Olden Oasis

Dehydrated citrus fruit Today, I will be working on slicing various kinds of citrus fruit to dehydrate. You can use just one type of citrus fruit, such as all oranges, or you can dehydrate multiple oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit, just as I'm doing today. The process is the same for each of these citrus fruit choices. After the fruit is dehydrated, it can be used to flavor iced tea, hot tea, tropical punch, lemonade, etc., and the dehydrated fruit can be eaten as a yummy, healthy snack. The best part is that the only ingredient you'll need is citrus fruit. Ingredients: Citrus fruit: the amount depends on your needs (I am using oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit). Dehydrating citrus fruit First, you'll need to wash the fruit well under running water. Then thinly slice your oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit with a sharp knife, or you can use a mandoline. Place the citrus slices on the dehydrator trays and leave space between each slice of fruit so that the air...

Dehydrating mangos For a healthier snack, why not dehydrate some fresh mangos? Yesterday I water-bath canned, dehydrated, and froze multitudes of mangos. Today I still have the dehydrator going full swing.  Dehydrating mangos is extremely simple to do. First, you'll need to peel and slice the flesh of the fruit off of the seed. I prefer trying to slice each mango in halves to the best of my ability, because once the mangos are dehydrated they shrink down a good bit. When dehydrating food of any kind, the dehydrating process dries out all the juices from whatever it is you're preserving. For pre-treating the fruit, I use lemon juice to soak the mangos in. You will need to use the juice of one lemon for every four mangos that you slice. A lemon produces about ¼ cup of freshly-squeezed lemon juice. That equals about four tablespoons per lemon. Bottled lemon juice can also be used. You'll want to pretreat the mangos, so that they'll have a good texture when they're fini...

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. Whateve...

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 certa...

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...

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...

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 zucchin...

Food Preserving Off-Grid Method For Air Dehydrating Produce Although I own different types of electric dehydrators, at the present time I am using a huge 8-tier hanging mesh air dehydrator to dehydrate over 10 heads of cabbage and 8 pounds of jalapeno peppers. Several weeks ago, I started out using my electric dehydrators, but it was taking me forever to dry the cabbage that way. The trays weren't big enough for the amount of cabbage and peppers that I had to dehydrate. Plus, it was also heating the inside of my house during triple-digit temperatures, and the electric dehydrators were using a ton of excess energy. The mesh dehydrator doesn't heat up my home, nor does it use electricity. In fact, it takes up no indoor space at all. That's because it's hung up outdoors in a shaded location where it receives an ample amount of fresh air, and it's also underneath a roof. So should there be a downpour, the food will still be safe and not spoil. The mesh air dehydrator th...