Dehydrating broccoli

Most recipes tell you that broccoli will hold its beautiful green color better if you steam the spears for six to eight minutes first. However, that's not how I do mine. I prefer to dehydrate it while it is still at its peak freshness by simply laying it out on my dehydrator trays and dehydrating it. I do nothing more or less than that and it keeps its lovely green color just the same.

How to dehydrate broccoli

First, make sure that the broccoli is washed well. Then separate the florets and chop up the tender part of the stalks.

The florets need to be broken apart so that they'll dehydrate well. Plus, so that your dehydrating trays will close properly.

Place the florets and the stalk pieces onto the trays, leaving spaces in between them. 

Set the dehydrator at 140 degrees F and dry for about eight hours. Some pieces may be ready before eight hours. I always check the trays about midway through and I turn the pieces of broccoli over during that time. Whatever is already fully dehydrated at that time can be taken off the trays and placed inside an airtight container.

When all of your broccoli has finished dehydrating, store it in airtight containers.

Why dehydrate broccoli?

Personally, I like dehydrating broccoli so that I will have it for making different meals during the winter. It's great for using in rice dishes, casseroles, and cream of broccoli soup. 

Plus, dehydrating my broccoli helps me to save on freezer space simply because dehydrating reduces its weight while it still retains all of its nutritional value. 

Now, for those of you who want to know why I chose not to blanch or steam my broccoli first before dehydrating it. There are actually three reasons why I don't steam or blanch broccoli before I dehydrate it. I've found through personal experience that blanching the broccoli florets before drying tends to make them mushy-like (which also makes it messier) and instead of speeding up the dehydrating process, it actually takes longer to dry, plus it changes the overall texture of the broccoli once I rehydrate it to use. 

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Dehydrated Vegetables and Fruit Chips

Dehydrated Vegetables and Fruit Chips

Snack time can be such a fun time, especially when you've done all the work preparing your dehydrated chips! When I prepare my fruit and vegetable chips, I never peel any of them, and I never remove the seeds (unless I am dehydrating apples, citrus fruits, grapes, or fruit with pits). Why? Both the seeds and vegetable peels are loaded with antioxidants, and they contain digestive fiber. Both are loaded with vitamins, among other needed nutrients. Plus, eating the skins and seeds also helps to improve your metabolism and gut health.

For this recipe, I am using tomatoes, summer squash, zucchini, and butternut squash. I don't soak the slices of tomatoes or any of the squash in citrus juice or citric acid solution. If you're concerned about browning, you can soak yours before dehydrating. My fruit and veggie chips never last long. However, if I was planning to make the chips for a gift or to put them away for long-term storage, I most certainly would go ahead and soak them first.

Of course, if I were dehydrating apples, bananas, pears, etc., I would soak them prior to drying them.

Ingredients:

• 2 to 4 tomatoes, depending on their size

• 2 summer squashes

• 1 zucchini squash

• 1 butternut squash

• Seasoning salt to taste (optional)

Instructions:

Rinse and thinly slice 2 to 4 tomatoes, 2 summer squashes, 1 zucchini squash, and 1 butternut squash. The thinner you slice your vegetables, the crispier they'll be after they've been dehydrated.

 

Sprinkle seasoning salt over the sliced vegetables, to taste.

 

Place the vegetable slices on dehydrating trays, leaving about two inches of space between each piece.

 

Turn your dehydrator on and set the temperature to 140 F. Dehydrate the sliced tomatoes for 12 to 14 hours, and dehydrate the squash for about 8 to 12 hours.

 

I like to check on mine every few hours and flip my chips over about midway through the dehydrating process.

 

You'll need to let your dehydrated chips cool before placing them into a Ziploc bag or any other airtight container. If you don't, the chips will sweat.

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Homemade sugar-free ketchup

Homemade sugar-free ketchup

It's been a saucy past couple of days! I have prepared tomato sauce, spicy barbecue sauce, original barbecue sauce, and today I am making another one of my favorite condiments, which happens to be sugar-free ketchup. (If you prefer to use regular sugar instead, you can.) This is such a delicious ketchup, it's thick and tangy, with a slight hint of sweetness. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of tomatoes, chopped (fresh or canned)

• 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon of minced garlic

• ½ teaspoon of yellow mustard

• 1 teaspoon of onion powder

• ½ teaspoon of seasoning salt 

• ¼ teaspoon of soul seasoning

• ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon of Splenda, or granulated monk fruit

Instructions:

Wash and rinse your tomatoes with fresh water. Then coarsely chop them. (Remove the seeds and tomato skins if you prefer, I do not.)

Now, add the tomatoes into a blender and blend them until they're smooth.

Pour the tomato purée into a saucepan, add the other list of ingredients; combine well.

Bring the tomato mixture to a boil at high temperature. Then lower the heat to medium and simmer for thirty-five to forty-five minutes. Stir occasionally. Your ketchup will be reduced by half when it's finished. 

As your ketchup cooks, you'll notice how the color changes. It starts out being a light pink, then turns almost orange red, before it initially turns into a deeper red.

Allow your homemade ketchup to cool. Then transfer it to a bottle or jar with a lid. Store it inside your refrigerator. 

Note:

Taste your ketchup as you go. Add more (or fewer) seasonings if desired. If you prefer a sweeter ketchup, add more sweetener to your taste. You can also add hot sauce or peppers to yours, if you prefer a spicy ketchup.

Since this recipe uses vinegar, your ketchup will keep (when properly stored) for a long time.

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Original flavored barbecue sauce

Original flavored barbecue sauce

The weather has been so nasty here for the past week. It's been freezing rain, sleeting, and it's so very cold and yucky outside. So, I am in my comfy kitchen preparing various sauces using tomatoes. My recipe is for refrigerated original flavored barbecue sauce. I'm not processing my sauce in a canner, but you can if that's your preference. If you don't have any fresh tomatoes, you can make this sauce using canned tomatoes.

Ingredients:

• 10 tomatoes, or 28-ounce can of tomatoes

• 1 cup of onion, finely diced

• 2-½ teaspoons of garlic powder

• 1-½ teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon of seasoning salt

• 1 cup of Splenda brown sugar, or regular brown sugar

• 1 can of tomato paste, to be used as a thickener

Instructions:

If you're using fresh tomatoes, wash and rinse your tomatoes well. Slice them in half. (If you prefer seedless sauce, take the seeds out by squeezing each half.) Then chop each of them coarsely. 

Now, transfer your prepared tomatoes and diced onion to a blender or food processor. Start processing the tomatoes and onion at high speed first, then to low, and then pulse the machine about eight more times.

Next, transfer the tomato mixture to a saucepan. Add the other ingredients; stir well.

Cook over a high temperature. Once the sauce reaches the boiling point, turn the burner down to medium heat and simmer the sauce for one hour. Stir occasionally.

Allow your barbecue sauce to cool. Then package it up. (I pour mine up into a large glass jar and vacuum-seal the lid. Then place it inside my refrigerator.)

Note:

I generally only make one to two quart-sized jars of refrigerated barbecue sauce at a time. If my recipe makes more than you can use in a short period, freeze, or process it.

Stored in the freezer, my barbecue sauce generally keeps for about one year.

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Homemade spicy barbecue sauce

Homemade spicy barbecue sauce

I hope y'all enjoy homemade sauces. Today, I prepared a spicy barbecue sauce that's one of my family's favorites. If you don't have ripe tomatoes, you can use canned tomatoes for this recipe. I used ten large ripe tomatoes, but a twenty-eight ounce can of tomatoes equals two pounds of ripe tomatoes, which averages about ten tomatoes.

For my spicy barbecue sauce, I used cayenne pepper flakes, because that's the type that I had on hand. You can use fresh jalapeno, habanero, chilies, or whatever type of hot peppers that you prefer.

Ingredients:

• 10 large tomatoes, or 28-ounce can of tomatoes

• 1 cup of onion, finely diced

• 2-½ teaspoons of garlic powder

• 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper flakes

• ½ cup of hot sauce

• 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika

• 2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon of seasoning salt

• ½ cup to 1 cup of Splenda brown sugar, or regular brown sugar (amount depends on your taste)

• 1 can of tomato paste, to be used as a thickener

Instructions:

If you're using fresh tomatoes, wash and rinse them well. Then slice them in half. (If you prefer seedless sauce, take the seeds out by squeezing each half.) Now, chop each of the tomato halves coarsely. 

Add your prepared tomatoes, diced onion, and cayenne pepper flakes to a blender or food processor. Start processing the mixture at high speed first, then to medium, low, and then pulse the machine about eight to ten more times.

Next, pour your prepared tomato mixture into a saucepan. Add the other ingredients; stir and combine well.

Cook the barbecue sauce over a high temperature. Once it reaches the boiling point, turn the temperature down to medium heat and simmer the sauce for about forty-five minutes (with a lid on). Stirring occasionally.

Allow your spicy barbecue sauce to cool. Then package it up in whatever containers you prefer to use. Store your barbecue sauce either inside the refrigerator or freezer.

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Water bath canning tomato sauce

Water bath canning tomato sauce

Yesterday, I canned about 55 pounds of tomatoes. I know, that's a lot of tomatoes! So, I broke my recipe down to make it more manageable for my article today. Each quart jar, on average, will hold about 6 1/2 pounds of tomatoes when you're making tomato sauce. To make my sauce recipe, you'll need a water bath canner or a large enough stockpot that the quart jars can be submerged in. Note also that the water will need to cover the jars by about an inch. This is one of the simplest ways to make homemade tomato sauce because you do not peel, take the seeds, or the core out of the tomatoes. You'll only want to cut the stem portion off the tops of each one.

Ingredients:

• Tomatoes, an average of 6 1/2 pounds, will be needed per quart.

• 4 tablespoons of 5 percent white vinegar per quart You can also use 2 tablespoons of lemon juice per quart, or use a dash of citric acid per quart, if you prefer.

• Spices of your preference (I didn't add any to mine; that way, I will be able to use the tomato sauce for various recipes later on.)

Instructions:

I began by working in batches, washing and quartering the tomatoes, then adding them to my blender. (You can use either a blender, food processor, or food mill to prepare the tomatoes.) I wanted to make my sauce thick, so I only pulsed my tomatoes about four times.

 

Then I transfer the tomato sauce to a large stock pot and continue to pulse the rest of the tomatoes in my blender until they are all processed.

 

Then I placed the stockpot over medium-high heat and brought the sauce to a boil.

 

Once the sauce comes to a rapid boil, I reduce the heat and simmer the sauce uncovered, stirring occasionally. I cooked the sauce for 90 minutes until it thickened.

 

Once the sauce was cooked to my preference, I prepared my water bath canner by filling it with water and 8 quart-sized canning jars. Then I brought the water to a boil to sterilize the jars.

 

After that, I removed the stockpot from the burner and transferred the hot tomato sauce to the sterilized jars, leaving about 1 inch of headspace.

 

Next, I stirred in 4 tablespoons of 5 percent white vinegar per quart. You can also use 2 tablespoons of lemon juice per quart, or use a dash of citric acid per quart, if you prefer. Doing this step is crucially important because it is what keeps harmful bacteria from growing inside your jars of tomato sauce. You can add spices and a sweetener of your choice now if you desire.

 

Then I wiped the jar rims off with a clean paper towel, sealed the jars with lids and ring bands, and processed the jars in a water bath canner for about 40 to 60 minutes. Remember that the jars need to be submerged in water, and the water needs to be an inch above the jars at all times.

 

Once the tomato sauce was processed, I used canning tongs to lift the jars out of the hot water, placed them on a towel-lined counter, and left the jars to sit overnight. This morning, all the lids were sealed.

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Growing tomatoes indoors

Is it possible to grow tomato plants successfully indoors? While growing tomatoes isn't one of the basic (easiest) plants to grow inside, it certainly isn't completely impossible. With the right conditions, it's absolutely possible to grow tomatoes all year long indoors. Today, I will walk you through the steps that work for me.

If you want to start growing tomato plants from seed indoors, before buying your seeds, you might want to consider purchasing dwarf tomato seeds (or plants). Dwarf tomatoes won't require as much indoor space and they will still produce plenty of fruit. 

In my quest to grow this specific fruit indoors, I have found that tomato plants require a lot of indoor lighting (much like planting them outdoors). The plants need to be placed in an area where they'll receive at least ten hours of full light a day, whether it's natural sunlight or artificial light. Eighteen hours is optimal. If you don't have a greenhouse, or a greenroom, the best location to grow tomato plants inside would be a south-facing window, but if you don't have a south window, then you'll need to place the tomato plants under full spectrum LED colored lighting, but don't set your tomato plants too close to the lights as the lights can scorch their leaves.

Tomato plants like temperatures (where I live) between sixty and eighty-five degrees F. They don't do very well when the temperatures get below or above that. The sweet spot that my plants seem to thrive the best at is seventy degrees F. Tomato plants can not survive freezing temperatures.

If you're just starting your tomatoes from seed, once the seedlings sprout up, begin rotating the containers every day until the seedlings begin to bloom. Why should you do this? Rotating the plants will prevent your tomato plants from becoming too leggy. As your tomato plants grow, they'll travel upwards towards the light, which makes them also become flimsy and frail. Rotating their planters will encourage them to bush out instead, because all parts of the plants will be getting the light that they need.

Tomato plants need really good soil and large planters to grow their best.

First, start out by using large planters. I usually never plant my tomato seeds in small cups (for indoor gardening), instead I start them in the containers in which they'll stay in. This isn't something that you have to do, it's just a simpler way that I plant mine for indoor gardening, because it requires less work and better results for rooting the plants in. I always plant two seeds in each planter of soil. Then, once the plants grow taller, I add additional soil inside the planters.

The containers that you use should be large and about fourteen inches deep, with good drainage. Make sure that your planters also have drainage trays underneath them.

You'll also need good soil. Fertilize the soil if it doesn't already contain fertilizer in it. I like using Miracle-Gro indoor potting soil mix. However, you can make your own potting soil mix with peat moss, sand, small rock pebbles, perlite, sawdust, shredded pieces of tree bark, and compost. 

When you have your planters ready, you'll want to plant two seeds each, ⅛ of an inch in the potting soil, cover the seeds with soil, and lightly press the soil down. 

Fertilize the soil once a month. 

Watering indoor tomato plants

Once you've planted your tomato seeds, lightly water the soil, making sure that you don't wash the seeds to the surface. Cover the planters with plastic, so that moisture doesn't escape, while germination takes place. It will take your tomato seeds anywhere from seven to fourteen days, generally to germinate. After the seedlings begin sprouting upward, take off the plastic.

Your tomato plants will normally need to be watered once every morning and quite possibly once again in the late afternoon.

 

When your tomato plants are blooming and begin producing fruit, make sure that you give them an extra drink of water every day. This will encourage the plant's fruit to grow plump, juicy, ripe tomatoes. 

NEVER SPRITZ TOMATO PLANTS WITH WATER. Misting the leaves of your tomato plants could lead to the plant's demise, meaning death to your plants. Why is that? That's because excess moisture can cause fungal diseases, as well as root rot, and mold. 

Note:

I cage my tomato plants once they have grown about four to six inches.

Like any other vegetable and fruit plant that's grown indoors, or outdoors, always sow new seeds every few months to keep your production of food growing.

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Homemade vegetable juice

Homemade vegetable juice

Today, I will be making a homemade vegetable juice that tastes similar to the original V-8 juice. However, unlike V-8 juice, I do not use beet juice or watercress lettuce in my recipe. You can use frozen or canned tomatoes, carrots, and spinach if you don't have any fresh vegetables, and you can use dried parsley flakes if you don't have fresh parsley. This juice isn't just delicious; it's also very healthy and can be used as a meal or snack replacement for those of you who are watching your calories.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of tomato, diced

• 1 cup of carrots, diced

• 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning salt

• 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

• 1/4 cup of spinach

• 1 tablespoon of parsley

• 1 tablespoon of celery flakes

• 1 cup of water, divided

To double the recipe, you'll need the following ingredients:

• 8 cups of tomato, diced

• 2 cups of carrots, diced

• 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

• 1 teaspoon of seasoning salt

• 2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup of spinach

• 2 tablespoons of parsley

• 2 tablespoons of celery flakes

• 2 cups of water, divided

Instructions:

Combine the tomatoes, carrots, Worcestershire sauce, seasoning salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a half cup of water in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat. Allow the tomato mixture to simmer, covered, for twenty minutes.

Add the spinach, parsley, and celery flakes. Simmer for another five to ten minutes while keeping the pan covered. Remove the pan from the burner and then allow the mixture to cool for about twenty minutes.

Now, pour the mixture into a blender. Add the remaining half a cup of water and purée until smooth for about two minutes. Strain through a mesh strainer if you don't like vegetable pulp in your juice. 

Pour the juice into jars or a pitcher and store your delicious vegetable juice in the refrigerator. Serve it once it's chilled. Enjoy!

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Homemade, no-cook tomato juice

Homemade, no-cook tomato juice

The amazing benefits of drinking tomato juice are well worth the effort it takes to prepare it at home. Tomato juice contains a good source of vitamins and minerals. Such as: vitamin A, vitamin K, and B vitamins, as well as magnesium, iron, and phosphorus, are naturally in it. The facts are that drinking a glass of tomato juice every day can help improve digestion and even aid in good gut health and weight loss, among so many other things.

Ingredients:

• 8-10 large tomatoes

• 1 teaspoon of celery flakes (optional)

• 1/4 teaspoon of seasoning salt

• 1-1/4 cups of cold water

Instructions:

First, wash your tomatoes in fresh water. Then cut the tomatoes into large pieces.

Add the chopped tomatoes to a blender. Add 1 cup of water. Blend on high for about a minute.

I prefer drinking my tomato juice just as it is at this stage, after it's been chilled. However, if you prefer your juice not to have any tomato pulp or seeds, continue by pouring the fresh blended tomato juice through a chinois (a cone-shaped mesh canning sieve) with a bowl underneath the stand. Using a pestle, turn the pestle clockwise around the inside of the chinos to push the juice through the sieve into the bowl underneath. (Use the left-over tomato pulp for whatever you desire.)

Stir the seasoning salt and celery flakes (optional) into your tomato juice. Now, you can store the prepared juice inside your refrigerator until it gets chilled, or you can serve it in glasses at room temperature. Enjoy!

Resources:

(BASc, J.S. and (BASc, J.S. (2020) 9 incredible benefits of Tomato Juice, Organic Facts. https://www.organicfacts.net/tomato-juice.html. Available at: https://www.organicfacts.net/tomato-juice.html (Accessed: April 10, 2023).

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Vacuum sealing dried foods in mason jars

Vacuum sealing dried foods in mason jars

If you're trying to stock your pantry full for whatever reasons, were you aware that you can vacuum-seal dried (dehydrated) food in jars to preserve it longer? If not, then continue reading and I will walk you through the steps on how I vacuum-seal my dried goods in mason jars. 

Storing food items such as dry oats, dried beans, dried pasta, dried rice, dried fruit, etc. will last longer when stored in mason jars with lids. However did you know that these food items can last even longer if you were to vacuum-seal the jars?

Before I go into the details about vacuum sealing jars, the first obvious step is to fill clean jars with your dried foods, leaving at least a half inch to one inch of headspace in the jars. Use a clean cloth to make sure that the rims on the jars are clean before placing the flat canning lids on.

Jars can be vacuum sealed with a mason jar sealer such as the DAIKA jar sealer or the FoodSaver jar sealer. They're really simple to use. All you need to do is place a flat (canning) jar lid on top of the jars. Set the vacuum seal attachment on top of the lid, and either use a hand-held pump as I use or connect the hose to a vacuum sealer machine, then press the start button on a vacuum sealer to suck all the air out of the jars. You don't have to use the screw on rings, but after I have vacuumed sealed my jars, I like to use them on the jars so that I don't misplace them. 

Note:

Vacuum sealers that are made for mason jars are only meant to preserve dried food goods. Not for storing cooked or fresh food long-term.

The mason jar vacuum sealer can be used on wide-mouthed or regular mouthed jars. 

To help save money on buying empty mason jars, buy food items such as jarred pasta sauce, pickles, jelly, etc. Wash those jars out and reuse them.

The DAIKA vacuum jar sealer attachment hose is only compatible to use with the electric FoodSaver vacuum sealer appliance; however, it is offered with a manual air pump and the manual air pump is what I prefer to use.

Notes:

Should you need to open one of your jars to use some of its contents, you can gently open the lid and later reseal it again by using the same lid with the vacuum sealer. 

You can also use the manual vacuum sealer and vacuum sealer machine with vacuum sealer bags. I prefer using glass jars because I think they're a better way of protecting food and they're better for the environment.

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Peppered beef jerky

If you like spicy jerky, my peppered jerky will be right up your alley. Today, I used lean cut organic Angus beef round steak for this recipe, with a dry rub marinade. The jerky was completely done in about five hours; some of the pieces were done dehydrating in three hours. So you can start the beef jerky early in the morning and it will be done some time before lunch.

Beef jerky is a wonderful meat snack to have on hand. It can simplify your meals when you're going hiking, camping, fishing, traveling, working, or when you're just sitting home relaxing. It's also nice to have on hand should the power go off and you get the munchies, but have no way to cook. 

My peppered jerky recipe is very simple to make and the best part is that it doesn't take an entire day to prepare it. 

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of lean beef, cut into slices (I used round steak)

• 2 teaspoons of cumin powder

• 4 teaspoons of ground black pepper

• 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper

• 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika

• 2 teaspoon of garlic flakes

• 2 teaspoons of onion powder

• 2 teaspoons of seasoning salt

• 2 teaspoons of mesquite seasoning

Instructions:

In a spice bowl, combine all the seasonings. Season both sides of the beef well, then rub the seasonings into it. Allow the meat to marinate for at least thirty minutes to one hour.

Trim any fat off the round steak. Slice the meat into the size pieces that you want your jerky to be. I cut mine into fairly big strips because once the meat has been dehydrated it will shrink. This step can be done before you season the meat. Today I did it afterwards.

Place the beef on the dehydrator trays. Space the pieces out and do not overlap any of them.

Set the dehydrator temperature to 160-180 degrees F. After three hours have passed, begin checking the beef jerky. Flip the pieces over if needed. Some of my jerky was completely done in three hours, while the rest needed more time to finish. 

The jerky should still be somewhat bendable, but the meat should all feel dried to the touch. The internal temperature of the jerky should be read at 160 degrees F with a meat thermometer when it's finished. If you are using a thicker cut of beef, the dehydrating time will be longer. 

Transfer the peppered beef jerky into an airtight container when it's done. The jerky will keep for about two months and longer if it's kept in the freezer, or vacuum sealed.

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Pork Loin Jerky

Pork Loin Jerky

Although I used pork loin chops to make homemade jerky this weekend, you can prepare jerky using lean cuts of beef, chicken, turkey, duck, and venison using my recipe. You'll just need to make a jerky marinade using tomato paste, water, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, seasoning salt, molasses, mustard, freshly ground black pepper, onion, garlic, cayenne pepper, and smoked paprika. Then follow each step pretty much in the same fashion as I do my pork jerky.

Ingredients:

• 8 to 10 pork loin chops

Marinade Ingredients:

• 1 (6-ounce) can of tomato paste

• 1 cup of water

• 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

• 1/4 cup of soy sauce

• 1/4 cup of molasses or honey

• 2 teaspoons of yellow mustard

• 1 teaspoon of seasoning salt

• 4 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons of onion powder

• 2 teaspoons of garlic powder

• 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper powder or flakes

• 1 1/2 tablespoons of smoked paprika

Instructions:

In a large container, add 1 (6-ounce) can of tomato paste, 1 cup of water, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup of soy sauce, 1/4 cup of molasses, 2 teaspoons of yellow mustard, 1 teaspoon of seasoning salt, 4 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper, 2 tablespoons of onion powder, 2 teaspoons of garlic powder, and 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper powder or flakes. Stir the marinade well. Set aside.

Now, using a cutting board and a sharp steak knife, try to cut each pork loin into 1/4-inch-thick strips. The pork strips should be cut about 1½ to 2 inches wide. Try to cut each strip into even-sized pieces. Trim as much fat off the meat as possible.

Add the strips to the container with the marinade. Using a fork or your hands, flip the pork pieces in the sauce. Try to evenly coat each piece in the sauce. (Every few hours, you'll want to flip the pork strips over, or you can double the marinade sauce recipe so that you can skip flipping them.)

Now, transfer the container to your refrigerator and allow the pork strips to marinate for ten hours or up to 24 hours.

After the pork strips have marinated for several hours, transfer them to your dehydrator trays. I also sprinkled more black pepper on each side of my pork strips. This is completely optional. (I add more because I am a pepper fanatic.)

Dehydrate at 160 degrees for about 8 to 12 hours. Each dehydrator is different, so you'll want to check on your jerky every few hours.

Allow your jerky to completely cool, then, for long-term storage, place the jerky in Mason jars and vacuum seal them, or place the jerky in freezer bags and store it inside your freezer. Otherwise, if you're making it to have for snacks right away, just place your jerky in an airtight container or Ziploc bags.

Note:

About midway through dehydrating the jerky, I generally flip each piece over. Doing this helps speed up the dehydrating process.

To test for doneness, your jerky will slightly crack but not break when you do the bend test. It should not be moist, squishy, or soft.

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Homemade peppered pork jerky

Homemade peppered pork jerky

Here’s how you can make homemade peppered pork jerky using your dehydrator. It will take you just a few hours, and it will come out very delicious. 

First, I sliced and marinated the meat. Then I pre-cooked the pork until it was at an internal temperature of 160-165 degrees F. This isn't a step that has to be done if your dehydrator has the higher settings to dehydrate meat safely when making pork or beef jerky. However, I do this step just to ensure that any and all bacteria in the meat are killed. Plus, today I made this jerky out of a Boston butt. So precooking it also helped with cooking some excess fat out of the meat first, before dehydrating it. 

The absolute best cut of pork to dehydrate is pork tenderloin. However, any cuts of meat can be dehydrated and made into jerky, or be rehydrated for use in stews, soups, and various other meals later on.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of preheated pork (tenderloin works best, but I used part of a Boston butt today)

• 2 tablespoons of Splenda or sugar

• 2 tablespoons of honey

• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons of ground black pepper

• 1 ½ teaspoons of smoked paprika

• ¾ cup of Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tablespoon of liquid-smoke

• 1 ½ teaspoons of cayenne pepper

• 1 tablespoon of onion powder

• 1 tablespoon of garlic powder

• Water, about 2 cups

Instructions:

First, in a large dish, mix the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Splenda (or sugar), onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, honey, liquid smoke, cayenne pepper, and smoked paprika. Stir well, until the Splenda (or sugar) has completely dissolved.

Now, slice the meat into strips and trim any excess fat off of the meat. After that, you will need to marinate the pork.

Place the slices of pork into the bowl of marinade; add just enough water to allow the marinade to cover the meat. Using a spoon, stir to combine the water and marinade seasoning in with the pork. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for one to two hours. For optimal flavor, marinate the pork for twenty-four hours.

Next, once the meat has marinated; shake the excess marinade off each piece and place the slices on trays and precook the meat in the oven until it comes to an internal temperature of 160-165 degrees F.

Once that is complete, add the slices of pork to the dehydrator trays. Set the dehydrator at 160. The dehydrating time may vary due to the thickness of the meat and the dehydrator that you use. Generally, it takes me about four to six hours since I normally pre-cook the meat. Again, the dehydrating time varies depending on how thin I slice the meat.

You'll know when the jerky is done because it will feel dry to the touch, and be leathery. Dehydrate longer if the meat bends easily, or feels greasy, or wet.

Once the meat is fully dried, take it out of the dehydrator; store in an airtight container and place the jerky in the refrigerator or freezer.

The peppered pork jerky can be kept in a dark pantry for two weeks. If stored in the refrigerator, it will keep for one month. When stored in the freezer, it will keep well for four months.

Note:

If vacuum-sealed, the pork jerky will last about two months in a dark pantry. When stored in the refrigerator, the jerky will keep well for four plus months. When vacuum-sealed and stored in the freezer, the jerky will keep the longest, at about one year.

The jerky will last even longer if you salt cure it. To do this, brine the meat in a solution using 2 ½ cups of pickling salt with about three quarts of water, plus the ingredients for the marinade above. After one day, remove the meat from the brine, shake the excess off, or pat the meat dry with paper towels. Then proceed with dehydrating the meat.

The peppered marinade works well with beef and other cuts of meat as well. 

As stated previously, when making pork and beef jerky, precooking is not required, as long as your dehydrator has higher settings for dehydrating the meat. However, when using chicken or turkey, always make sure to pre-cook it first. This will prevent any chances of getting sick from harmful bacteria such as salmonella. 

I'm using a Ronco turbo dehydrator to dehydrate my peppered pork jerky, and it does have higher settings to make jerky. However, I still pre-cooked the pork that I used, simply because I don't even want to chance getting any food-borne illnesses. 

I forgot to mention this earlier when placing the slices of meat onto the dehydrator trays, leaving plenty of space between each of the pieces of meat. Doing so allows more air to flow through the trays, which also decreases the dehydrating time. Also, rotate the trays, and flip each piece of jerky over midway through.

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Homemade Zucchini Jerky

Zucchini Jerky

If you haven't ever considered making zucchini jerky, I hope that you will try my recipe for it at least once. It's such a delicious snack to have on hand. Plus, it's so nutritious!

Ingredients:

• Zucchinis (about 4-6, depending on their size)

• 4 tablespoons of vegetable, beef, or chicken bouillon granules or powder

• 2 tablespoons of liquid smoke

• 1/4 cup of water

• 1 teaspoon of onion powder

• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder

• 1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika

Instructions:

In a large saucepan, add 4 tablespoons of beef bouillon granules or powder, 2 tablespoons of liquid smoke, 1/4 cup of water, 1 teaspoon of onion powder, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn off the burner. Stir well. Set aside.

Wash and scrub the zucchini well. Slice into half-inch slices lengthwise. Then place the slices in the marinade. Try to get as much of the marinade on each slice. Marinate for a few hours.

I don't cook my zucchini in the marinade, but you can if that's what you prefer to do.

Place the marinated zucchini on your dehydrator trays. Dry at 125 to 135 degrees or until the pieces of jerky are crispy. I generally let mine dehydrate for about 10 to 12 hours.

Store your zucchini jeky in an airtight container.

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com