The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

Si_Clist

cuddlymarm said:

... I sometimes regret my parents instilling good manners in me so I can’t be rude to old ladies. 

I used to have the same problem.  Then, as I passed 70 myself, I finally came to accept that if a person's being self-centred, stupid, ignorant or whatever, neither their age nor their gender automatically exempts them.  Not being rude to wrinklies is one of those things like not speaking ill of the dead ...

[Deleted User]

If it needs saying, there are ways of saying excuse me, I think there are many people waiting to come in and it's raining so would you mind moving through the shop rather than chatting here so that I can come past and get the things I want and so that they can come in, most people would not take offence at that and most people would realise they were causing a problem and move on fairly swiftly.  Not all though, some would be most put out so there would inevitably be some ruffled feathers because they would feel foolish for not having considered they were holding others up. Some wouldn't care they were being a blockage but most would move and smile and say 'oh sorry'.

Rowan9

If it helps, I found that people with masks or scarves were still keeping social distance when I went shopping yesterday. 

CCW007

Mrs LW, when you dehydrate carrots do you do anything other than slice them? Seen some guides that suggest blanching them first which seems OTT to me.

[Deleted User]

No, I sliced them on the diagonal so more surface to evaporate from and just popped them straight on to the racks in the dehydrator,  they dry well and reconstitute well too.  They carry on shrinking a bit after they're in the jar and so far I've not got any dampness visible in there so I think they dried 99%.

CCW007

MrsLurcherwalker said:

No, I sliced them on the diagonal so more surface to evaporate from and just popped them straight on to the racks in the dehydrator,  they dry well and reconstitute well too.  They carry on shrinking a bit after they're in the jar and so far I've not got any dampness visible in there so I think they dried 99%.

Thank you, did some recently but it was a faff to blanch them first and I was sure it wasn't necessary.  I like the idea of cutting them at an angle and they might end up a bit bigger than the last lot I did!

[Deleted User]

We call them 'goldfish carrots' coined by the girls when they were little and it's stuck.  They really do shrink a great deal, I had 4 trays of raw carrot goldfish and I have half of a 1 litre kilner jar of dried!

-taff

This has probably aready been asked but what dehydrators have you got ad how do you find them for ease of use?

[Deleted User]

I have a big 9 tray Excalibur dehydrator and it's the simplest thing to operate,  pop what needs dehydrating on the perforated trays consult the book for the correct temperature and turn it on for the time necessary.  It has a temperature dial on the top of the casing and I've got a solid sheet for making fruit leathers.  It was a joint Christmas present from the family some years ago so I have no idea of cost.  It's easy to operate and very effective for storing crops without any power source.  I find the dry veg and fruit rehydrate well although there is always a slight change in texture because of the processing.  I change position of the trays once every couple of hours, top to bottom and all in between up one shelf to ensure evenness of drying.  I find that it sometimes takes a little longer than the recommended time for things to be completely dry but that's because I hand slice rather than using a mandolin.

boultdj

I've got the round Lakeland dehydrator, just got on/off button on that, and I also swap trays over every couple of hours.
Lynn, have you done courgettes in the dehydrator? If so, which would you say is the best shape to cut them in? I'm thinking for soup's and stew's, seeing as 7 of the 12 plant's have survived and are taking over the greenhouse, I am seeing a hopeful glut of courgettes in my future. TIA.