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