Over the weekend I did manage to do some dehydrating. I dried 4 lbs. of green beans, 1 lb. of corn and 1 lb. of carrots. Found the corn and carrots when I was digging the green beans out of the freezer. This morning I put 4 lbs. of broccoli and 4 lbs. of cauliflower in the dehydrator. I still need to clean and chop 4 lbs. of onions to dry.
I just mailed off a letter to my grandson Zach, who is in his first year of college. His Mom thought he might like a letter from home. I write letters the old fashioned way with pen and paper. Do they still teach cursive writing in schools? I wonder if he will be able to read it. He is a smart kid, so I suppose he will figure it out. :)
It is cool and rainy here today, with the temp at 46 degrees at noon. I heard a nasty rumor about the possibility of snow in the northern part of Minnesota. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. One of the worst blizzards here occurred on Halloween of 1991 and dumped 28 inches of snow on Minneapolis. I don't mind snow as long as I can look at it through my window from the comfort of my rocking chair, but not quite yet, please.
Not much else going on here in my little Home Sweet Apartment. I have 4 lbs. of bacon to can, but I think I will order another 4 lbs. next week before canning so I have a full canner load. I had started an afghan for granddaughter Boston, but I just didn't like the way it looked, so my daughter Jill brought me different yarn to try. I like the new yarn much better and will post pictures when I am further along with it. I think the weather calls for beef stew with biscuits for supper. That's the plan, anyway.
I'm glad to hear you're still fighting. I keep getting about a half-step ahead everyday. Wish it was faster for both of us.
ReplyDeleteGorges...This getting old thing just isn't much fun sometimes. But we keep fighting, even if it is just to tick off our enemies. :)
DeleteGood you are feeling better. I started two trays of red grapes yesterday. I like making my own raisins. Once they are just right, they will be vacuum sealed.
ReplyDeleteRed
Red...I tried drying grapes just once and wound up with a sticky mess. I would love to make my own raisins. I am not fond of the commercial ones. Is there a trick to doing it?
DeleteVicki ~ I found that poking the grapes prior to drying them helps. It normally takes me about 48 hours depending on the size of the grape.
DeleteRed
Thanks, Red...I will get me some red grapes and give it a try. I'm thinking I probably got impatient and didn't leave them in the dehydrator long enough. I'm afraid patience isn't among my virtues. :)
DeleteSorry to hear the crud was lingering. But it sounds like you were busy with the dehydrator.
ReplyDeleteI took a page from your cookbook and made Rice Crispie squares yesterday. Yum. I cut the recipe down and only made an 8X8 pan.
And, yes winter will be here soon. Called this morning and am taking the car in for snow tire installation this Friday. Snow tires are legal here starting Oct 1st. I was late getting them on one year --- what a learning experience. Ever since, I put them on the first week they're legal.
And the leaves are falling. Just enough right now to cover up any sweeping efforts within an hour or two. But I like the cool weather.
Cheers, SJ
SJ...Talking with my nurse today and she asked how I was feeling. I told her I was ok except still somewhat tired. She said that sometimes when we have been overdoing some or haven't been getting enough sleep, the body sort of says, "OK. Enough. We are going to rest now." And it shuts down until we are rested. Makes sense.
DeleteI love making foods from the past like Rice Krispy bars. I watched a video today where a woman was making one of those lime Jello deserts that were so popular back in the 50's and 60's. I need to order some cream cheese for that one, but it sounded so good. I have lots of recipes like that from Mom's recipe box. There was one with a graham cracker crust, some kind of white filling with cherry pie filling on top that was wonderful. Think I will have to play with that some. :)
I'm liking this cool weather here, too. Rained most of the day today, but otherwise has been lovely. Not many falling leaves yet, but soon, I'm thinking. My favorite time of year.
Great reminder again. I had forgotten about Jello-salads. My claim to fame one Christmas long ago was the raspberry-Jello salad I brought to dinner. Turns out I had misread the recipe and put in 4X the white sugar. Needless to say all the kids loved it and all the adults seemed to leave it on their plates. Ha!
DeleteTake good care today. I know for me, I have no 'push' any more. So when my body is saying 'you're done', I've learned to spend the day with a book or movie.
Cheers, SJ
SJ...Apparently you need the Jello with sugar in it for those recipes and I just have the sugar free in the cupboard. Think I will order Jello and some cream cheese just for the fun of it. Mother used to make one with lime Jello and a crushed Oreo cookie crust that was to die for. I'll have to dig through her old recipe box.
DeleteMy claim to fame was the year I forgot to put sugar in the Thanksgiving pumpkin pies. Didn't matter much as my kids and their cousins were tossing a softball around and it landed smack dab in the middle of one of the pies. Nobody ever asks me to bring pies to family gatherings any more. Now I am in charge of the homemade rolls and chocolate chip cookies. :)
I apparently hadn't been paying enough attention to what my body was telling me. My Wednesday nurse was due to be here about 9:00 this morning. Fearing I might oversleep as I am a night owl, I decided to catch a couple of hours sleep last evening about 8:30. I got comfortable in my recliner and dozed off. I woke up.......wait for it......11 hours later! Aside from having a numb backside from sitting so long, I feel great. Best listen a bit better. :)
Great sleep, 11 hours! You must have needed it.
DeleteWould love to have that jello and Oreo cookie crust recipe.
I've had to take it easy the last few days after several appointments.
Cheers, SJ
SJ...I've been looking for that recipe, but no luck so far. I am ordering Oreos just in case. When I find it, I'll let you know.
DeleteHope you get rested. The extra running can surely take the wind out of our sails, can't it. Me...Jammies and quality time with crochet hook and yarn this weekend. :)
Don't over do it. Please. Do you think the folks that are coming over to clean, check on you could have bought the crud in?? Have one of your kids buy a big bottle of hand sanitizer for you. Every time folks come in they should wash their hands with it. Get some of those santi wipes so you can wipe down the door handles when folks leave.
ReplyDeleteRob...I don't know if it was anything catchy, but if it was, chances are pretty good I passed it along to them. I have all the stuff for sanitizing and the nurse wears gloves. I'm still taking it easy and leaving the heavier work like canning until later in the week. I wasn't so sick - more just tired and kind of achy all the time. Feeling pretty good now, thanks for caring, my friend.
DeleteI was enjoying our cold weather, but it heated back up here. The snakes are everywhere again too.
ReplyDeleteUnknown...Those who guess what the weather will do tell us we will have a day or two back up around 80 degrees, but it should cool off after that. Wish Mother Nature could make up her mind what season it is. I'm glad we don't have to deal with snakes. Snakes freak me out. :)
DeleteSorry you are not feeling well... I was wondering how you storage your dehydrated veggies. Thanks
ReplyDeleteUnknown...Thanks - I'm pretty much back to normal. There was a time when I vacuum sealed my dehydrated veggies, but so many of them have sharp edges and corners when dried that they would poke holes in the vacuum sealer bags. Since those bags are a bit spendy, I started using Ziploc freezer bags and then store the bags in cardboard boxes with lids to keep out the light. If I had problems with insects or rodents I might use canning jars and plastic totes for storage, but luckily I don't have either problem. There are some veggies that are 10 years old and still just as good as when I first dried them.
DeleteThank you so much for your reply. I need to help my freezer, and I’m still longing for a nice dehydrator...one of these days.
DeleteUnknown...That's one reason I can or dehydrate so much. If I lose electricity for any length of time I could lose my frozen food. Winter blizzards don't bother me that much because I could just box up the frozen food and set it out on the deck. But here we have severe summer storms and tornadoes that can knock out power for days and even weeks.
DeleteSome swear by the Excalibur dehydrator and I know they are good, but they are not within my budget. I have two Nesco dehydrators that cost about $65 each. I think Walmart still has them at about the same price. I have to fuss with them just a little, rotating trays about halfway through the drying process, but they do a fine job. Hope you can find one. I love the dehydrated veggies for soups and stews. And the dried potato slices make great scalloped potatoes in the crock pot.
Sent you an email.
ReplyDeleteGot it. Replied.
DeleteWhatever is wrong with me is cured by 10-12 hours sleep, lots of it unintentional...lol. I take a sharp knife and make a cut in the side of the grape to make raising. We are still in 90s or 89 and so humid. The heat still hits me in the face when I go outdoors.
ReplyDeleteraisins
DeleteLinda...The key to getting over this crud must be sleep. I usually sleep only 3 or 4 hours at a time. Last night I slept 9 hours and the night before - 11 hours. Feeling good today.
DeleteThanks for the tip on the raisins. I'm going to give it a try next week.
What a difference in temps in your part of the country and mine!! Here it was 44 degrees at noon. Time to dig out the sweaters and sweatshirts. :)
Hello...I read your blog regularly and so enjoy it. Just want to say I so hope you are recovering, feeling so much better, and I'm thinking of you this evening (Thursday) while I'm watching President Trump's rally in Rochester! Take care, Friend!
ReplyDeleteHi lynney62...Good to hear from you. I'm doing alright - seem to be about over whatever bug bit me.
DeleteIt tickles me to see such a massive turnout for the Trump Rally in Rochester. There are a few of us conservatives in the cities - very few - but it is the rural folks who get it. Trump is in the middle of farming country tonight. Those people work hard, expect no handouts and take care of each other. Same in northern Minnesota. Those are miners and loggers and are a tough bunch who know where to hide the bodies. :) It doesn't surprise me that people were lining up hours early for the rally. They have the common sense I wish most of the city dwellers had.
Haven't written much lately, but hope to get back to it in another day or so. I so appreciate that you read my silly little blog. Thank you, my friend.
I live in a rural city and county, and the country people don't get it at all. They still believe that a woman during her period will contaminate food she cans and it will all rot. I could cite you a dozen things like that. They have their hand out, and promises are all that count. One black woman who voted for Obama was filmed and on the news when she said she was going to vote for Obama because she would never have to pay for gas again for her car or pay rent. Yeah, they get it alright.
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