Yummy Pickle Flavored Treasures for on the Go

I have no idea what to call these little treasures! I googled dried pickles...and the results were dried pickles...not what I made! So I googled dehydrator cucumber recipes...lots of fun stuff, but nothing like this! So, what shall we call them? Cuciles? Pickumbers? Well, it seems the name is not as important as the invention...however suggestions are welcome. 

So there it is, three simple ingredients and we have mouth puckering yumminess in a messless portable snack! 

How did I pull this off you ask? Well, I put 1/4 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar and 3 cups of water in a bowl. Threw in a couple of thinly sliced cucs from the garden and let soak for 5 minutes. I then pulled them out and placed them in a single layer on my dehydrator tray and gave them a nice salting with the Himalayan Pink Salt. I set the dehydrator to 105 degrees and processed them for about 18 hours. At this point they were crisp and ready to snack on. (Your results may vary based on drying method and temp.)

These have a nice mild pucker factor. I will let the next batch soak for 20 or so minutes and report back with the results. 

I let all of my dehydrator items set a moisture balance in a covered glass container for 24 hours. From there, I run them through the foodsaver for long term storage.

Until next time, happy snacking and have a wonderful, magical day!

Stephanie

ohmyfoodgrows@gmail.com

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Dehydrator Time!

I've got Disney songs on the brain today...cause..."for the first time in forever"...the dehydrator is up and running! WOOHOO!

It's kinda dark and creepy looking, because when I pulled it out...it was sort of dark and creepy inside. I guess the last time I used it was forever ago and I may or may not of cleaned all the trays when I put it away...oops!

Well after a quick scrubbing it was time to get it going again. 

It's not a lot, but the last of the apricots had to be preserved or lost. I just washed them, quartered them and put them on the trays skin side down to dry at 140 degrees. 

The tomatoes are already coming on quicker than we can eat them...so into the dehydrator with them as well. 

These were just washed, sliced up, most of the seeds removed and laid out to dry at the same 140 degrees. 

Once they are dry but not brittle I will vacuum seal them with my foodsaver and toss them in the freezer for summer goodness in the middle of winter. 

What are you putting away for winter this week?

Stephanie

ohmyfoodgrows@gmail.com

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Coriander...it's great with dinner!

I do believe it is time to show the versatility of essential oils when it comes to cooking…are you all ready?

The essential oil that is used in today’s recipe is Coriander.  In and of itself, Coriander is an amazing oil.  We use it most often for digestive system support.  We have diluted it and rubbed it on feet and tummies…and taken it in a capsule internally.  We also cook with it as you will soon see.  In addition to digestive support, it may also be useful for emotional support.  I am thinking in our stress filled lives, a little coriander might make an awesome addition to our daily routines.

With a little understanding of corianders properties…let’s get to the cooking!

In a quest to find a use for leftover pot roast, I came across the most amazing, and simple recipe for Taquitos!  You can see the original here… Beef Taquitos by Haute Apple Pie  I altered it slightly to make it gluten and soy free and to show how I used the essential oil rather than a dry or fresh herb, but the original is also amazing just the way it is.

Beef Taquitos

3 cups cooked and shredded Pot Roast, chopped into small pieces
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp cumin
½ drop coriander essential oil
1 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella or pepper jack cheese
6 inch corn tortillas, about 15 or 20

Combine leftover beef roast with the herbs, oils, spices and lime juice.  Mix in cheese until evenly distributed.

Place about ¼ cup of the mixture down the center of your tortilla.  Roll up and place seam side down on a baking sheet.  Mist with cooking spray or brush with olive oil and then sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown the filling is hot.

These also freeze very well.  Simply place taquitos in a freezer bag before misting with spray and baking.  When you would like to make them, just pull them out of the freezer mist with spray or brush with olive oil, salt and bake.   You might need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time, but the will come out of the oven incredibly delicious.

Stephanie

ohmyfoodgrows@gmail.com

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Food Grows?

In this day of fast food, frozen dinners and pre-prepared boxes of what looks like food, I often wonder if kids know that food really does grow!

I also wonder how many more veggies they would be willing to eat if they could taste them fresh from the garden! There is just no comparison between food that has traveled a great distance...being artificially induced to ripen...and then stored for an unknown amount of days or weeks. 

I can't keep my kiddo out of the garden, she thinks it is her own personal pantry...and it is. My goal with this blog and my classes at our business site is to share the joy that growing food brings. I am especially interested in sharing how perennial crops can provide a great variety of foods with very little effort. 

My garden and forest of food are growing each year. I don't have the ability to plant it all at once, but one tree, one shrub, and even one new annual bed at a time, the garden is growing. Just look at how much space I added this year...

This photo was taken early spring 2016...can't wait
to show you what it looks like now!

...You can see just how much has been added if you look back at this post. That bed at the far end of the garden is the one from last year. Everything else is new this year. 

I will be sharing in future posts how I used each one of these areas to grow food and medicinal herbs. Here is a hint...lots of cardboard and grass clippings from the yard...as well as a few less common items.

For now, enjoy a bit of time outside, and go grow some food! Have a wonderful, magical day!

 Stephanie

ohmyfoodgrows@gmail.com

Welcome to my blog! This is a fabulous little post about my garden last year. Things are really growing and changing this year and I can't wait to share it all with you! Please enjoy this little taste of what is to come and I will see you real soon!

I am currently reading Paradise Lot by Eric Toensmeier  The goal of creating a self sustaining food network in my very own yard has always appealed to me. I have dabbled in techniques including Lasagna Gardening, Square Foot Gardening and of course traditional row and mound gardening. I have had the most success with combining lasagna and square foot principles to create my own version of small space super growing.

This year my life was full of unknowns, so much of my garden was planted into pots that could go where ever we did. By the time we realized we would be staying right where we are, I had an interesting array of volunteers in this bed, so I just went with it. Coming up from the leftovers of last year and the mulch of winter I had a great start. There are purple and gold potatoes down front, one stalk of corn, melons of yet to be determined species (looking like catalope of some sort from the leaves), one towering sunflower and some sort of pink flowing something. To that I added one pear tomato, lots of sweet onions and a couple of leftover strawberry plants from the clearance bin. As you can see it is lush and healthy.

I don't use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides in the garden, but I do use essential oils. I also practice crop rotation and encourage natural predators such as birds and wasps to spend time near the garden. The graphic below shows a few of my favorites when it comes to oils in the garden.

I think that is a great place to leave the gardening adventure for today. May I recommend that you take some time to get out into the garden today and try out some Natural Solutions! Until next time, make it a wonderful and magical one.

Stephanie

ohmyfoodgrows@gmail.com