Food Drying - How To Dry Vegetables

Food Drying vol. 2: How to Dry Vegetables was a free Kindle book when this post waswritten.

Book Description Publication Date: October 17, 2013 Are you looking to learn how to safely preserve vegetables by drying them? Food Drying vol. 2: How to Dry Vegetables covers exactly that, giving detailed information on how to prepare and dry more than 30 different vegetables. From artichoke hearts to zucchini, this handy guide has you covered. The following topics are covered in this vegetable drying guide: Why learning to dry vegetables is important, even in this day and age. The vegetable drying process: What happens to vegetables as they dry. How to pretreat vegetables by blanching them to prevent enzymatic browning. Drying trays. How to dry vegetables using the sun, your oven or an electric dehydrator. Conditioning and pasteurizing dried vegetables after drying is complete. How to safely store dried vegetables. The following vegetables are covered in-depth: Artichokes. Arugula. Asparagus. Beets. Bell peppers. Bok choy. Broccoli. Brussels sprouts. Cabbage. Carrots. Cauliflower. Celery. Chili peppers. Collard greens. Corn. Cucumbers. Eggplant. Garlic. Green beans. Lettuce. Kale. Mushrooms. Okra. Onions. Peas. Potatoes. Tomatoes. Zucchini. and more . . . Detailed drying information is provided for each vegetable type, including the following information: A brief description of the vegetable and its health benefits. How to select the best vegetables of that type for drying. How to prepare the vegetable for drying. How to blanch the vegetable, if necessary. The drying temperature range that works best. Approximate drying times for the oven, the dehydrator and sun-drying. How to tell when the vegetable is dry. Conditioning, pasteurizing and storing the dried vegetable. How to rehydrate the dried vegetable before use, if applicable. In addition to detailed instructions on preparing and drying vegetables, there are 20+ bonus recipes included. The following recipes are included in this helpful guide: Beet chips. Bell pepper paprika. Bok choy crisps. Dehydrated Sauerkraut Crisps. Dried carrot chips. Cauliflower crunch. Celery salt. Collard green crisps. Popcorn on the cob. Dried cucumber chips. Cucumber powder. Eggplant jerky. Cajun spiced green beans. Spicy kale chips. Kale powder. Dried pumpkin powder. Spinach chips. Spinach powder. Chard chips. Sun-dried tomatoes. Zucchini chips. Buy this book today and learn to preserve your harvest by drying vegetables.

Garden all year round

Month by Month Gardening Guide / Free Resource Guide Included was a free book when this post was written. A useful book to have in your Kindle survival library for becoming self-sufficient.

 Garden all year round. Month by month guide to large and small vegetable gardening to enjoy your garden year-round. Includes a valuable free Resource guide. 

Black Friday Sales Were Down

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/12/black_friday_2013_first_spending_decline_since_2009.html

I have never went shopping on black Friday. I usually am the one on Christmas Eve flying around looking for some kind of gift. I really am not surprised that sales on black Friday were down. Everyone I know and others that I have talked to just out have said they just don't have money this year to even get any Christmas, let alone go out and fight over tvs and games on black Friday. I know we are not going to be spending this year. We are having family at our house for Christmas - that is what is important!

Anyone who did fight over a tv or something else on black Friday, I'm not judging you, but is that really what is important in your life?

Increase The Heat Radiation Of Your Wood Stove

Increasing Heat Radiation...
You can improve the heating performance of your wood  stove by doing these simple things :
1. Keep the oven damper closed.  The stove's surface will heat up and radiate the heat out into the room.
2.  Place a large screen of crinkled up aluminum foil behind the stove to reflect the heat out in all directions.
3.  Place a long shallow metal container that is filled with sand under the stove. This will absorb heat and add extra warmth into the room.
4.  A small fan installed behind the stove will cause awesome circulation of heat. I have also seen fans that sit on top of a wood stove.
5.  Leave the stove door open to send out more heat.
These easy tips should help you keep warm!!

Food Storage Plan To Survive The Food Shortages In The Coming Economic Collapse

Food Storage Plan To Survive The Food Shortages In The Coming Economic Collapse
By Mike Kuykendall
If you want to know the best way to prepare for the economic collapse that is coming our way, then you need look no further than your pantry. History shows that when there is a currency crisis or a total economic collapse, then the price of food skyrockets.
While we are likely to experience food shortages and food riots with the economic collapse, by no means does that mean that the food in our country will suddenly disappear. There will still be plenty of food for everyone, but it will be scarce due to panic buying, hyperinflation and supply chain issues.
The fact is that the grocery stores rely on daily deliveries to keep the shelves stocked, and if there is a panic, the shelves can empty out in a matter of hours. The distribution centers can then resupply the stores, but every major city has only a three-day supply of food.
When inflation skyrockets and banks close and suppliers begin to worry about getting paid for their shipments if stores go bankrupt, then they slow down or stop their deliveries until things calm down. Unfortunately, that means fewer deliveries to stores just as panic buying has emptied them out.
The crisis actually feeds on itself and makes the food shortages a self-fulfilling prophecy. As soon as the stores are at the point where they are waiting for the trucks to make deliveries so they have something to sell, the sale prices stop and the regular prices climb.
These "food shortages" are eerily like the famines in Third World countries that have people starving while food from relief agencies is rotting on the docks after being unloaded from the ships. The corrupt governments won't allow the food to be distributed in certain areas, as that is where the "rebels" are in their civil wars, so starvation ensues.
Not that we will have a civil war here in the United States, but the principle is the same. Plenty of food, but just not being distributed. Only here, the problem will be one of economics instead of civil war.
So if we understand what is coming and how it will all shake out, what do we do to prepare for an economic collapse and food shortages?
The first thing is to approach your food storage plan with a sense of urgency. Each and every week when you do your grocery shopping, double up on all personal items and non-perishable goods. Do the same with frozen foods until your freezer can hold no more.
If you do this each and every week, then 8 weeks from now, you will have an extra two months' of food stored up. The advantage is that you will have done it slowly, and not gotten overwhelmed with it all at once and given up. You will have steadily built an insurance policy that will cost you absolutely nothing, as you will eventually eat all the food you purchased.
After you have, at a minimum, a two month supply of food, then you can turn your attention to stockpiling staples like wheat, oats, rice, beans and other long-term food storage items. These can be incorporated into your weekly menu one day each week so that you become familiar with how to cook from scratch using these food storage items.
Long-term food storage items like these are very inexpensive, can be obtained in #10 cans that are packed to have a 20 year shelf life, and are easily stockpiled to extend your "food insurance" to 12 months or more.
By the way, do you want to learn how to get started with an easy Food Storage plan? If so, download my free MP3 HERE.
And to learn what 5 things you should always have in your car to be prepared for any emergency, you can go HERE.
Mike Kuykendall, Prepping Consultant