Drying Blueberries

I had a pound and a half of blueberries given to me the other day that were just begining to go bad. After removing a few bad ones, I still had almost the entire pound and a half. So now, what to do with them? I won't eat them fast enough right now to have them gone before they all go bad, I have enough things in the freezer and I don't have time right now to bake.

After a few minutes of thought, problem solved. I got one of my dehydrators out and dried them. They are so good this way, like candy. But I think that I may use them for baking later.

BTW.....this is what a pound and a half of blueberries condenses down to when dried.... sort of looks like a jar of allspice, doesn't it?

Still Picking!

Out walking around the yard at 1840s Farm today picking wild berries and currants.

At the end of last season, I found a huge patch of currants in the hedgerow. This year I did the first harvest and with this first round, I probably got 3 or 4 pounds. (And I didn't even pick all of them, as I always leave some for the "critters".)

Also picked some berries. Not as much as usual, but I've already done 3 picks and looks like many more to come. And, it looks like this year's crop of wild rosehips will be pretty big.

Berries have gone into the freezer. Currants will be going into the dehydrators. With the next pick, I may put some juice in the freezer to make jelly later when I have more time, but I haven't decided yet.

If you are into wild foods or emergency preparedness, learn about what there is to eat right in your own yard. But always make sure you know what you are picking and when in any doubt, even the slightest, find someone who knows!

Later today, I will be harvesting more wild grape leaves to preserve for stuffing later.

Drying Dandelion Greens

Although I am not a big fan of dandelion greens, I actually do like them in angel hair with garlic, oil and chile, with a little peccorino romano.

However, the older the greens get, the more bitter they get. And it seems like as the season progresses, they get more bitter as well. So, I decided to try and dry some of the early, young, greens, just to see what happens. If it works out, I'll have to go out into the yard and harvest more!

If you want to see a picture of the dish, check out the "Throwback Kitchen" blog.
http://throwbackkitchen.blogspot.com

Onion Tops are Done

The first batch of young wild onion tops are dried and packaged. I left this bunch whole, but the next will probably be chopped afterwards and stored in a spice jar. I use them just like chives and store out of the light so they don't lose their color.

Time to Start Drying

Had to mow today up at the 1840s farm (I'm up here in the Finger Lakes for a bit working on my latest book). Now, anyone who really knows me, knows I absolutely HATE mowing lawn, and I put it off for as long as I possibly can.

Well, today the grass was long enough that I had to grit my teeth and get the lawn tractor out. But before I did that. I went around the lawn and trimmed off the young wild onion tops so that I could dry them. I already have a big patch by the house and those straying into the lawn would be lost anyway. So, I cut off the tops and use them like chives. Sometimes fresh, sometimes dried.

Now,  I'm filling one of my dehydrators with wild onion tops. I have 4 machines, and fortunatly brought on with me. One is a very basic, bare bones, 1 has a fan, and 2 have adjustable temperature controls with fans. And depending how much I have to do, there are times when I have had all 4 going at one time! My favorite thing to make? Jerky, of course! But this year I plan on making some tomato powder and garlic powder as well.

Drying Sourdough Starter

I have so much extra starter, like 3 quart jars full. When I have to remove some starter from my crock at "feeding time", I hate to throw it away, so I would just put it in jars and stick it in the fridge. I would then use it as back up in case something went wrong with my crock, use for giveaways, etc. However, not many people that I know bake bread, so it builds quickly. And the jars are taking up space.

As a result, I have begun to dry the starter, a jar at a time. It is easy to do. (Pictures below, in order of steps.)

I place parchment paper on a platter or cookie sheet. I then spread a thin layer of starter on it, set in an out of the way place (where no dust is flying and little kitty paws can't disturb), and just let it air dry. (Oven or dehydration heat can affect the yeast.) When THROUGHLY dry,  I then peel off the paper (which you can reuse) and  break into small pieces. You can store in pieces or grind into a powder, which will be what I will do next. Store in dry, airtight jar.

Note that I always make sure that the starter is active before I dry it. So the jar that I am drying the contents of, is kept out of the fridge, and fed once a day (sometimes every other day) until I have dried it all. 

Thistle for Rennet Part 2

The thistle is slowly drying. Some is looking good, some, unfortunatly, are turning into white cotton, meaning they will not be usable.

Hopefully, there will be at least enough dried thistle to make the process worth while. Then again, this is my first try, so maybe practice makes perfect?

Stay tuned for (hopefully), the next step after the thistle is dried and ready.