Tag: food storage

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Rhubarb Bread

I like to make quick breads for my family to eat with their meals. One of the most popular is banana bread. I also shred and freeze zucchini in the fall for making zucchini bread throughout the winter. I don’t like to feel trapped with making the same breads over and over, so I set out to find something new.

I was quite specific in my searching because my rhubarb is starting to come up, and I wanted to use up some frozen rhubarb from last season. I found a few different rhubarb quick bread recipes, but I finally settled on one that had a lower amount of sugar and all the ingredients I already had on hand.

I always substitute honey or syrup for the sugar in quick breads. I also cut down on the sweetener used because most quick breads just don’t need a high amount of sugar to still taste good. I was a little nervous doing this with rhubarb because it is so tart, but the bread turned out delicious!

You will need to puree some rhubarb for this recipe.

Rhubarb Puree

1 cup rhubarb, chopped
1/4 cup water

Combine the rhubarb and water in a small pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until rhubarb falls apart into a thick sauce. Remove from heat and let cool.

Rhubarb Bread

Dry Ingredients:
1/2 cup walnuts
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 cup syrup (if using dry sweetener, combine with dry ingredients)
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
2 eggs
1 cup rhubarb puree
1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup rhubarb, chopped (fresh or frozen)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of loaf pan.

Combine all dry ingredients and mix together.
Combine wet ingredients and add to dry mix. Stir to combine.
Stir in chopped rhubarb.
Pour batter into loaf pan, and bake for about 1 hour.
Remove pan to wire rack and let cool 10-15 minutes before removing bread.
Remove bread from pan and let cool on wire rack.

Slice and enjoy!

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DIY All Natural Extracts

I have been on a breakfast shake kick lately and have been using a lot of mint in the shakes. It doesn’t take very long to strip a small mint plant of all its leaves, though. I needed a way to make my mint last longer, so I decided to pick all of the leaves and make mint extract with them. This way, I can use a bit of the extract in my shakes and make the leaves last a lot longer!

There are only two ingredients in a homemade extract: vodka and whatever you are using to flavor the extract. I bought a large bottle of the cheapest vodka I could find, and divided it up among six half pint jars to make five different extract flavors.

Each jar was first filled with the flavor of my choosing. Then, I simply poured the vodka over it and tightly screwed on the lid. Once every day, or every other day, I have to shake the jars. The extracts have to “cure” for 4-8 weeks before they are ready to be used.

Any alcohol that is at least 80 proof (or 40% alcohol) will work to pull or “extract” the flavors. Vodka is most often used because it is basically tasteless, odorless, and clear.

The extracts I made were:

  • Strawberry: contains chunks of strawberries
  • Cinnamon: contains about half a dozen cinnamon sticks (this one might be pretty potent)
  • Mint: contains all of the leaves off a small mint plant
  • Almond: contains a dozen almonds (Skinned almonds would be best. Mine still had skins on which might make the extract a bit bitter.)
  • Two vanilla beans: each jar contains one vanilla bean cut in about 1 inch pieces

Resources:

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Dehydrating: Drying Foods for Long Term Storage

When planning and planting your garden, consider how much produce you can use and how much you need. You don’t want to plant rows and rows of spinach only to have most of it go to waste because you can’t eat it fast enough and you find that you only enjoy it fresh. Most produce can be frozen, canned, dehydrated or otherwise stored to be used throughout the winter months when nothing is growing. Due to a variety of reasons (some more practical than others), our clan has been slowly moving away from freezing and focusing instead on canning and drying.

Our garden covers about 8,000 square feet. This means that there is a lot of produce to store away. That may seem like an extreme amount of garden space for one couple, but our clan consists of 18 people.

We have three identical dehydrators belonging to various clan members that tend to rotate between who needs them at the time. Growing and drying your own herbs is another popular choice. You can make your own Italian seasoning or chili powder. One of our daughters likes to grow hot peppers, dry, and grind them up for red pepper flakes to use in homemade chili powder and to sprinkle on pizzas. Onions and garlic can be dried and ground to make powders, as well. Imagine a spice rack where everything came from your garden!

In the fall, everyone will be drying apples. Dried apples are often used as snacks, but you can also use them for baking. Simply re-hydrate and use as normal. They won’t be crisp, but baking will make them soft anyway. You can also dry strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, and cherries. Granola is a wonderful way to use dried fruit.

We don’t eat commercial cereal, but our grandkids like granola cereal. The kids enjoy selecting their own dried fruits to add to their cereal. It is something like a buffet. And what kid doesn’t like making some of their own decisions when it comes to food?

Beef jerky is another popular dehydrator snack. We occasionally get paid in beef from a relative’s farm, so jerky is a good way to use up some extra beef! Jerky sticks are perfect for road trips or camping trips. They are easy and delicious, and everyone loves them. We also dry kale for kale chips and add some homemade garlic powder.

For specific drying times, recipes, and tips for use, look at the manual for your dehydrator. If you can’t find your manual or need a quick reference, you can check out the Nesco dehydrator manual PDF.

Resources:

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Kale Chips

Kale chips are a healthy alternative to potato chips and a good way to get some extra greens into your diet. They add a nice salty crunch to a meal and are delicious! I know they get bad mouthed a lot, but we actually really enjoy them as snacks and as a side to our meals. They are a bigger hit with some of the clan than salads, so it is an easy way for our family to eat vegetables.

These can be made in the oven, but they burn easily if you don’t watch them like a hawk. I rarely have time to stare at my oven, so I prefer to make them in the dehydrator. This takes a little longer but guarantees they will be crunchy and perfectly cooked every time.

This is the basic recipe, but don’t be afraid to try different seasonings and spices.

Ingredients:

  • 1 head of kale (rinsed)
  • Olive oil
  • Sea salt

Directions:

Tear the kale off the stems and into bite sized pieces. Pour some oil olive into the palm of your hand and massage it into the kale. Sprinkle on sea salt to your liking and toss to coat them all.
Spread the kale pieces onto your dehydrator trays. Dry for 2-4 hours. Store in airtight container.

Ours have never lasted longer than 2 weeks, but they will stay crispy for at least 2 weeks when dehydrated. Oven baked chips will lose their crispiness after a few days.

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Granola Cereal Recipe

We don’t eat commercial cereal, and we try to stay away from processed foods. However, kids love cereal for breakfast, and it is a quick and easy way to start the day. So, my daughter makes homemade granola cereal. It is a delicious alternative to store bought cereal, and it is a wonderful topping on a fruit parfait.

If you don’t have all of the dry ingredients, you can skip them and/or add more of another one.

Dry Ingredients:

  • 4 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup wheat germ
  • 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup raisins

Wet Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup (or honey)
  • 1/3 cup applesauce (or coconut oil or butter)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300°F.
Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl, and mix the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl. Pour the wet mixture over the dry mix to combine. Spread on a greased pan.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack, and store in airtight container. Add raisins before storing.

You can also dry can the granola for longer term storage.