Grocery Shopping While Travelling

Coming from someone who values locality in food, this seems heresy to say, but sometimes my food travels. Or rather, when I travel, I look for local food to take home with me. I don't travel far away and I never fly. I do take day trips to see family an hour or so away, and I take weekend trips within the state or maybe the state over. When I do, I look for opportunities to enjoy local or "exotic" food at a good price, and bring it home. The gas consumption is minimal since I'd be taking the trip anyway, so perhaps a tiny bit extra for the extra weight (although I'm sure 10 pounds of food isn't adding to my gasoline consumption too much).

When I visit my parents an hour away, I visit a favorite grocery store. It's a scratch and dent grocery and it's phenomenal. I find organic cereal for $.33/box and whole grain pasta for $.59/lb. Every so often, I find ends-and-pieces of local jerky for $5.99 for a 5 lb bag. However, since it is an hour away, I don't make a special trip just for that store. It's only ten minutes from my parents, so I stop when I'm already out that way. The savings over buying those items at the grocery store is more than the cost of gas, meaning I essentially get paid to take the trip out there. Win.

When we drive out to the boonies to go for a day-hike, I like to stop at farm shops and roadside stands to get the local's garden surplus. Just outside my favorite state park, there is a little roadside stand. The offerings are just whatever the home-gardener has a surplus of, but it's fantastic produce and a great price. $1/lb for tomatoes, $.50/large squash, $.25/zucchini or small squash. I prefer my money to go to a real-life family, rather than some grocery store.

When we took our honeymoon to Amish country a few hours away, we really hit the food jackpot. There were several scratch n dent groceries. We bought pasta and canned veg at bargain prices. We drove by a grain mill that sold whole wheat flour at the same price per pound that white flour cost in our city. We bought a few bags, and tossed all in the freezer upon returning home. Our honeymoon package included a $150 gift certificate good at the inn's restaurant, bakery, gift shop, or general store. We ate our meals at the restaurant. On the last day, we had over $100 left. We went to the bakery and got a few loaves of bread (some for the freezer) and a few sweets. Then we went to the general store and spent the $90 left on jams, jellies, coffee, tea, pasta,spices and bags of trail mix.

When we go to Chicago to visit family, we have a few stops that we have to make, mainly to bakeries. One bakery sells cookies for $.20 each and sub rolls for $.33. A few ethnic bakeries offer some of our favorites that we can't find here, and don't (yet) know how to make. This provides a little splurge, but at a discounted price. We'll sometimes stop in Chinatown for our stockpile of herbal teas and other items, or we'll stop by a neighborhood with a fantastic selection of exotic produce at bargain prices.

By keeping our eyes open when we travel, we're able to get great scores on food. We often save money over buying more exotic selections in our town, and we get to try lots of new things without the cost of going to a trendy restaurant. Often, the grocery savings is close to the cost of gasoline, thus making our trip less expensive. Whenever you venture away from your neighborhood, keep your eyes peeled for some fun, new food adventures.

Healthy Snacks: Pumpkin Pie Pudding

I discovered a fantastic recipe recently. It is a frugal, easy and healthy recipe that provides a good portion of beta-carotene. I found the recipe in an old cookbook called Homemade Snacks by Nell B. Nichols from Farm Journal. I was excited to try it because last year I got a dozen or so large cans of pumpkin puree on manager's special for $.25 and they are getting a little too far past sell-by date.

Pumpkin puree is a fantastic thing to put into pudding. It doesn't detract from the flavor or sweetness of the butterscotch pudding, but only has 80 calories per cup (compared to 260/cup for pudding). It contains no fat (compared to 5.6 grams in pudding), no cholesterol (1 cup of pudding contains 85% of the cholesterol you should eat in a whole day!), 10 grams of sodium (versus 436 grams in pudding) and very little sugar (8 grams vs. 41 grams). It also adds a whopping 10 grams of fiber, which is something Americans are desperately short on (and honestly, given the horrific health issues that can result from a low-fiber diet, we'd all do better to add as much as we reasonably can) and a moderate amount of protein. Due to the beta-carotene and other antioxidants, they may help the eyes, reduce cancer risk, and protect the skin. It also contains a good amount of Vitamins C and E, potassium and iron. In short, it is a fantastic thing to include in the diet, especially when it helps you cut back on something less healthy.

This recipe uses boxed pudding mix, although you could certainly use from-scratch pudding as well. I used the boxes pudding for a couple reasons. One: I got the boxed mix on a really, really good sale and have a lot in the stockpile. Two: I know that nutrition and cost have to be balanced with time constraints. The way I see it, while this uses a processed food, it is a reasonably nutritious snack and, being so simple to make, it is just as easy as buying pudding packs. This makes it realistic for working moms to make for kids lunches, or for anyone who wants a yummy dessert but who is short on time. It's one of the simplest desserts I've made.

Basically, you make a package of butterscotch pudding according the package instructions. Then you mix in 16 oz of plain pumpkin puree, 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice (or to taste) and mix it together. Allow to set up in the refrigerator. It won't set up as solid as straight pudding, but has a good texture.

To serve as Pumpkin Pie pudding, simply top with some crumbled graham crackers and a bit of lightly sweetened whipped cream. I also love to top it with vanilla ice cream. With or without crumbled graham crackers. With candied pecans. With a sprinkling of cinnamon. With a drizzle of caramel sauce. You could also use dried and crumbled leftover sweets like snickerdoodle cookies. Or add a pie crust cookie.

Sometime soon I want to try making this into a frozen pie. I think I'll bake a graham cracker crust, then fill with the pudding mixture and freeze. To serve, I'd add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It might be something fun to try.

Don't stop at pumpkin and butterscotch pudding. There are lots of fun ideas to try. Replace the pumpkin puree with cooked and mashed carrots or butternut/acorn squash. Maybe use applesauce and a caramel pudding. Use vanilla instead of butterscotch. Maybe even try chocolate. Add leftover mashed sweet potatoes. There are lots of ways to sneak veggies into dessert.

Most of us aren't going to give up having dessert just to be healthy. However, looking for ways to limit fat and sugar while adding nutrients will help us be healthier without feeling deprived.

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Goldenrod Eggs, an Easter Favorite

Every year for Easter lunch, my grandma made the same meal: egg gravy and toast (also called, more favorably, Goldenrod Eggs). It was a simple meal, made of simple ingredients. Mainly it was just a way to use up a surplus of hard-boiled eggs that we had at that time of year. We only had it one day a year, and so, naturally, it was my favorite meal. All year long I pined for it and when Easter came, I ate until I could not eat more. Decades later, I still love it just as much. It's a very frugal meal and uses items that are in most pantries. It is a good meal for times when there's more week than paycheck. Use the surplus of Easter eggs or just leftover hard-boiled eggs. If a carton of eggs gets a little too much past the use-by date, hard boil them for this dish.

It's not pretty, but it's oh so good!

Grandma's recipe is simple and frugal. It is the first recipe I ever learned to make myself. This recipe makes around 2 servings. I often make extra so we can have leftovers the next day.

2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 1/4 c milk
~4 hard boiled eggs (you can add more or less, depending on what you have and how hungry you are)
2-4 slices of bread

Melt the butter in a sauce pan. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and allow it to cook for a few minutes. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking. Allow to cook over medium heat until it starts to thicken, stirring frequently. While it is cooking, separate the egg whites from the yolks. Chop the whites into small bite-sized pieces. Mash the yolks. Toast the bread. Once the gravy is almost as thick as you'd like it, remove from heat and mix in the whites. The gravy will thicken slightly as it cools. Pour the egg gravy over the toasted (and buttered, if you'd like) bread. Sprinkle a generous portion of yolks over the top. Salt and pepper to taste.

The gravy gets very thick when it cools. If you are reheating leftovers, add some milk and mix it in before microwaving so it thins out.

Now I play with the recipe quite a bit to alter the taste a bit, make it healthier or use up something from the refrigerator. Here are some ways I like to alter it:

* Use homemade stock in place of half of the milk when making the sauce. If you are using bones leftover from cooking (thus making the stock almost free), you will lower the cost significantly. This is especially important if you pay extra for raw, organic, pastured or lactose-free milk. I am always looking for ways to sneak more stock into our diets for it's joint-healing benefits. If you are trying to limit dairy consumption, this is also helpful.
* Serve over good bread, not cheap white bread. It's perfect over a strong sourdough bread, but I've used everything from asiago bread to rosemary bread to foccacia. I've served it over bread-sliced bagels, english muffins and biscuits. I've also used savory scones like the bacon cheddar chive ones Trucker brings home from his job. Serve over whole grain bread if you want maximum nutrition and fiber.
* Replace some of the white flour with whole grain flour. It won't be as silky a gravy, but it works.
* Use bacon, sausage or other fats left over from cooking in place of the butter. This adds flavor and reduces the cost of the dish.
* You could mix in crumbled bacon or sausage to amp it up a bit, although there's plenty of protein in the dish without it.

Egg Drop Soup, or: The Easiest Dinner Ever

I love going out for Chinese. The entrees are good, sure, but it's the side stuff that rocks my world. The first time I made crab rangoon at home I was in heaven and called that dinner.

Today I made stir-fry for dinner. I was craving some good Chinese restaurant soup. I had some chicken stock in the refrigerator, so decided to try my hand at egg drop soup. Oh my. How had I not been making this for years?

This is simply the easiest, cheapest, tastiest soup I've ever made, and it's pretty healthy too. It takes five minutes, tops. The recipe is not exact; you can tweak it based on how hungry you are, what you have on hand, and how many you are serving. The amounts given are what I made tonight. It gave us enough for four side servings.

1 quart of chicken stock
2 eggs
1 green onion
salt and pepper

Heat the chicken stock on the stove until it's boiling. Beat the egg well. Drizzle the egg into the boiling chicken stock while stirring vigorously. Ladle into bowls, and garnish with chopped green onion. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. That's it.

I make my stock at home, so the cost is negligible (made using bones and veggie scraps leftover from cooking). Two eggs cost me about $.30. The green onions have been regrowing in my windowsill, so we can call those free. This recipe cost me $.08 a serving.

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Thanksgiving Dinner the Frugal Way

With the holiday coming up, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite ways to save on Thanksgiving dinner. It's easy to overspend on the feast, but with a bit of planning, it can be cheaper. Sorry it's a little late, but hopefully you can still use some of the tips.

* Even if you aren't responsible for buying the turkey for the family gathering or if you are a very small family, buying a big turkey may be worthwhile. There is a lot of meat for a good price during the Thanksgiving sales. I always stock up on groceries a week or two before Thanksgiving (staples or sale items that we need) at a store that has a promotion that gives $10 or $20 off of the cost of a turkey if you spend a certain amount. I commonly get 20 lb turkeys for around $7. I toss it into the freezer until February or so when I'm no longer sick of turkey and roast it on a cold day. After we have roast turkey one day and leftovers the next, I package the meat up into chunks or shreds (to use every last bit of the meat)  and freeze in meal-sized portions. I make s big batch of stock from the carcass. We get dozens of meals from that one turkey, making it a fantastic deal, even for a household of two (Here's a post on how I make the most of chicken; use turkey the same way).

* Make your own gravy instead of buying those packets. It's easy and pretty close to free when you use pan drippings, flour and water. If you'd like, you can use stock instead of the water for even more flavor.

* Start saving bread ends or stale bread for stuffing; you can start up to a month before the holiday. Cut into small pieces and allow to thoroughly air dry. As long as it gets really dry (if it's humid, use a dehydrator, then store in air-tight packaging), it won't mold. Make your own stuffing for cost savings, better flavor and fewer questionable ingredients. When bakeries sell bread cubes or crumbs, all they do is save the bread leftover at the end of the day, cube it and dry it in a low oven. Then they bag it up and save it for up to a month or longer before the holiday. It keeps well. Doing it yourself not only saves on the purchase price of the bread cubes, but also reduces your waste since it is the perfect way to use up bread that gets stale before you can use it.

* Make you own pies, even if you have to buy the pie dough. The cost savings of making it yourself versus buying it is phenomenal. At the bakeries I've worked at, pies sell for $12-20, so it is worthwhile.

* Load up on veggie sides. Vegetables are cheap, and if one is going to overindulge, it's better to overindulge on corn, green beans and carrots than turkey and pie.

* As you prep vegetable dishes for main meal, save the peels and trimmings from sweet potatoes, pumpkin rinds, green bean ends and strings, onion skins, carrot peels, celery leaves, garlic skins, winter squash rinds or corn cobs. Put them in a large freezer bag and toss into the freezer. After dinner, package up the turkey carcass in a couple of freezer bags. Later on you can use all this goodness to make a massive batch of turkey stock that will be perfect for warming, healing and practically free winter soups.

* It may be too late for this year, but in future years you can always plan a potluck. My mother's family does this with the host family supplying the turkey and drinks and everyone else bringing sides, desserts and breads. It's not expensive for anyone, and lower income families can bring cheaper dishes. When we were on a very tight budget, I was able to bring bread that I got for free from my jobs. Everyone enjoyed the bread that was fancier than we'd usually had, and no one knew that I hadn't spent a penny. There's always enough leftover for anyone who wants to bring home something to eat later.

* Excess is not necessary. I don't know where "thankful" turned into "stuffed-full". Especially if you're trying to watch your weight/eat healthfully, avoid going to extremes. It's not a failure if you don't have to undo your pants buttons. Plan a nice, special meal with plenty for everyone to eat, but there is no need for everyone to have 4 desserts.

What are your favorite ways to save money on Thanksgiving?

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Salvage Grocery Shopping...take 2

Yesterday we went to our favorite salvage grocery store since we were in town (It's 1.5 hrs away, but only 10 minutes from my family). We stocked up on a lot to make winter grocery bills more manageable, especially since we aren't sure how often we'll be able to make the trip once the roads are nasty.

 As usual, we found some fantastic deals, some things that we would never buy and others that were more costly than the regular grocery store. You have to know your prices; keeping a cost book can be extremely helpful when shopping at salvage groceries. Sometimes you'll find a hundred of a good deal and can get enough to last months. Sometimes you only find one. It's always an adventure!

One thing with salvage shopping...it's all packaged foods. There aren't produce bins, there's no local-bakery-outlet, there's no bulk meat counter. This is all packaged. There are certainly some GM ingredients in some of the items. And yes, I know that in a perfect world, I would eat no packaged foods and make everything from scratch. I would buy everything direct from the farmer and would only eat perfectly balanced meals. But this is the real world. We both work full time and have projects we work on from home. We try to spend quality time together and with family and friends. Sometimes packaged foods are eaten. Sometimes we cave to cravings. Sometimes we eat convenience foods. However, we eat as much from foraging and the garden as possible and dehydrate a few hundred pounds each year. We cook as much from scratch as we can. We make our own convenience foods in the form of cooking a giant batch of chili and freezing meal-sized portions, or cooking 5 lbs of ground beef and freezing in 1/2 lb portions for quick and easy tacos. We also are on a lower income (as are many readers) and just don't have the money to buy organic/free range/ecologically produced/chemical free/package free everything direct from the farmer. We produce as much healthy and ethical food as possible and buy as much of the same from local farmers, but we're not in a place where we can do it 100%. Shopping at salvage groceries allows a little cushion to buy bacon from our favorite farmer for $2 more a pound instead of getting the cheapest store brand on sale with no thought to how it was produced or by whom. It allows a bit extra to buy tomatoes at the market when ours don't produce well. At the end of the day, all we are ever trying to do is live the highest quality life possible given our circumstances. There is no need to feel like a failure if you cannot do everything exactly as you'd like to. Just do your best and look for creative options to give you flexibility, like shopping at salvage groceries.

This salvage grocer is our favorite for one main reason: They get the outlets from natural food stores as well as regular grocery stores. That means that sometimes we score organics for less than grocery store brand on sale. The usual shoppers tend to go for the familiar brands, meaning that the "weird hippie" brand foods are often priced lower.

So...on to the scores! I'm including the price we'd pay at the regular store with smart shopping using sales and sometimes coupons. I'm also including commentary on why we purchased certain items or whether they are a "luxury" we wouldn't have otherwise.





Honey Bunches of Oats 14.5 oz box (1).....$1.79 (We aim to never spend more than $2/box for cereal, which is an occasional sale price at the regular grocery store, but not common anymore. Trucker eats oatmeal most mornings, but does still eat some cereal)
Honey Bunches of Oats Greek Yogurt 12.5 oz box (2).....$1.49 each
Honey Kix 12 oz (2).....$1.49 each
Special K 12 oz (1).....$1.49
Cinnamon Toasters 10 oz (8).....$.33 each (whenever we find cereal priced below $.50/box we buy extra and distribute to other families)

Pace Garlic and Lime Salsa Verde 16 (2).....$.49 each (Cheapest we ever see salsa around here is $1/jar)
Roasted Green Chili Peppers 16 oz (2).....$.99 each (I adore pickled peppers, but only get them on the rare occasions when they are $1/jar or less)
Los Palmos green enchilada sauce 10 oz (1).....$.49 each (usually over $1/can at regular stores)
Herdez salsa verde 7 oz (2).....$.39 each
Rotel tomatoes and chiles 10 oz (2).....$.59 each (usually $1+/can; we use this occasionally in chili. This year we will have to buy more tomato products than usual because we were only able to put up about 20 lbs of dehydrated tomatoes this year. It was a bad tomato year here)

Bumblebee Clam Chowder 15 oz (1).....$.69 (this is a convenience food for days when I'm working all day and Trucker needs a quick meal when working on a project)
Marie Callender's Vegetable Soup 15 oz (1).....$.69


Mueller's Ridged Jumbo elbows pasta 16 oz (3).....$.69 each ($1/lb is the cheapest we ever find here)
Mueller's Ridged Ziti pasta 16 oz (1).....$.69
Barilla Multigrain spaghetti 14.5 oz (3).....$.79 each
Skinner spaghetti 16 oz (1).....$.59
Mahatma extra long grain enriched rice 3 lb (1).....$1.49
Hunt's meat pasta sauce 24 oz (1).....$.99 (like I said, we'll run out of garden tomatoes really early this year)
Barilla Pasta sauce 24 oz (1).....$.99

Peppadew Mustard 9.5 oz (2).....$.59 each (this is my favorite mustard ever)
Grey Poupon Dijon mustard 8 oz (1).....$.79
Spectrum Organic Mayo 16 oz (1).....$.49 (cheaper than store brand conventional on sale)
Heinz Hot and Spicy Ketchup 14 oz (2).....$.69 each (this is about the same price as regular on sale, but maybe will taste better, we'll see)
Del Monte canned carrots or mixed vegetables 8.25 oz cans (2)......$.39 each (we dehydrate a lot of produce, but we do tend to run low by spring)

Tazo Chocolate Chai Latte concentrate 1 qt (6).....$.79 each (I love chai, and yes I could make my own concentrate, but I haven't found the time lately...this works and keeps me from ever splurging on a chai when we go out)
Tazo Chocolate Chai Latte concentrate 1 qt (1).....$.39 (This was the only one priced this low, but I looked for more and would have put the others back if I'd found any cheaper)
Oregon Chai concentrate 1 qt (1).....$.39
Twinings Orange and Cinnamon Spice tea 20 bags (1).....$1.49 (At 7.5 cents per tea bag that is used twice, tea is one of our most frugal drinks. We especially enjoy turning on the tea kettle every evening in autumn and winter)
Bigelow Orange and Spice tea 20 bags (2).....$1.49 each
Bigelow Plantation Mint tea 20 bags (1).....$1.49
French Market Coffee+Chicory Blend 12 oz (1)....$2.49 (this is a favorite indulgence and lowers our caffeine consumption. I forage a lot of dandelion coffee to cut with our regular coffee, but it is very labor intensive and I could never produce enough for an entire year)
LavAzza Italian Coffee 8.8 oz (2).....$2.49 (this is a little higher than we usually pay for Maxwell House coffee when it goes on a fantastic sale every 4 months. We like good coffee, but cannot justify paying full price for good stuff considering how much we consume)
Life is Good coffee 11 oz (2).....$2.49 (We were visiting my grandpa and didn't want to drink all of his coffee. We talked about stopping at a gas station for nasty coffee at $1.25/mug when we used our travel mugs, but then we'd want to stop again for more before heading back home later that night. We decided to bring in one of the packages of coffee and brewed a pot while we were there. He loved it so we left the rest of the bag for him to enjoy for the next week or so. It still cost us half the cost of buying it at the gas station, it was tastier and we got to give my grandpa an indulgence he would rarely get)
Koolaid packets (11).....$.10 each (This is a rare thing....mainly as a mixer for vodka when we're feeling trashy...or if friends with kids come over....but then there's no vodka. Also, every now and then in summer I start craving a slurpee type drink, but I'm scared to death of the mold in the machine and the high fructose corn syrup and the cost. So I make a super concentrated koolaid with a bit of regular sugar and blend with ice. Costs me around $.15 for 2 servings)


Tone's Cinnamon Sticks, approximately 82 sticks per container (2).....$2.49 (I have never purchased whole cinnamon sticks because they are cost prohibitive. I'm beyond thrilled. Trucker had to talk me out of buying 20 containers....because I totally would have)

Hidden Valley Ranch dressing 12 oz (6).....$.20 (Yes, I could and sometimes do make my own salad dressing. However, I really stick to basic non-cream-based dressings, and sometimes I just want something quick and easy. Plus at this cost, I could not make it cheaper until I start making my own vinegar)
Naturally Delicious Peppercorn Parmesan dressing 16 oz (1).....$.20
Ken's Poppyseed dressing 16 oz (1).....$.20 (My parent's favorite dressing, so I like to have it when they come over)
Kraft Zesty Italian dressing 16 oz (3).....$.20 (This stuff makes an awesome marinade for chicken before grilling-my mum's trick)
Kraft Thousand Island dressing 16 oz (2).....$.20
Kraft Catalina dressing 16 oz (1).....$.20
Kraft Zesty Lime dressing 8 oz (1).....$.10

Sour Patch kids (1).....$.49 (Generally, I try to provide Trucker with lots of yummy and healthy snacks like dried apples and other fruit. At the end of the day, he's a grown man and if he wants a bit of nasty-sweet candy, I'm not going to tell him he can't. If I make it forbidden fruit, he's going to fiend it more)

Bag full of energy bars.....$3.99 (this included 30 bars, so it was 13.3 cents each. These are used mainly for hiking, but also on road trips. We keep a few in each vehicle in case of emergency or if we forget to bring lunch, we have a little something without resorting to eating out. We got 15 Go Organic! double chocolate bars, 1 Promax double fudge brownie bar, 2 Power Protein bars, and 12 Clif Shot Blocks for running)

Smart Sense Dishwasher detergent 75 oz (1).....$2.99 (we usually hand wash dishes, but I use the dishwasher when I have marathon cooking days. Frankly, I hate washing dishes and would not do big cooking days if at the end when I was already exhausted I had to wash dishes for 45 minutes. We still have a box at home, but since I rarely find it on sale, I started shopping when I opened the last box)
Arm & Hammer laundry detergent 60 loads (3).....$2.99 each (this is half the price we usually pay on sale with double coupon. I do plan to eventually start making my own, but with so much going on lately, have not had a chance to give it a go)
Grout sealer (1).....$.99 (One of the projects I am going to do this winter while I'm trapped indoors is redo all of the grout in the bathroom-showers and floor. I stockpiled materials for different projects all summer while thrifting and yard saling so that I don't have to spend the money or go out in bad weather to the store to buy supplies)
Cologne (2).....$1.99 (Trucker likes this stuff better than the dollar store brand)
Temptations cat treats 7 oz (1).....$.99 (every now and then Ray cat gets a treat...however, it is rare and she is still lean and athletic)

So, total we spent $86.30 on all of this. We shop here every 3-4 months, so this comes out to $20-25 a month and significantly lowers the costs of general shopping in between.

Homemade Apple Chips

Now that apples are coming in, my (four) dehydrators are running round the clock. Apples are ridiculously cheap this time of year. A chain grocery store is selling a few varieties for $.49/lb. I discovered an orchard selling you-pick apples for $11/half bushel or seconds for $14/bushel. Around here apples sell for $2-3.50/lb most of the year. I can never justify spending that much, but I also don't want to live 11 months without apples. Dehydrating apples is a fantastic way to be able to freely indulge all year round.

Any type of apple will make a decent apple chip, but to make fantastic apple chips, go for something with more flavor like Fuji, Jonathon, Granny Smith or Braeburn. The more flavorful apples can be dehydrated as is and will be incredible. For more bland types like the "Delicious" varieties or Gala do well with a dusting of cinnamon. If you want to make apple chips to replace candy, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. If you are going for incredible eye-appeal, use Rome and leave the peel on.

Scrub your apples well and dry with a towel. Don't throw away any blemished apples. Just cut out nasty spots or bruises and use the rest.

Some people peel the apples. However, most of the fiber and nutrients in the apple are in or just under the peel, so this dramatically decreases the nutritional value of this snack. I leave them on. Sometimes if I'm making a giant batch, I will use my fancy peeler-corer-slicer. If you do peel them, always dehydrate the peels. Just pile them on a tray and flip halfway through. They may take a bit longer than the chips, but you don't waste those nutrients. Once dry, pulse them in the blender and then work them through a sieve for apple powder. This intensely apple-y powder can be added to smoothies, baked goods, or teas.

Quarter them and cut out the cores. Then lay the cut side down and slice the apples 1/4" or thinner, but be consistent in the thickness so your chips dehydrate at about the same speed. If you want to maintain a light, pretty color, spray with lemon juice as you go. If you want to add cinnamon or cinnamon sugar, toss them into a bowl as you cut and sprinkle occasionally and then toss before putting on the trays.

Lay the apple slices onto the trays in a single layer. They can be touching, but don't overlap for even drying. Use little end pieces to fill in gaps to maximize your tray space. If you have a temperature control, set it for 120 degrees. This temperature ensures that even if you forget to check them, they won't burn and it also seems to keep the color a little nicer. If you don't have temperature control, check the apples more frequently to avoid burning. If your dehydrator doesn't have a fan, rotate and rearrange the trays after checking every couple of hours.  Check for the first time at 4 hours, and then every hour or two after that (depending on your dehydrator).

Once they feel dry, tear a slice in half. Squeeze firmly and look at the torn edge for any sign of moisture. Eat a slice and see if you detect any moisture. If it seems to be thoroughly dry, put them into a glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Leave on the counter for 24 hours. If there is any sign of moisture inside the jar, go ahead and pop them back in the dehydrator to finish up. If there is no sign of moisture, it is safe to store in a cool, dry area. By checking them for 24 hours before storing out of sight, you reduce the risk of losing a jar to mold. That being said, I've never once lost a jar of any dehydrated food to mold.

Gala on the left; Rome on the right.

Apple chips are a fantastic snack on their own. We love to take a jar or two with us on road trips, especially those made without cinnamon or sugar to reduce mess. They are lightweight so they are perfect for hiking. I send small containers with Trucker for his lunch at work and they are great for adding to trail mix. You can also add them to baked goods or to top cakes. They can be rehydrated and used in pie making or applesauce. You can make a warm apple tea with cinnamon in autumn.

One reader mentioned on Facebook that she dehydrates crab apples for a tart snack. I am planning on trying this fantastic idea and will keep you updated.

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Dehydrated Tomatoes, or...the best way to preserve summer ever

I positively adore tomatoes, in every way possible. Salsa, marinara sauce, pizza, on salad, thick slices with cottage cheese, sun-dried and soaked in olive oil. *sigh*

Last year, my garden dumped a ton of tomatoes on me. I couldn't keep up! The stash on the counter grew and grew and we were eating them every way we could think of. I haven't learned to can yet (on the to-do list for the coming year), but was not about to waste any of those beautiful morsels of summer. I had been dehydrating apples for a year or so, and loving the results. I decided to try my hand at making dried tomatoes.

The benefits to dehydrating tomatoes are many. First off, it prevents wasting precious, beautiful, flavorful, perfect homegrown tomatoes. That alone makes it worth doing. It is incredibly easy, and the work of preparing the tomatoes and putting them on the trays is relaxing and meditative. It uses a low to moderate amount of electricity to preserve, and then none to store. It doesn't go bad if the power goes out (like frozen foods would). It can be stored in repurposed containers and therefore free containers. It doubles as decoration. It is good for at least several months when simply stored, and with ideal storage is good for much longer. It concentrates the flavor allowing for incredible food experiences. It stores in a small amount of space. Dehydrated tomatoes can be used in a wide variety of ways.

So now that I've convinced you, let's get started on the how.

Select any ripe tomato. Big juicy tomatoes won't be as good as meatier tomatoes, but I've never regretted dehydrating a tomato. When you dehydrate a tomato, you remove all or most of the water, so the flavor is super-concentrated. This is perfect. For a good tomato, you can turn good flavor into omg-this-is-epic flavor. For tomatoes that are a bit on the bland side, removing the water means that there is distinguishable flavor. Last year I grew a green tomato that was really pretty, but eaten fresh had little flavor. Dehydrating them meant that I could at least taste tomato when I ate them. This kept them from being thrown into the compost or otherwise wasted.

Cut them up, depending on what type. Cherry or grape tomatoes are best simply cut in half. Romas can be cut in halves, quarters, thick or thin slices. Large tomatoes should be sliced in thick or thin slices. A standard dehydrator will hold a lot of tomatoes so make sure you have a good number before getting started. Halves, quarters or thick slices will take longer to dehydrate, but too thin of slices may burn if you don't pull them out soon enough. I'd suggest no thinner than 1/4 inch slices.

Lay the tomato slices evenly across the screens. Don't allow them to overlap at all, but it is fine to have them touching. Place the trays into the dehydrator. If you have a temperature dial, set it for 130-135. The first few times you dehydrate them, make sure it's during the day and you can be home to check them. The last thing you want is to burn those precious beauties! Check them after 4 hours. In my old dehydrator, some of the tomatoes would be ready in 4-5 hours. If one tray is more dry than the others, rotate the trays so the least dry tray is where the most dry tray was. Check every hour or so for the first few times. Keep track of how long it takes your dehydrator to dry tomatoes for the thickness you decided on. In the future you can check less often or allow the dehydrator to run overnight or when you leave the house.

If you are drying slices, the slices will be brittle when ready. To check, remove a couple pieces from the dehydrator and allow them to cool for a couple minutes. They will seem less dry when hot, so you want to allow them to cool completely. Pick them up and drop them on the counter. They should clatter. You can also bend it. If it breaks in half completely, it is very dry and ready to store. If you are drying halves, quarters or thick slices, it won't break in half when you bend them. It will also be harder to dehydrate them as completely, so they may not store as long. For these, after they cool, tear a piece in half. Looking at the torn edge, squeeze the piece firmly. If you see a bead of water start to form or if it looks wet, dry it longer. You want it to look very dry in the middle.

Once they are dry, allow them to cool for several minutes. Don't allow them to cool for more than a half hour, as they can start to reabsorb water from the air, causing them to spoil in storage.

The easiest way to store dehydrated tomatoes is to place them in repurposed glass jars. I save most glass jars from condiments, pickles, sauces, and dressings. These are great for food storage. Wide mouthed jars are the best for storing dehydrated tomatoes. You can pack the tomatoes in rather tightly, then cap tightly.

For the longest term storage, keep in a cool, dark, dry place. However, if you plan on using them within the winter following harvest, you can use them as decoration. I line the tops of my cabinets and a shelving unit in my kitchen with glass jars filled with dried foods. It adds a lovely country charm to the room and I love it.

Now for using them! There are so many wonderful ways to use the tomatoes, you'll be devastated when your supply runs out and promise yourself that your going to double your garden space next year (if you are anything like me).

* As a snack-the intense flavor of dehydrated tomato slices is wonderful as is, but you can also sprinkle with seasonings before drying your tomato chips.
* Powder the bone-dry tomatoes. 1 part powder + 1 part water = tomato paste. 1 part powder + 3 parts water = tomato sauce. You could also use this to make tomato juice or tomato soup.
* Crumble tomato slices into a too-thin chili about a half hour before serving to thicken it up perfectly.
* When making a deli-meat sandwich for a bag lunch, place a slice of tomato against the mayo. It will rehydrate using the moisture from the mayo and provide incredible tomato flavor without the sogginess.
* Pour hot oil over a jar of them, then place in the refrigerator for a week. They'll soak up some of the oil to give you wonderful mock sun-dried tomatoes to use on sandwiches, salads, pizza or in pasta dishes. The oil will also be tomato flavored and incredible for salad dressings.
* If your enchilada filling is a bit too thin, add some crumbled tomatoes. They'll rehydrate during cooking.=

What are your favorite ways to use up dehydrated tomatoes?

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Crazy Easy Tomato Soup

I can't believe that I ever bought tomato soup in a can. It's so delicious when made with garden fresh produce and is one of the easiest recipes ever. It's also very quick, less than a half hour from ingredients to table. I made it for the first time last week, and I've made it three times since then. It's that awesome. I don't have a set-in-stone recipe, I just go with the flow, tweaking it based on what I have on hand. Here are the basics:

* Tomatoes, any sort is fine, roughly 3-4 lbs
* Peppers, as mild or spicy as you'd like, 3-5 optional
* Onion (1 medium) and/or garlic (3-4 cloves)
* Cream, milk, or half and half (1/2 c)
* Butter or oil (3 tbsp)
* Flour (6 Tbsp)

* Soup pot
* Sieve or strainer
* Blender
* Ladle

First, clean your tomatoes well and chop roughly into a pot. If you'd like, you can add a few peppers or other veggies that the garden has given you. Allow to cook for 10 minutes on medium heat.

Meanwhile, chop an onion or mince some garlic.

Pour the hot tomatoes into the blender and blend thoroughly. Pour out of the blender into the sieve or strainer. Work the tomatoes through the strainer. Compost the seeds/skins that are strained out.

Heat the butter  in the soup pot until melted. Add the onion and cook til translucent (If you have more time, cook til carmelized). Add flour and stir to combine. Cook until the flour is a light golden color. Slowly add the milk, whisking to combine thoroughly. Slowly add in the strained tomatoes, whisking as you add. Allow to cook a little longer, 5-10 minutes.

Salt and pepper to taste and add fresh basil, if desired. Top with sour cream, cheese or croutons. This stuff is incredible with grilled cheese, quesadillas, or thick slices of a good artisan bread.

You can add other veggies from the garden if you'd like, or you can add cooked, chopped veggies after blending and straining the tomatoes for a chunky garden veg soup.

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Dandelion Coffee

I love the real stuff, but there are plenty of benefits to brewing caffeine-free dandelion “coffee”: It’s a great tonic; it uses something that is otherwise considered an invasive weed; it’s an easy DIY project; and it’s free! It’s also as local as you can get, since you can dig dandelion roots right out of your yard. And unlike coffee, you can make it almost anywhere.

You'll need:
* in-ground dandelion weeds
* trowel
* veggie brush
* skiller
* coffee grinder

Dandelion roots are best dug in either early spring or late fall. Whenever you dig, be sure you’re doing so in a chemical-free yard or green space. Dandelion roots go deep, so dig deep down before firmly pulling up on the root, using the top of the plant as a handle. Whenever you are breaking sod on a new garden bed or weeding an existing bed, set aside the dandelions as the hard part is already done.

Once you have a large quantity dug, cut off the entire top part of the plants. (If you harvest in early spring, the leaves are awesome as a salad or a cooked green.

The roots are very dirty, so you need to take care to clean them thoroughly. They will be easier to clean if you let them soak in water for a half hour. Run the roots under cold water and use the veggie brush to clean them well. Repeat until the water runs clear. Dry them on a towel.

Chop them into small pieces. Allow them to air dry for two weeks. When the roots have thoroughly dried, roast them in a dry skillet, stirring frequently, until they are a dark, rich brown—about 10 to 15 minutes. Then grind them in a coffee grinder.

You can brew a "coffee" straight from the ground dandelion roots or you can mix the ground roots 50-50 with coffee. If you’re going roots only, use 1 Tbsp roasted dandelion roots per cup of water. I usually do the 50-50 version and brew it in my coffee pot, although you can also simmer the ground roots in a saucepan on the stove top until the liquid is a rich brown and then strain out the roots.


Either way, the brew is earthy, nutty and slightly sweet—perfect as is, or you can dress it up with cream and sugar. (It does have a slightly sweet flavor on its own, so I skip the sugar.) Dandelion roots have no caffeine, so dandelion coffee is ideal for evening sipping or for those who are trying to cut back on the hard stuff. Enjoy.


I originally published this on Homegrown.


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