Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Sometimes Success - Sometimes Not So Much

I think that sometimes a stretch of sub-zero weather may put us into hibernation mode.  At least that seems to have been the case here in my frozen corner of the world.  Not much has happened except with a crochet hook, yarn and some lovely naps under a green fuzzy blanket.

I did manage to do some dehydrating.  The coleslaw mix and sweet corn came out just fine.  The peas...not so much.

I have had problems in the past with dehydrating peas.  Before I got a dehydrator with a thermostat, peas would come out looking like the centers of each pea were missing, leaving just an outer shell.  Even with the newer dehydrator, peas didn't always dry well.  But being one who doesn't give up easily, I thought I would give it one more go.

Followed the instructions to the letter.  Rotated the trays halfway through the drying cycle as is necessary with my style of dehydrator with the heating element and fan in the lid.  At that stage the peas were looking good - drying nicely.

Later when I went to remove the dried peas from the trays I found that each and every tray had developed small areas of mold.  I don't know why.

I had to toss the whole works.  Sigh.

I do believe I will be either canning or freezing peas from now on.

On the bright side, although it is snowing again, the temperature here in Minnesota is finally above zero.  The weather guessers tell us that in a weeks time we may see close to 40 degrees.  Above.  Zero.

Dig out the sun block and flip flops.  We're having a Heat Wave.  :)

24 comments:

  1. Trying another test to see if a different format makes a difference.

    Fern

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  2. Vicki, I haven't been able to comment for a while. I am trying again so you may get some interesting submissions.

    Blessings! Fern

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    1. Hi Fern...Another person who comments often was having problems here as well. I have no clue as I have changed nothing. Glad you were able to figure it out as it is good to hear from you. Stay warm!!

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  3. Yea Fern, nice to see you here.

    About dehydrating - my nemesis is corn. Still can't get that right, yet.

    The weather here has warmed up as well...Up to freezing. Brrrr. I was fortunate to be able to stay home during the worst of the weather and the snow
    Take care. Enjoy those naps and the fuzzy green blanket.
    Cheers, SJ in Vancouver BC Canada

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    1. SJ...As I don't have access to fresh corn any more, I dehydrate the frozen with no problem. Wish I could say the same for peas!

      Haven't felt the need for a nap today, but who knows. The day is still young. :) Glad to hear it is warmer in your corner of the world. Take good care.

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  5. I saw the typo after I published. Fixed now.

    I heard that peas are better if you place them in a container and impart a circular motion to the container.
    Yep, give whirled peas a chance. :)

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    1. Note to self: Never read one of John's comments while drinking coffee!

      Good one, John. Took me a minute, but good one!

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    2. I'd read it somewhere, but I don't recall where.

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    3. John...Wherever the origin, it is funny. Made me laugh. Thanks!

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  6. Sorry to hear about the peas. No one wants to see that money and effort go into the garbage.

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  7. BTW, is there any way that your son can use such things to feed the birds?

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    1. Gorges...Sometimes mistakes can be spendy, but we learn. The building where my apartment and my son's apartment are located is in the middle of a small downtown area. No trees. No place for a bird feeder. I hated to toss the peas, but there were no alternatives.

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  8. Good afternoon Vicki. I hope this day finds you well. I dry peas at 130 degrees and rotate the trays every two hours. So far so good. Right now I have peas, corn, green and yellow squash dehydrating. Tomorrow I'll be roasting 4 chickens, stripping the meat, vacuum packing it, then into the freezer. Bones and skin get turned into broth. We will be planting the onion sets this weekend. No if I can keep one of my cats from eating them, it will be good. She has a thing for the skins. Red

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    1. OK Red...that makes sense. I had the temp set about the same but only rotated the trays once. And thinking about it, it might have worked better with fewer trays - I had 10. I may have to give this one more try. Thanks.

      Great minds and all that...I have 2 whole chickens in the freezer and will be ordering 2 more next week with the plan to do the same thing.

      Oh Lordy - a cat with onion breath! They do like to nibble on some strange things. Good luck and take care.

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    2. It's not the onion breath. It's the cat farts. They'll strip paint. Red

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    3. My eyes are watering just thinking about it. You have my deepest sympathy. :)

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    4. How's the humidity where you are right now, Vicki? I'm thinking that if it's too high, the peas won't dry quick enough to avoid mold. You're probably on the right track, reducing the number of trays; less moisture to contend with at the start.

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    5. Oh; and cat farts... How can something so big and evil come from something so small and fluffy???

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    6. Pete...I thought the humidity here was fairly low this time of year, but after checking the local weather reports I find that it is at about 75%. I think I will try again when the frozen veggies go on sale, and use what I have learned from all of you good people. This last time was undoubtedly operator error.

      I have never had to deal with cat farts, but I did have a dog that would drop a bomb and then hide behind the couch until the room cleared. Nobody can tell me that animals are dumb!!

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  9. When we adopted our newest furry family member, she had just had her babies adopted out the prior week. Her poo stank worse than a group of teen boys eating tacos and refried beans. The onion skins are mild in comparison. Red

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    1. My friend...you do have a way with words!! Sounds to me like Stinky Animals Inc. is headquartered at your house. Having raised teen boys, I thought they had the market on odors all sewn up. I stand corrected. :)

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  10. Not sure if this is a stupid question or not, but can mashed peas be dehydrated, and if so, would the result be worth the effort?

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