GRAB YOUR CANNING JOURNAL HERE: marvelous-thinker-7971.ck.page/products/mycanningjournal LINK to AUTOMATICALLY GET canning recipes (w/ video) directly to your inbox each time I post on YT: tinyurl.com/4nadvnrd.
Thank you for this video, I purchased a dehydrator, and when it arrived, I started to question if I really needed it or not! I'm a foodie and a cook, and I always found ways to use alternatives. Your video gave me the kick I needed to get that dehydrator to work! ❤
I really don't know how you aren't the biggest homesteading channel on TH-cam?!! I absolutely adore your channel. You're the only one who makes me smile the second I see you upload a new video! You have a contagious sun like energy that draws you in... Great video as always and I can't wait to try these!
Tip from an old country girl: drippings from pork is called lard. Drippings from beef is tallow. Tallow is firmer and has a much more pronounced (delicious!) flavor. Tallow is more suitable for candle making and some types of soap. If you make meal cakes for wild birds or your farm poultry, tallow will keep them warmer, be easier to mold into a cake, and will stay fresh outdoors for longer. OTOH, pork lard, softer with a much milder flavor is absolutely essential for Mexican cooking and my Aunt Vivian's Flaky Biscuits. Love your energy and content - keep up the good work!
You are absolutely correct about beef/ pork = tallow/ lard. The reason for my comment is this. Hamburger that we get from the store is ground beef with pork fat added in different percentages to obtain the lean, extra lean or regular grade so even though she is cooking a mainly beef product, the fat that melts off in this case will be mostly pork fat. Whatever the drippings are from cooking store bought ground beef actually are considering the mix of cow and pig I have no idea but I did find it interesting she found a good use for it. I usually just drain mine then burn it when having an outdoor fire or just throw it away and it always bothers me to waste anything especially if it came from an animal.
@@shyamlynn243 I didn't know about the pork fat - thanks for the info! I agree 100% with your ethical stance. I am not a vegan and regularly consume animal products. However, I am very mindful to use every scrap of the carcass to honor that animal's sacrifice.
The solution to the onions is to follow behind them with potatoes. Not only does it remove the smell from the dehydrator it neutralizes it in the house too.
I’m late to the game, but I know how you can dehydrate onions without the overwhelming smell. I cook mine in my Instant Pot with a quarter cup of water and cook for one minute. Drain and dehydrate. Of course you can smell it, but it’s nothing that makes you want to leave the house. You can go farther and caramelize the onions before dehydrating, which is also very good.
Wait...WHAT? Mary, you better not be pulling my chain?! This sounds AMAZING. As I shared, I only stopped dehydrating onions not because of taste, but because of the days of the lingering smell. I would love to caramelize them beforehand just to add that savory flavor. Thank you for sharing this valuable tip!
I'm just gonna say it, "I love you"! Your energy and enthusiasm for preserving and homesteading. I've been sitting here in my chair recouperating from cervical surgery and waiting impatiently to be able to start working in the kitchen again and you cheer me up!
Hello MsCyndiloowhoo! Your name is becoming a familiar face in these parts😜. Firstly, I immediately stopped and prayed that our Father will bless you with a full recovery. That’s a lot of stress so I am so glad to be a source of distraction for you! Give yourself the time you need to jump back in the kitchen, but like you, my small little garden and kitchen are my happy place. I’m sending the love right back! 🥰🥰
I heard some giggling in the pantry tool cabinet, and there I found my dehydrator making out with my vacuum packer. They are such a good match, they preserve flavour and protect against rancidity.
Hi! I just found you today and have been binge watching you all afternoon. We moved onto our homestead (after living in town) last summer. We just got sheep this weekend and are loving the homesteading lifestyle. People thought we were crazy (we're in our early 50's) but they also admire us and said they wished they had the "guts" to live their dream instead of being stuck in a 9-5 like society says you have to. Blessings as you continue to inspire others in this awesome way of life!
Hi Brenda Ball, I am in the NW Mountains of Me, I'm 62 & prepping to get chickens next spring if everything goes to plan, been working steady building homestead for past 5 yrs, I'm lucky, I have a good strong man by my side, I'm disabled so am very limited on what I can do, but I always push myself as far as I can to keep going. We have 11 raised beds, & a 30x40 ground garden. We just got a dog, which has been a good& bad addition, hopefully won't have issues with him & chickens but he is keeping predators out.
@@HappyLlama1234 I saw your message to Brenda regarding how to make money on a homestead and thought I would share a bit of my experience in hopes of giving you ideas. 😊 My husband and I started started homesteading 2 years ago. All of our free time went into building shelters for our animals, building raised beds, learning how to garden, pressure can, etc. it’s a lot of physical work but it’s the best work we have ever done. We are both 59. I wanted to take part in farmers markets and create a product that could be in shops nearby, so I built a small candle business. Although my husband goes into the office still, we are creating an 18 month plan so he can step off. We currently have goats, chickens, meat rabbits and bees. We sell rabbits, chickens and eggs and will sell honey next year. Part of our plan is to roll out 3 more avenues to bring in enough income to sustain this life style. One huge factor is living very simply and get by with a lot less. We come from high paying careers and never paid attention to the cost of things because of it. Not anymore. It became a huge change in our minds and it’s crazy that it took us this long to figure things out. Ways of making money can be as simple as offering to give an elderly person company to give a family member a break. :) Depending on what you like doing and what you’ve done, you can bring those talents to the next thing.
I can honestly say that this was THE MOST EXCITING "will or will not do again" video I have ever seen. I love the way you incorporated the 'how to' into this video. I love home dehydrated onions. I feel they have way more onion flavor than store bought ones. They do like to smell up the house and hang for a bit though. I set my dehydrator up in a rarely used room that I keep the door shut, put a box fan in the open window and set the dehydrator up in front of the fan so that the smell gets sucked out the window... or at least, a good bit of the smell.
Hey Momma Gator! Aww, thanks! You’ve given me a point to consider…we do have an guest room upstairs that I could put the dehydrator in and crack the window. It has a ceiling fan too so I’ll give that a try while the weather is still cool. I just love a good too. Thanks for sharing!
unbelievably, I paused this video several times just to absorb the content. You are amazing and I’m not quite sure why you’re just now come up on my feed. I love homesteading, canning, meal prep, gardening videos and am always striving to learn more. Something is truly wrong with the youtube algorithm because you should have come up long ago. keep up the beautiful content. it is so well crafted like you have a production team. I never leave comment, but had to figure it out for you. Don’t stop! Keep going! You’re a natural. Know let me go back to video and keep up. 😂
Blanched or caramelized onions don't smell up the house. Glad you shared Heidi's channel. Rain Country is a treasure. A Purposeful Pantry is strong on dehydrating tips as well.
You are quickly moving to the top of my “must watch” TH-camrs. I just love your videos. One request: can there be less music over the talking bits? As a mostly deaf person it becomes overwhelming to try to focus on the words. Keep up the good work, you’re very inspiring.
Hello Imjetta! Thanks for saying hello! Whoa, I hope I can met your expectations! Thank you for the kindly stated feedback, I can certainly do that (which makes a lot of sense and I want to be accommodating to as many folks as possible). You’ll see improvement!
Thanks for consideration regarding sensory input for folks that are mostly deaf. Yes, we do have difficulty in hearing words in low volume. But sadly, we also have difficulty in distinguishing the different sounds as well.
Cassandra, try dehydrating the strawberries and blueberries frozen from the store, you don't need to do anything to the blueberries, but will have to slice the strawberries down a bit, but when they're frozen they don't tear keep their shape and color. I love them in muffins and cakes 😁 Thanks for sharing this! I'm going to dehydrate some hamburger soon!
Once again, you go above and beyond what most creators are sharing. I appreciate the time you take to show us how you process your food and what are some possibilities. Recently, I brought my OLD Mr. Coffee dehydrator out from storage and plugged it in. I started with a small amount of frozen veggies as a test. Your video has inspired me to keep going!
I'm so happy to hear this, Laura! That's exactly how I started..with a 1 or 2 jars of this or that, determined how I'd like it/if I'd use and and over time I've now built up a small fleet of items that I truly do prefer to dehydrate. Canning, remains my favorite preservation method, but dehydrating comes in handy too!
Absolutely! When I first started canning I skipped over so many different recipes because I thought “How am o going to get any real use out of this to make it worth my time” I’m happy to pass ideas along!
Mushrooms are by far my favorite thing to dehydrate with broccoli being a close 2nd. It's great for making a quick broccoli cheese soup or mix into rice or pasta.
This woman is too good to be true, just everything about her and her ideas and skills as well as her cadence, demeanor and being aesthetically pleasing.
This is incredibly kind of you to say! It’s crazy to think that just a few generations ago these tips and tricks were common knowledge to most folks. Traditional skills still have so much value even in a modern world! Blessings to you, my friend!
Where is the love button for this video?? I think you just changed my life!! Keeping making videos! I'm binging them all right now and I know I'll be coming back again and again to rewatch just about all of these!
Hello iHARTGwen! Awww, you are too sweet! I'm happy to pass along what I've learned (and learn from others too). If I can preserve it or learn to make it myself, I'm all about it! Thanks for saying hello!
I found your channel from the recommendation of Rachel @1870's Homestead and I'm so glad she mentioned you. I've been binge watching your channel since last night LOL! I love the way you use examples of how to use the canned items and the dehydrated items. I have never dehydrated hamburger, but I have canned it. I may have to try a little bit and see how I like it.
Hi Laurie! Rachel has been too kind to me! I have been overwhelmed (in the best way possible) by her community! Hi hats how I started, with just a little bit! Now I easily dehydrate it by the pints. Keep me posted! Thanks for saying hello!
@@BecomingaFarmGirl I will definitely let you know! Keep those videos coming! I only started canning a couple years ago and dehydrating then as well. I still learn every day!
I love the berries blended with apples and make my kids their own fruit roll ups - great healthy snacks. Shove a bunch of fruit - sometimes veg (kale/beets/pumpkin) in the blender and then pour onto the dehydrator - its awesome.
Having a mandoline slicer.has been a huge time saver. My apples, potatoes, oranges, beets are all nicely sliced at the same thickness...I did get lucky and mine at goodwill a fraction of the cost.
I love the personality you put into your videos. They are beautifully presented and fun to watch. Thanks for your hard work & the inspiration you provide.
Hi 👋🏾 Sandi! I’m so happy to hear this! You know that saying to “just be yourself because everyone else is taken”? I’ve decided to lean into who I am-quirks, mild sass, and sometimes quiet because that’s who I am. I think the food God gives us and the work so many of us do in our kitchens and homes is beautiful. Even with amateur camera skills I like to give a nod to the what so many of us do everyday! Thank you for your kind words, Sandi!
You are 🔥! I was completely uninterested in dehydrating - I wasn’t even going to watch this video. Now I’m buying a dehydrator! Love your content! Thank you for all you do!
Today is the first day I’ve seen your chanel. I absolutely love your enthusiasm and your presentation of dehydrated foods. I will be watching your chanel agin and dehydrating more food. Thanks so much!
Hi R Beaver! I had to share my lesson learned from a previous ordering mistake-when I was fussing with those other silicon cups that’s exactly what came to mind!!!
I love the speed of your videos and how much content you cram in! I usually have to speed up others movies to 1.75, because they are stretching out content. Whereas you...I am like whoa....lets rewatch that because that was a ton of info!
I have some tips for fruit: Cantaloupe and Galia melons pack a punch in taste once dried. Of course, one full melon will not even give a full jar of dried melon, but the taste..... So good! Cherries are also great. The riper they are when you buy them, the better, but they too pack a punch in taste. I'll say they even taste better dried than fresh. Pineapples are also very tasty once dried. Sometimes they might have a bit of sour taste, but I think that's a nice change from all the sweetness of other fruit. I have loads of food allergies and found I CAN have fruit when I have dried it, so I dehydrate those two melon varieties, cherries, nectarines, peaches, pineapple, bananas (dipped in lemon water they don't loose their colour for me.) and apples. In the future I'll also try carrots and winter carrots, zucchini, aubergine and cucumber. Have fun dehydrating!
Good video thanks. Love to dehydrate fruits, apricot, peaches, pears. Squirrel them away for fried pies. I dehydrate in my garage. Fruits smell delicious in your car. No problem. Remember to leave your car outside when you dehydrate onions. It was awful. Thanks for all the ideas.
LOL…For the first time ever, I bought & prepared that very same boxed au gratin potatoes. I was quite disappointed with how little it made and it definitely needed more cheese powder. It was a pleasant surprise to see your video as I was eating my potatoes. Now I know what my first dehydrating project will be😊.
You have become my newest, best friend! So happy to be invited into your home. You are awesome. Whenever you are in Northeast Georgia, please come over and visit.
For onions and leeks, I put my dehydrator in the garage on top of the chest freezer. I'm into the freezer often enough that I can't forget the dehydrator more than a day. My favorite dehydrator project is shredded cabbage. I love being able to make cabbage soup on a random morning when I don't have fresh cabbage on hand and don't want to get dressed yet to run to the store. I love cabbage soup unreasonably. I hate dehydrating celery, but I do it because I hate not having celery when I want it even more. Maybe it's my dehydrator, but it literally takes 2-3 DAYS to dry. Grr.
I love dehydrated onions. I dehydrate frozen onions. (Learned drom Darcy at The Purposeful Pantry). They are great to have on the shelf and way less smelly when dehydrating.
Thank you, sweet friend! Yes-there is still so much you can busy yourself with learning even without land or livestock. It’ll still be many years until a small homestead happens for us, but until then there is much JOY to be had along the journey! I appreciate your kind words!
I love the idea of powdering strawberries for smoothies. I recently dehydrated some collards and turnip greens to add to grits bowls and that’s a keeper!
I have been thinking about getting a food dehydrator for quite some time. Your video is the most interesting and informative one I’ve seen and I wanted to thank you. You showed me some great ideas too! I’m definitely getting a dehydrator for Christmas!🎄
On your onions, I think, if you freeze them first and then dehydrate they won't be that smelly! However, if you know someone with a freeze dryer see if you can barter to get them to freeze dry onions for you. Oh, my gosh what a difference. The freeze dried ones powder up nicely or can be used as is in recipes. Love your videos!!!
Wow! I never would have thought of ground beef. Thank you for sharing. I have loved watching others talk about what they will or won’t can again, but now I get to go down the dehydrator rabbit hole!
This just popped up just as I was telling my husband this Excalibur 9 layer dehydrator I saved & scouted for a good deal on for 3 years was gonna take a LOT of practice. As I pick tiny pieces of corners of apple sour cherry fruit leather I poured too thin in Press N Seal(don’t use Saran Wrap or have silicone sheets for it) as directed tho my gut said “parchment”. Knowing when something is dried enough & not dust. I did 5 large bunches of bananas dipped in a honey/sugar/splash of lemon dip. Sliced them with a mandolin-took forever, but they taste like candy. We just snack on them. Berries-nope. Unless I’m making powder
I have to say, I only recently found your channel and have learned so much. At first I just watched because I love your personality and the education you were giving me. But, I have many limitations, physical and I also have no outdoor space or storage space. I live in low income apartments. BUT, THIS VIDEO MADE ME SEE THINGS DIFFERENTLY!!!! I absolutely could DEHYDRATE FOOD and I LOVE THAT! Thank you so much for taking the time to make these videos! I JUST LOVE YOU and feel like I just met my new best friend. One who enriches my life! Please keep sharing your knowledge and experience with us.
Your dehydration ideas...all I can say is GO GIRL!!! Now, I've never been the thieving kind, and I used to hate it when people would steal my food out of the office fridge, BUT... If we worked together, you'd have to send HR after for me 'cause I'd be coming after your office pantry like the zinger zapper!!! Btw, I've never seen an office pantry before(you're so creative), but it's FABULOUS!! would make a wonderful video idea. Thanks for another great video.
Hi 👋🏾 Pearl! You’re my kinda gal. While everyone else wastes money having lunch delivered everyday, I’m like-nope, I’m bringing my jars to work! People always think it’s last nights leftovers because it smells so good, but little do they know it’s been on my shelf more months! I didn’t even think of an office pantry tour! I can add that to my list for sure. I’d love to be your office mate-at least I know I’d get the jars back (and filled with something good)!
I love that you shared ideas of how to actually use the dehydrated foods! I just got a dehydrator for my birthday, but have only done fruits for snacks so far. The banana peel fertilizer is intriguing. And I’d love for you to elaborate sometime on turning the strawberry tops into a scoby. I’ve been trying to develop a taste for kombucha, but the bottled ones I’ve been buying from Aldi add up!
I really loved this video! My biggest dehydrating success is zucchinis. Sliced and quartered they are fantastic in soups and spaghetti sauce throughout the year.
Rinsing takes the flabor with the oils rinsed off. Try instead using a cotton cloth under your beef on the food dryer tray. Check out Rain Country Homestead.
Just found you while finding out how to dehydrate. I was not thinking of buying a dehydrator, but after watching this video I may get the size you are using. Thank you for sharing, like your delivery. I will like, share and subscribe.
I found your comments about the dehydrated fruit to be quite similar to my own feelings. I was thinking other than a couple of options, I wasn’t going to dehydrate fruit anymore. THEN my 9 year old granddaughter was sharing with me the other day about how her dad (our son) was telling her about the delicious fruit leather Grammy made and how he loved eating it as a kid. Needless to say, I’ll be at least using some of the berries now to mash up and dry as fruit leather mostly for my granddaughter but also as a surprise for our son. Oh what we do for our children and grandchildren! As always a fun and educational video!!
Your videos are so professional and so fun to watch! If you will caramelize those onions before drying it will be so worth it !!!! oh my,nothing like them!
Hi Mary! I've gotten so much feedback about sticking with dehydrating onions that I am most certain I'll give it another go! And wow, you're the first to recommend caramelizing them and I KNOW that's gonna be good! I'll have to give onions and garlic a try before the hot and humid days of summer arrive. I'm so glad to hear you enjoy watching!
So glad to see this video. All the greens from my farmers market that are leftover get dehydrated and I sell the Greens flakes and greens powder a few weeks later! It is also the only way Incan get hubby to eat greens. I sneak it into everything and he thinks it is parsley lol
oh nice! I was actually having trouble before finding info on vacuum sealing mason jars. i started watching this for a different interest (learning about dehydration). anyway thank you for sharing your knowledge!
So many great ideas! I still can't understand how a smart and innovative cook like you remains thin. All your meals must taste like manna. Please keep sharing your tips and methods!
I love how you give us options of how to use your favorite foods. I grow my own garlic, so I understand the aromas that alliums put off in the dehydrator. I only do it outside, but finding a day when the weather is good and I have the time and motivation isn’t easy. That would explain why I have had a bag of garlic on my kitchen table for a month.
You are so welcome! I hear you about the garlic (and finding time)--give yourself some grace girlfriend, we're all juggling a million things these days! :)
you just make your videos so fun! I also learned about the brake bleeder and vacuum chamber from Heidi at rain country and also purchased her husband's vacuum chamber. Love your ground strawberry idea. Can't wait to try it. I learned a lot in this video.
Don't you just love Heidi?! The tip to use a break bleeder was made thrifting my (first) dehydrator financially reasonable. I've had mine for years, no problems. Always good to see you Great Granny Free Bird!
I md prefer to use a brake breeder but I don’t have the energy to do it. I use the little handheld vacuum (a separate unit from a vacuum sealer) which works great and much easier, however, after using it for a couple months, I’m afraid now to eat anything because I don’t know if it sucked all of the air out. I thought about a vacuum chamber…….
New subscriber!❤ I'm a 66 yo Texas gal who retired in beautiful Arkansas. I buy dehydrated treats for my dog from a FB friend, but I'm looking into this to save $, thanks for your great explanations.
Hi Donna! Honey, sometimes I’m overwhelmed by my scraps (you should see my basement freezer) because I can’t throw anything away! I mean, these are amazing products that allow you to extend the use of what you have to buy or can outright replace it. Always good to see you!
This is great, thank you! I’ve never dried berries or hamburger before, now I want do try that. The only onions I’ve dehydrated are ones I caramelized in my crockpot. My favourite thing to dehydrate is tomatoes, I use them a lot.
So glad I found your channel, I'm in Australia and I just got a small farm block (1 acre) I want to live a semi homesteading lifestyle and was thinking a dehydrator would be amazing. You have absolutely inspired me!
Just found your channel, and it's gold. Love your pacing and you are just blasting out real information. By real, I mean actual useful stuff that humans benifit from.
Thank you for this video! I don't think I have watched a video with so much information packed into such a short video! I am hitting the notification button so that I don't miss another video!
Melissa K Norris says blueberries can be froze to break the skins then dehydrated. I make scones frequently and add dehydrated fruits. Getting ready to pop them into the dehydrator now. I have a large crop this year and dried fruit is so expensive!!! Will followup.
GRAB YOUR CANNING JOURNAL HERE: marvelous-thinker-7971.ck.page/products/mycanningjournal
LINK to AUTOMATICALLY GET canning recipes (w/ video) directly to your inbox each time I post on YT: tinyurl.com/4nadvnrd.
Will you marry me? (kidding - I'm already married, but you are great!)
Thank you for this video, I purchased a dehydrator, and when it arrived, I started to question if I really needed it or not!
I'm a foodie and a cook, and I always found ways to use alternatives. Your video gave me the kick I needed to get that dehydrator to work! ❤
I really don't know how you aren't the biggest homesteading channel on TH-cam?!!
I absolutely adore your channel. You're the only one who makes me smile the second I see you upload a new video! You have a contagious sun like energy that draws you in...
Great video as always and I can't wait to try these!
Tip from an old country girl: drippings from pork is called lard. Drippings from beef is tallow. Tallow is firmer and has a much more pronounced (delicious!) flavor. Tallow is more suitable for candle making and some types of soap. If you make meal cakes for wild birds or your farm poultry, tallow will keep them warmer, be easier to mold into a cake, and will stay fresh outdoors for longer. OTOH, pork lard, softer with a much milder flavor is absolutely essential for Mexican cooking and my Aunt Vivian's Flaky Biscuits. Love your energy and content - keep up the good work!
Exactly. Soap. candles, and mincemeat (if you like that. ugh.). Tallow.
You are absolutely correct about beef/ pork = tallow/ lard.
The reason for my comment is this.
Hamburger that we get from the store is ground beef with pork fat added in different percentages to obtain the lean, extra lean or regular grade so even though she is cooking a mainly beef product, the fat that melts off in this case will be mostly pork fat.
Whatever the drippings are from cooking store bought ground beef actually are considering the mix of cow and pig I have no idea but I did find it interesting she found a good use for it. I usually just drain mine then burn it when having an outdoor fire or just throw it away and it always bothers me to waste anything especially if it came from an animal.
@@shyamlynn243 I didn't know about the pork fat - thanks for the info! I agree 100% with your ethical stance. I am not a vegan and regularly consume animal products. However, I am very mindful to use every scrap of the carcass to honor that animal's sacrifice.
Great information! ❤
@@BobbieXxoo You're welcome.
Dehydrated fruit mixed with nuts makes a brilliant snack for kids lunch box
The solution to the onions is to follow behind them with potatoes. Not only does it remove the smell from the dehydrator it neutralizes it in the house too.
I’m late to the game, but I know how you can dehydrate onions without the overwhelming smell. I cook mine in my Instant Pot with a quarter cup of water and cook for one minute. Drain and dehydrate. Of course you can smell it, but it’s nothing that makes you want to leave the house. You can go farther and caramelize the onions before dehydrating, which is also very good.
Wait...WHAT? Mary, you better not be pulling my chain?! This sounds AMAZING. As I shared, I only stopped dehydrating onions not because of taste, but because of the days of the lingering smell. I would love to caramelize them beforehand just to add that savory flavor. Thank you for sharing this valuable tip!
Rose Red Homestead dehydrates only Walla Walla sweet onions. She says the smell isn't overpowering...
All stinkies get done on the patio outside😅
I would've never thought of that.
Whish I had read this before i turned my dehydrator on before going to sleep last night. I swear my sofa smells like onions now.
I'm just gonna say it, "I love you"! Your energy and enthusiasm for preserving and homesteading. I've been sitting here in my chair recouperating from cervical surgery and waiting impatiently to be able to start working in the kitchen again and you cheer me up!
Hello MsCyndiloowhoo! Your name is becoming a familiar face in these parts😜. Firstly, I immediately stopped and prayed that our Father will bless you with a full recovery. That’s a lot of stress so I am so glad to be a source of distraction for you! Give yourself the time you need to jump back in the kitchen, but like you, my small little garden and kitchen are my happy place. I’m sending the love right back! 🥰🥰
I heard some giggling in the pantry tool cabinet, and there I found my dehydrator making out with my vacuum packer. They are such a good match, they preserve flavour and protect against rancidity.
Hi! I just found you today and have been binge watching you all afternoon. We moved onto our homestead (after living in town) last summer. We just got sheep this weekend and are loving the homesteading lifestyle. People thought we were crazy (we're in our early 50's) but they also admire us and said they wished they had the "guts" to live their dream instead of being stuck in a 9-5 like society says you have to. Blessings as you continue to inspire others in this awesome way of life!
Hello! I would love to know how you make money because I am thinking about homesteading as well!
Hi Brenda Ball, I am in the NW Mountains of Me, I'm 62 & prepping to get chickens next spring if everything goes to plan, been working steady building homestead for past 5 yrs, I'm lucky, I have a good strong man by my side, I'm disabled so am very limited on what I can do, but I always push myself as far as I can to keep going. We have 11 raised beds, & a 30x40 ground garden. We just got a dog, which has been a good& bad addition, hopefully won't have issues with him & chickens but he is keeping predators out.
@@pamschonfarber1041 Thank you for sharing. That is inspiring!
@@HappyLlama1234 I saw your message to Brenda regarding how to make money on a homestead and thought I would share a bit of my experience in hopes of giving you ideas. 😊 My husband and I started started homesteading 2 years ago. All of our free time went into building shelters for our animals, building raised beds, learning how to garden, pressure can, etc. it’s a lot of physical work but it’s the best work we have ever done. We are both 59. I wanted to take part in farmers markets and create a product that could be in shops nearby, so I built a small candle business. Although my husband goes into the office still, we are creating an 18 month plan so he can step off. We currently have goats, chickens, meat rabbits and bees. We sell rabbits, chickens and eggs and will sell honey next year. Part of our plan is to roll out 3 more avenues to bring in enough income to sustain this life style. One huge factor is living very simply and get by with a lot less. We come from high paying careers and never paid attention to the cost of things because of it. Not anymore. It became a huge change in our minds and it’s crazy that it took us this long to figure things out. Ways of making money can be as simple as offering to give an elderly person company to give a family member a break. :) Depending on what you like doing and what you’ve done, you can bring those talents to the next thing.
I can honestly say that this was THE MOST EXCITING "will or will not do again" video I have ever seen. I love the way you incorporated the 'how to' into this video.
I love home dehydrated onions. I feel they have way more onion flavor than store bought ones. They do like to smell up the house and hang for a bit though. I set my dehydrator up in a rarely used room that I keep the door shut, put a box fan in the open window and set the dehydrator up in front of the fan so that the smell gets sucked out the window... or at least, a good bit of the smell.
Hey Momma Gator! Aww, thanks! You’ve given me a point to consider…we do have an guest room upstairs that I could put the dehydrator in and crack the window. It has a ceiling fan too so I’ll give that a try while the weather is still cool. I just love a good too. Thanks for sharing!
unbelievably, I paused this video several times just to absorb the content. You are amazing and I’m not quite sure why you’re just now come up on my feed. I love homesteading, canning, meal prep, gardening videos and am always striving to learn more. Something is truly wrong with the youtube algorithm because you should have come up long ago. keep up the beautiful content. it is so well crafted like you have a production team. I never leave comment, but had to figure it out for you. Don’t stop! Keep going! You’re a natural. Know let me go back to video and keep up. 😂
Blanched or caramelized onions don't smell up the house. Glad you shared Heidi's channel. Rain Country is a treasure. A Purposeful Pantry is strong on dehydrating tips as well.
You are quickly moving to the top of my “must watch” TH-camrs. I just love your videos.
One request: can there be less music over the talking bits? As a mostly deaf person it becomes overwhelming to try to focus on the words.
Keep up the good work, you’re very inspiring.
Hello Imjetta! Thanks for saying hello! Whoa, I hope I can met your expectations! Thank you for the kindly stated feedback, I can certainly do that (which makes a lot of sense and I want to be accommodating to as many folks as possible). You’ll see improvement!
Thanks for consideration regarding sensory input for folks that are mostly deaf. Yes, we do have difficulty in hearing words in low volume. But sadly, we also have difficulty in distinguishing the different sounds as well.
@@delgadojmar, yes, every hour of every day.
Cassandra, try dehydrating the strawberries and blueberries frozen from the store, you don't need to do anything to the blueberries, but will have to slice the strawberries down a bit, but when they're frozen they don't tear keep their shape and color. I love them in muffins and cakes 😁 Thanks for sharing this! I'm going to dehydrate some hamburger soon!
Once again, you go above and beyond what most creators are sharing. I appreciate the time you take to show us how you process your food and what are some possibilities. Recently, I brought my OLD Mr. Coffee dehydrator out from storage and plugged it in. I started with a small amount of frozen veggies as a test. Your video has inspired me to keep going!
I'm so happy to hear this, Laura! That's exactly how I started..with a 1 or 2 jars of this or that, determined how I'd like it/if I'd use and and over time I've now built up a small fleet of items that I truly do prefer to dehydrate. Canning, remains my favorite preservation method, but dehydrating comes in handy too!
Like everyone else, love that you incorporate how to utilize the things you’ve made!
Absolutely! When I first started canning I skipped over so many different recipes because I thought “How am o going to get any real use out of this to make it worth my time” I’m happy to pass ideas along!
Mushrooms are by far my favorite thing to dehydrate with broccoli being a close 2nd. It's great for making a quick broccoli cheese soup or mix into rice or pasta.
Totally, Kem!!! While broccoli is in season I definitely need to boost my inventory! Lovely to meet ya!
This woman is too good to be true, just everything about her and her ideas and skills as well as her cadence, demeanor and being aesthetically pleasing.
This is incredibly kind of you to say! It’s crazy to think that just a few generations ago these tips and tricks were common knowledge to most folks. Traditional skills still have so much value even in a modern world! Blessings to you, my friend!
Where is the love button for this video?? I think you just changed my life!! Keeping making videos! I'm binging them all right now and I know I'll be coming back again and again to rewatch just about all of these!
Hello iHARTGwen! Awww, you are too sweet! I'm happy to pass along what I've learned (and learn from others too). If I can preserve it or learn to make it myself, I'm all about it! Thanks for saying hello!
I found your channel from the recommendation of Rachel @1870's Homestead and I'm so glad she mentioned you. I've been binge watching your channel since last night LOL! I love the way you use examples of how to use the canned items and the dehydrated items. I have never dehydrated hamburger, but I have canned it. I may have to try a little bit and see how I like it.
Hi Laurie! Rachel has been too kind to me! I have been overwhelmed (in the best way possible) by her community! Hi hats how I started, with just a little bit! Now I easily dehydrate it by the pints. Keep me posted! Thanks for saying hello!
@@BecomingaFarmGirl I will definitely let you know! Keep those videos coming! I only started canning a couple years ago and dehydrating then as well. I still learn every day!
I love the berries blended with apples and make my kids their own fruit roll ups - great healthy snacks. Shove a bunch of fruit - sometimes veg (kale/beets/pumpkin) in the blender and then pour onto the dehydrator - its awesome.
Having a mandoline slicer.has been a huge time saver. My apples, potatoes, oranges, beets are all nicely sliced at the same thickness...I did get lucky and mine at goodwill a fraction of the cost.
I love the personality you put into your videos. They are beautifully presented and fun to watch. Thanks for your hard work & the inspiration you provide.
Hi 👋🏾 Sandi! I’m so happy to hear this! You know that saying to “just be yourself because everyone else is taken”? I’ve decided to lean into who I am-quirks, mild sass, and sometimes quiet because that’s who I am. I think the food God gives us and the work so many of us do in our kitchens and homes is beautiful. Even with amateur camera skills I like to give a nod to the what so many of us do everyday! Thank you for your kind words, Sandi!
I like to have dehydrated tomatoes, peppers and onions on hand to thicken a watery salsa or pasta sauce.
WTF did I just watch!?
You made canning and dehydrating look fun AF. 🤙🏿👍🏾🔥🔥🔥🥂
Haha, it totally is! The reputation that its an outdated or not practical is so not true! Glad you enjoy it!
Young lady I love you and your videos. I am older and you’re teaching me a lot.💜🥰
You are 🔥! I was completely uninterested in dehydrating - I wasn’t even going to watch this video. Now I’m buying a dehydrator! Love your content! Thank you for all you do!
I typed in dehydrating food and a black person was the first video recommended I subscribed immediately I love to see it! 😍😍❤️❤️💐
Today is the first day I’ve seen your chanel. I absolutely love your enthusiasm and your presentation of dehydrated foods. I will be watching your chanel agin and dehydrating more food. Thanks so much!
Excellent video!!!
Gave me a lot of new ideas…
You go girl!!!
😊
stunner
Hahaha....the silicone jackets without holes compared to pulling on some nylons was the perfect description!! Thank you for the video!
Hi R Beaver! I had to share my lesson learned from a previous ordering mistake-when I was fussing with those other silicon cups that’s exactly what came to mind!!!
I love the speed of your videos and how much content you cram in! I usually have to speed up others movies to 1.75, because they are stretching out content. Whereas you...I am like whoa....lets rewatch that because that was a ton of info!
I have some tips for fruit:
Cantaloupe and Galia melons pack a punch in taste once dried. Of course, one full melon will not even give a full jar of dried melon, but the taste..... So good!
Cherries are also great. The riper they are when you buy them, the better, but they too pack a punch in taste. I'll say they even taste better dried than fresh.
Pineapples are also very tasty once dried. Sometimes they might have a bit of sour taste, but I think that's a nice change from all the sweetness of other fruit.
I have loads of food allergies and found I CAN have fruit when I have dried it, so I dehydrate those two melon varieties, cherries, nectarines, peaches, pineapple, bananas (dipped in lemon water they don't loose their colour for me.) and apples.
In the future I'll also try carrots and winter carrots, zucchini, aubergine and cucumber.
Have fun dehydrating!
My new favorite channel
Fellow Marylander here! Love your channel. New subscriber
Hello Angeline! It's so nice to meet a fellow Maryland gal! Thanks for taking time to say hello!
Good video thanks. Love to dehydrate fruits, apricot, peaches, pears. Squirrel them away for fried pies. I dehydrate in my garage. Fruits smell delicious in your car. No problem. Remember to leave your car outside when you dehydrate onions. It was awful. Thanks for all the ideas.
LOL…For the first time ever, I bought & prepared that very same boxed au gratin potatoes. I was quite disappointed with how little it made and it definitely needed more cheese powder. It was a pleasant surprise to see your video as I was eating my potatoes. Now I know what my first dehydrating project will be😊.
You have become my newest, best friend! So happy to be invited into your home. You are awesome. Whenever you are in Northeast Georgia, please come over and visit.
I love your excellent sense of humour
This is exactly what I’m looking for quick meals on the go
We LOVE dehydrated bananas. Dip in lemon juice, dry at low temp for about 48 hours. Yummy!!
So happy I found your channel.
For onions and leeks, I put my dehydrator in the garage on top of the chest freezer. I'm into the freezer often enough that I can't forget the dehydrator more than a day.
My favorite dehydrator project is shredded cabbage. I love being able to make cabbage soup on a random morning when I don't have fresh cabbage on hand and don't want to get dressed yet to run to the store. I love cabbage soup unreasonably.
I hate dehydrating celery, but I do it because I hate not having celery when I want it even more. Maybe it's my dehydrator, but it literally takes 2-3 DAYS to dry. Grr.
I love dehydrated onions. I dehydrate frozen onions. (Learned drom Darcy at The Purposeful Pantry). They are great to have on the shelf and way less smelly when dehydrating.
Why am I just finding you!!! Yes girl!!!
I rehydrate beef crumbles with broth which gives it a richer flavor
I took one of the dehydrators to the garage for onions. I make a fermented, lightly carmelized onion powder that really has to be homemade.
It's so rare to find a video where I'm confident I will try every idea shown. Thank you for sharing! 😊
For those of us not living on a farm yet, your videos are super practical and helpful. Thank you! Love your energy and smile 😊
Thank you, sweet friend! Yes-there is still so much you can busy yourself with learning even without land or livestock. It’ll still be many years until a small homestead happens for us, but until then there is much JOY to be had along the journey! I appreciate your kind words!
I love the idea of powdering strawberries for smoothies. I recently dehydrated some collards and turnip greens to add to grits bowls and that’s a keeper!
I love that idea! Dehydrated foods are a game changer!
I have been thinking about getting a food dehydrator for quite some time. Your video is the most interesting and informative one I’ve seen and I wanted to thank you. You showed me some great ideas too! I’m definitely getting a dehydrator for Christmas!🎄
Absolutely love! Learning so much as we dig deep into dehydration and canning. Raising grass fed Highland beef cattle and ND goats. Love your channel…
I would have never thought about dehydrating ground beef! That's awesome! You are very inspiring.
Thank you for sharing. Be well and be safe. Peace and blessings
On your onions, I think, if you freeze them first and then dehydrate they won't be that smelly! However, if you know someone with a freeze dryer see if you can barter to get them to freeze dry onions for you. Oh, my gosh what a difference. The freeze dried ones powder up nicely or can be used as is in recipes. Love your videos!!!
Wow! I never would have thought of ground beef. Thank you for sharing. I have loved watching others talk about what they will or won’t can again, but now I get to go down the dehydrator rabbit hole!
Jasmine-you are hereby “warned” that you may find dehydrating as “dangerous” as your canning habit! 😜A stocked pantry is always a good thing!
This just popped up just as I was telling my husband this Excalibur 9 layer dehydrator I saved & scouted for a good deal on for 3 years was gonna take a LOT of practice. As I pick tiny pieces of corners of apple sour cherry fruit leather I poured too thin in Press N Seal(don’t use Saran Wrap or have silicone sheets for it) as directed tho my gut said “parchment”. Knowing when something is dried enough & not dust. I did 5 large bunches of bananas dipped in a honey/sugar/splash of lemon dip. Sliced them with a mandolin-took forever, but they taste like candy. We just snack on them. Berries-nope. Unless I’m making powder
I have to say, I only recently found your channel and have learned so much. At first I just watched because I love your personality and the education you were giving me. But, I have many limitations, physical and I also have no outdoor space or storage space. I live in low income apartments. BUT, THIS VIDEO MADE ME SEE THINGS DIFFERENTLY!!!! I absolutely could DEHYDRATE FOOD and I LOVE THAT! Thank you so much for taking the time to make these videos! I JUST LOVE YOU and feel like I just met my new best friend. One who enriches my life! Please keep sharing your knowledge and experience with us.
Your dehydration ideas...all I can say is GO GIRL!!! Now, I've never been the thieving kind, and I used to hate it when people would steal my food out of the office fridge, BUT... If we worked together, you'd have to send HR after for me 'cause I'd be coming after your office pantry like the zinger zapper!!!
Btw, I've never seen an office pantry before(you're so creative), but it's FABULOUS!! would make a wonderful video idea.
Thanks for another great video.
Hi 👋🏾 Pearl! You’re my kinda gal. While everyone else wastes money having lunch delivered everyday, I’m like-nope, I’m bringing my jars to work! People always think it’s last nights leftovers because it smells so good, but little do they know it’s been on my shelf more months! I didn’t even think of an office pantry tour! I can add that to my list for sure. I’d love to be your office mate-at least I know I’d get the jars back (and filled with something good)!
Love how you use everything. No waste!
This is amazing. I just bought a dehydrator! Thank you so much
I love that you shared ideas of how to actually use the dehydrated foods! I just got a dehydrator for my birthday, but have only done fruits for snacks so far. The banana peel fertilizer is intriguing. And I’d love for you to elaborate sometime on turning the strawberry tops into a scoby. I’ve been trying to develop a taste for kombucha, but the bottled ones I’ve been buying from Aldi add up!
I really loved this video! My biggest dehydrating success is zucchinis. Sliced and quartered they are fantastic in soups and spaghetti sauce throughout the year.
Rinsing takes the flabor with the oils rinsed off. Try instead using a cotton cloth under your beef on the food dryer tray. Check out Rain Country Homestead.
Thanks for sharing what you know with others 4-13-2023❤
Just found you while finding out how to dehydrate. I was not thinking of buying a dehydrator, but after watching this video I may get the size you are using.
Thank you for sharing, like your delivery. I will like, share and subscribe.
Lord do I love your channel! You always inspire me.
I found your comments about the dehydrated fruit to be quite similar to my own feelings. I was thinking other than a couple of options, I wasn’t going to dehydrate fruit anymore. THEN my 9 year old granddaughter was sharing with me the other day about how her dad (our son) was telling her about the delicious fruit leather Grammy made and how he loved eating it as a kid. Needless to say, I’ll be at least using some of the berries now to mash up and dry as fruit leather mostly for my granddaughter but also as a surprise for our son. Oh what we do for our children and grandchildren! As always a fun and educational video!!
Sweetie, you will make an amazing farm girl! I pray you get your farm soon and it's everything you dreamed of.
You are a great creator. Your punch, in every sentence is comical, yet timely. You keep things interesting.
Your videos are so professional and so fun to watch! If you will caramelize those onions before drying it will be so worth it !!!! oh my,nothing like them!
Hi Mary! I've gotten so much feedback about sticking with dehydrating onions that I am most certain I'll give it another go! And wow, you're the first to recommend caramelizing them and I KNOW that's gonna be good! I'll have to give onions and garlic a try before the hot and humid days of summer arrive. I'm so glad to hear you enjoy watching!
So glad to see this video. All the greens from my farmers market that are leftover get dehydrated and I sell the
Greens flakes and greens powder a few weeks later! It is also the only way Incan get hubby to eat greens. I sneak it into everything and he thinks it is parsley lol
Sometimes these husbands don’t know what they don’t know! 😜🤪 what an awesome idea to sell your green mix! Smart!
This is the best video I've seen! So many practice uses for everything even your scraps!
You are amazing.
I leaned so much already.
oh nice! I was actually having trouble before finding info on vacuum sealing mason jars. i started watching this for a different interest (learning about dehydration). anyway thank you for sharing your knowledge!
So many great ideas! I still can't understand how a smart and innovative cook like you remains thin. All your meals must taste like manna. Please keep sharing your tips and methods!
I love how you give us options of how to use your favorite foods.
I grow my own garlic, so I understand the aromas that alliums put off in the dehydrator. I only do it outside, but finding a day when the weather is good and I have the time and motivation isn’t easy. That would explain why I have had a bag of garlic on my kitchen table for a month.
You are so welcome! I hear you about the garlic (and finding time)--give yourself some grace girlfriend, we're all juggling a million things these days! :)
I have a separate dehydrator for outside, for smelly stuff, and because I don't always want to heat up the house in the summer.
you just make your videos so fun! I also learned about the brake bleeder and vacuum chamber from Heidi at rain country and also purchased her husband's vacuum chamber. Love your ground strawberry idea. Can't wait to try it. I learned a lot in this video.
Don't you just love Heidi?! The tip to use a break bleeder was made thrifting my (first) dehydrator financially reasonable. I've had mine for years, no problems. Always good to see you Great Granny Free Bird!
I md prefer to use a brake breeder but I don’t have the energy to do it. I use the little handheld vacuum (a separate unit from a vacuum sealer) which works great and much easier, however, after using it for a couple months, I’m afraid now to eat anything because I don’t know if it sucked all of the air out. I thought about a vacuum chamber…….
Ground beef dehydrated or freeze dried is the best. You always have so many good ideas. Thanks for sharing
You had me in the first minute. That attitude is awesome. Thanks for the video
This has inspired me to dehydrate more food 🤩 Thanks for sharing!
I am new to dehydrating. I follow a couple of different channels. I just stopped on your channel and really enjoyed it.
You can use parts of old socks as jar jackets too. They cushion them and block light.
This is GENIUS! My word, I LOVE this idea!!!!
New subscriber!❤
I'm a 66 yo Texas gal who retired in beautiful Arkansas. I buy dehydrated treats for my dog from a FB friend, but I'm looking into this to save $, thanks for your great explanations.
You are a girl after my own heart! “Waste not, want not!” I love your videos and this one did not disappoint.
Hi Donna! Honey, sometimes I’m overwhelmed by my scraps (you should see my basement freezer) because I can’t throw anything away! I mean, these are amazing products that allow you to extend the use of what you have to buy or can outright replace it. Always good to see you!
This is great, thank you! I’ve never dried berries or hamburger before, now I want do try that. The only onions I’ve dehydrated are ones I caramelized in my crockpot. My favourite thing to dehydrate is tomatoes, I use them a lot.
So glad I found your channel, I'm in Australia and I just got a small farm block (1 acre) I want to live a semi homesteading lifestyle and was thinking a dehydrator would be amazing. You have absolutely inspired me!
I saw a woman use a paper towel over a spoon to stir around in frying beef after draining to absorb fat without washing flavor down the drain❤
I’ve never really dehydrated anything. I do have a dehydrator 🤪. I’m definitely going to try this. All of it!! Thank you for sharing ❤️❤️
That does it. I'm buying a dehydrator. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Jar jackets?!! Awesome!!!! Thank you. (And love the comparison to pantyhose.)
Just found your channel, and it's gold. Love your pacing and you are just blasting out real information. By real, I mean actual useful stuff that humans benifit from.
Never seen the jar jackets 🤗❤ love those!!!!
I need to watch this again and take notes !!!!
Thank you for this video! I don't think I have watched a video with so much information packed into such a short video! I am hitting the notification button so that I don't miss another video!
Honey you are amazing and you make all of this work fun! What a blessing you are.
Like the energy of your video!! I started dehydrating a while back and just did my first ground beef before seing your video. You have great ideas.
Melissa K Norris says blueberries can be froze to break the skins then dehydrated. I make scones frequently and add dehydrated fruits. Getting ready to pop them into the dehydrator now. I have a large crop this year and dried fruit is so expensive!!! Will followup.
Thank you for being practical! I do dry some things you don't, but on the whole, your approach makes perfect sense.