posted
Finally after I don't know how many attempts I got dried chives. This time I went with 20 minutes in my low wattage microwave at low temperature setting and it worked!!!!!
The are dry and still green and fragrant perfect. I'm one happy puppy. Thank you to everyone that has put up different drying techniques for me to try. I think I tried most of them before stumbling onto this one and it worked. I'm very happy can you tell? Baked potatoes just aren't right unless they have chives on them. Along with other things of course lol.
* * * * Plants: 8557 | From: triangle, virginia | Registered: Mar 2005
| Seeded: 4.249.201.91
posted
Good for you TK...I usually just air dry my chives...but I might try this...how low of watts are you talking about your microwave being?
* * * *
Happiness, like a dessert so sweet. May life give you more than you can ever eat... *** *** Plants: 7034 | From: The Land of JOY | Registered: Apr 2004
| Seeded: 70.247.242.12
posted
700 watts it's one of those 30.00 walmart specials lol. I had no success air drying mine and I tried and I tried. I think maybe coastal Virginia is to humid or something.
* * * * Plants: 8557 | From: triangle, virginia | Registered: Mar 2005
| Seeded: 4.249.51.151
posted
I think I might have the same microwave...mine is a Sharp...I'll have to turn it around to see what the watts are.
* * * *
Happiness, like a dessert so sweet. May life give you more than you can ever eat... *** *** Plants: 7034 | From: The Land of JOY | Registered: Apr 2004
| Seeded: 70.247.242.12
posted
I rarely use a microwave either...just every now & then...but I might start trying to dry my herbs in it since I have limited space here!
* * * *
Happiness, like a dessert so sweet. May life give you more than you can ever eat... *** *** Plants: 7034 | From: The Land of JOY | Registered: Apr 2004
| Seeded: 70.247.242.12
posted
I haven't decided wether a food dehydrator is a good investment. It would depend on if the food stored that way was good to eat when it was reconstituted. How is it working for you? Where did you find some good recipes that used dehydrated ingredients.
* * * * Plants: 8557 | From: triangle, virginia | Registered: Mar 2005
| Seeded: 4.249.78.70
posted
I have a Harvest Savor dehydrator and I like it. I use it to dry chives and other herbs and red hungarian peppers for paprika. I've also used it to dry tomatoes and apples and the pulp I have left over after straining my hot pepper sauce. Dried onions are great too.
You can dry up to 20 trays at a time. Of course, the more trays, the longer it takes to dry.
* * * * Terry
May the force be with you Plants: 1370 | From: Copper Hill, Virginia | Registered: Apr 2004
| Seeded: 207.69.139.135
posted
I want to hear more about the paparika and how you make it. Also is it possible to get garlic powder from drying garlic cloves? I just don't want to buy anything that ends up taking up space and that won't pay for itself. It's like canning with a small garden. It's not worth it. I can use all of my harvest fresh. And buying produce for canning is more expensive than buying canned and not doing all the work.
* * * * Plants: 8557 | From: triangle, virginia | Registered: Mar 2005
| Seeded: 4.248.223.161
posted
I'd like to know how much a dehydrator costs. You're gonna' think this is nuts...but I don't even have a microwave. I threw it out when I moved last April...it was junk...I swear it was the first microwave ever made. I really don't miss it. I'd probably use a dehydrator more often than a microwave.
posted
Tammy, paprika is easy. I just grow one of the Hungarian paprika pepper types. When they turn a dark red, I harvest them and then cut them in half, removing the stems and removing the seeds and white pith, then lay the pepper halves on the dehydrator trays and dry for a couple of days. When they're dry enough, I grind them in my little electric spice grinder.
Christina, I did a search and found 30 or 40 dehydrators on Shopzilla ranging from $35 to $210.
* * * * Terry
May the force be with you Plants: 1370 | From: Copper Hill, Virginia | Registered: Apr 2004
| Seeded: 207.69.137.23
posted
If you have any seeds for that type of pepper or if you know where I can buy some I would like to try that. Of course peppers are one of the things I am going to have to grow in pots because they need water and I don't have outside water. I'm not trying to negotiate that slope over and over every day. One fall last year and the attack of the red ants is all I'm willing to deal with.
* * * * Plants: 8557 | From: triangle, virginia | Registered: Mar 2005
| Seeded: 4.249.75.225
posted
I use mine for making apple chips, everyone (myself including!) loves them, they dont last long. Food dehydrators are defintly worth the money. Many recipes, and ideas are in the books that come with them.
Plants: 175 | From: McHenry, MD | Registered: Jan 2006
| Seeded: 209.3.112.39
posted
Well maybe I'll save up for one of the small ones then. Will you share some of your recipes that call for dehydrated foods down in the recipe section. I'm always looking for those types of recipes.
* * * * Plants: 8557 | From: triangle, virginia | Registered: Mar 2005
| Seeded: 4.249.78.50
posted
I have a Nesco I bought from Wal-Mart, it has worked really well. I dried some tomatoes, bell peppers, and all my blackeyed peas, last year.
Drying is sometimes better than canning.
* * * * One OS to rule them, one OS to find them: One OS to bring them all and in the darkness bind them In the Land of Redmond where the shadows lie. Plants: 1077 | From: Haskell Oklahoma Zone 6b | Registered: Feb 2005
| Seeded: 152.132.9.73
posted
Tammy, I'm going to be ordering some fresh seeds, hopefully within the week. The place I get them from now has 2 varieties, the one I've been planting, and now a spicy paprika also.
* * * * Terry
May the force be with you Plants: 1370 | From: Copper Hill, Virginia | Registered: Apr 2004
| Seeded: 207.69.137.27
posted
Well Maybe I'll end up with some seeds that look promising and we can trade for the regular kind. I'm not much for spicy. The gallbladder thing has got me scared I'll tell you. But I'm working on getting better health care so that will improve.
I'll check out the dehydrators at wal-mart the next time I'm there. It sure would save space in my tiny apartment if I could dehydrate some of my veggies. Apple chips sound good too.
* * * * Plants: 8557 | From: triangle, virginia | Registered: Mar 2005
| Seeded: 4.249.72.13
posted
I sent that to you because you are the only one that has an orchard. Anyway it maybe like apples and it's nothing other than root stock. But you would be the best person to determine that because you know all about that kind of thing. Where I barely know that those kinds of questions can arise. Which is better than last year when I didn't even know that lol. I do have a packet of "Pepsi Cola Sweet Bell Peppers" It's a commercial package I don't know how many are in there. But I could send you some of those. They are suppose to be the color or cola when ripe but be very sweet tasting. Want to trade for some of those. I could give you half of whatever is in the package.
* * * * Plants: 8557 | From: triangle, virginia | Registered: Mar 2005
| Seeded: 4.249.51.215
posted
Actually, I think the seeds will be closer to the parent trees rather than the rootstock. The seedlings will be varied though. Like kids. Some kids will resemble the mother. Others the father or perhaps even more closely the grandfather, etc.
Sure, the Pepsi Cola peppers sound interesting.
* * * * Terry
May the force be with you Plants: 1370 | From: Copper Hill, Virginia | Registered: Apr 2004
| Seeded: 207.69.139.142
posted
Cool I'll send some to you. They will go out in the mail tomorrow unless I get up late lol. It's not a great many seeds as I mentioned somewhere around 20. But I couldn't resist them since I love sweet bell peppers and all I've been finding around here are the kind with very little flavor at all.
* * * * Plants: 8557 | From: triangle, virginia | Registered: Mar 2005
| Seeded: 4.249.75.79
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I really don't miss it. I'd probably use a dehydrator more often than a microwave.
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