink. And I see various juices/drinks/lemonades/teas of various flowers, berries, and other non-grape things. Anyone tried or read about it? I don’t think my hawthorns are ready yet, but I’d like to do something with them instead of wasting away this year. I don’t recall even the wild birds eating them all over winter. Also intrigued by hawthorn ketchup, might try that.