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CRANBERRIES
Cranberries are what is up! The holidays are over so there are some deals to be had. I love dried cranberries on a salad or with some nuts, but what I don’t love is the oils and the sugars they add to them. So when the store had a sale, I bought a bunch of fresh raw cranberries and made some juice and dried berries.
Of course they needed a good wash and sort, some of the berries had gone bad and I wanted to wash and soak them in vinegar water to be sure they were clean.
After that I blanched them for about a minute in boiling water to break them open. This helps them dry faster.
I didn’t take a photo but I did toss them with some maple syrup before I put them in the dehydrator. I like cranberries but they are quite tart!
I put them on the sheets because they are easier to clean, you can put them on the tray and they will probably dry faster. The amount of time you dry them will depend on the temperature you set it at and how dry you want your product. I wanted mine very dry to store in the pantry for as long as possible so it took about 36 hours. At my electric rate it cost me $1.18 for 9 trays of cranberries to dry $.03 KWH). I dried 11 pounds of berries, which I purchased at half price. Of course there is my time and efforts as well. To me it is worth it to have the better product without oils or sugar (usually gmo beet sugar).
SNOW & COLD
What else is up around here? Snow and lots of it. Isn’t that the story everywhere? We have gotten about 2.5 feet in the last week, which honestly is pretty normal here. It is also normal for January to be so cold. I am actually thankful. The snow adds water to our gardens and orchards, it adds protection from the cold. It does however create a nice tunnel system for mice and such to chew on trees. So, hopefully my fruit and nut trees are tucked safely in without that issue. The cold often kills bugs and pests that plague us in the summer if it stays long enough. Time will tell.
Baking & Being Cozy
I have been baking and reading the last week. I am developing some allergen friendly recipes for family and friends with celiac and or other food issues. This recipe is a a gluten, egg, and dairy free cinnamon raisin bread. It got a strong pass by my two testers so I think it may make the recipe list for what might become a local baked goods CSA.
Reading, I have been reading Ben Falk’s book, The Resilient Farm and Homestead with book club. He recently updated the book and on Feb 8th is releasing the new edition. We are covering the old edition currently. Harold is running this one as I have stepped down from running them for a bit. To join you will need to get ahold of me, Harold or join The Homestead Front Porch on Facebook, it is our group, be sure to answer the questions to get approved. This Wednesday we are covering Chapters 2 & 3.
That will have to be it for now! Enjoy your week and go BE WILDER!
RWL
