Preparedness for when

sb44

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Could large quantities of food (eg from catering size tins of things) be dehydrated? There are various videos on Youtube about solar dehydrating for those that don't have dehydrators as such and a hot climate like Greece would possibly be a better bet for trying to dehydrate things that way????

Don't forget that you can also dehydrate frozen veg.

I only discovered that recently so gave it a go last week.

I don't buy much from Tesco these days but saw online that their value bags of mixed frozen veg were only £1, so not much to lose if I cocked up!



Anyway, I divided the 1.3kg bag up between 4 trays and set it to about 65 or 70 degrees for about 6 hours.

That bag of veg now fits into a 400g glass jar!

I chucked a teaspoon of it into a bowl of hot water and left it to rehydrate, it came out fine.

The benefit I can see to this is that you can just add a couple of tbs of veg to a stew or whatever should the SHTF and it saves you opening cans and wasting uneaten veg. I am talking of a non power situation, so no freezer or fridge to store leftover food.

The downside to this is the smell, as the bags contain small pieces of cauli, so you def need a window open when dehydrating.

sb44

By the way folks, for those wanting to make beef jerky in their dehydrators.

I tried this at the weekend and will def do it again.

Buy a packet of Pastrami (decent sized pack in Iceland or smaller in Heron stores).

I bought a couple of reduced price pastrami from Heron, divided it between 4 trays and dried on max temp (70 deg on my dehydrator) for 5 hours.

OMG, I am def going to make jerky again this way, I will try the meat from Iceland next time and see how it compares.

The pastrami in Heron is quite red compared to the one in Iceland, I think it has more chili in than the browner meat.

Def give it a go folks, worth buying a dehydrator just for that.

grandma247

I do bags of mixed veg that has no cauliflower in it. I chuck it in the slowcooker in stews and soups. Onions are fantastic dehydrated. A real convenience ingredient.

mardatha

Down the Lane is a really lovely forum, and they have a fb group as well.

sb44

grandma247 wrote: »

I do bags of mixed veg that has no cauliflower in it. I chuck it in the slowcooker in stews and soups. Onions are fantastic dehydrated. A real convenience ingredient.

Doesn't the whole house reek of onions though?

grandma247

I don't mind the smell of onions and they dry quite quickly if you don't cut them too thick. I usually do a large sack over a couple of days or so. That way I have enough for quite a long while.

grandma247

At the moment my house smells of vinegar and spices. I made 8 jars of pickled red cabbage and did some pickled radish with the 39p veg from Aldee. I have 3 green cabbages to deal with tomorrow from the same offer.

sb44

There are lots of food items you may not be able to get if we had a SHTF situation and although some may be ok in cans, some are nicer dried. Mushrooms are great dehydrated, if you put them in a jar straight away they stay crunchy, I love eating them as a snack!

Before drying I slice the stems, dry them and then put them in my grinder/blitzer to make a fine powder. Comes out really tasty.

grandma247

Yes I use mushroom powder too it adds to the flavour of all kinds of food.
Tomato powder is great for thickening and adding depth to the flavour of tomato rich foods such as Spaghetti sauces.

Frugalsod

lobbyludd wrote: »

DUCKS

hope this isn't OT - does anyone here keep ducks? I would really like to get some next year - it has been a wish of mine for a long time, and I think the last remaining feline overlord has got to an age where he won't be bothered by them.

Is there an association/book/website you could recommend as a stater for me to think about/read up on and then I would like a way of contacting a reputable duck keeper with a view to spending some time learning the hands on reality of it before committing us and some fowl to a life together.

any help gratefully received.

Well apparently at least one MP might be able to help you, but just be wary should he suggest any duck house for them. His ducks did not like his choice.

Though on a more serious note are there any farms nearby? Many farms have ducks and if you ask nicely they might help you.