“Over here,” my dear friend Ruth cried as she bent over the spreading green bed of thick zucchini plants. “It’s almost a watermelon.”

“Can’t be,” I denied. “I checked this morning, and I picked every one.”

“Well, you missed this zucchini several days ago. It’s a blimp.” Read the rest of this entry »

One of the most satisfying sandwiches on many restaurant menus is the proverbial French Dip Sandwich. As a menu standard, it meets all the requirements of a best seller: it is moist, flavorful, and filling.  The versatile French Dip Sandwich can be eaten with a side of macaroni salad or potato salad, with a dill pickle or pickled egg, or just by itself (with a touch of Chinese hot mustard for the brave).  Read the rest of this entry »

If you have no ideas for dinner, one of my old tricks to spark some creativity is to choose a letter from the alphabet and work around that letter with a great menu plan that can get quite a lot of attention.

For example, my dear friend, Ruth, picked the letter “L” recently while we strolled through the local supermarket in search of inspiration because we had no ideas for dinner.  Hmm, that would be lard, lemonade, and linguine, I said to her. Read the rest of this entry »

The last official “free” days of summer are just before Labor Day, when everyone starts thinking about school projects, autumn Halloween fun, the holidays, and cooler weather. We still have some warm summer days to enjoy the outdoors, so it would be nice to plan a Labor Day picnic. Read the rest of this entry »

During the waning weeks of summer, it seems a perfect time to preserve favorite fruits of the season by dehydrating them to enjoy later in the year.  My dear friend, Ruth, an expert in dehydrating fruit and other foods, says the process is all about removing the moisture that causes decay. No water means no bacteria and no spoilage, she affirms.

Ruth explains that dehydration occurs best when the drying temperature is between 95°-140°F, with low humidity, and a constant movement of air (that helps evaporate the moisture).  Fruits are especially interesting to dry because many change character entirely after dehydration. For example, dried plums are turned into prunes, and dried grapes become raisins after the drying process.

Although there are several methods for drying food, we’ve picked three of the most popular ways for dehydrating fruit and other foods:

1. Sun Drying
Sun drying is the most ancient way of dehydrating fruit and other foods. Patience and a solid protective cover for the food is important in this process. Slow drying fruit in the sun can take up to 5 days or more, depending on weather conditions. If you aren’t in a hurry and want the true old-fashioned experience of dehydrating fruit and other foods, sun drying is a satisfying (and green) choice.

2. Convection Oven Drying
With convection ovens able to stir the air and keep a controlled temperature, oven drying is another viable option for dehydrating fruit and other foods. Many do-it-yourselfers like using their existing convection ovens for dehydrating fruit and other foods because it is one less appliance to purchase, store, and maintain. Convection oven drying can provide an adequate finished product for home consumption.

3. Drying by Food Dehydrator
A food dehydrator appliance acts much like a convection oven (except your large oven can still be free to use while the dehydrator does its work). The basic parts of a food dehydrator include a fan, air vents to allow air circulation, a heating element, and food trays (screens). Food dehydrator appliances are perhaps the most popular way for dehydrating fruit and other foods. You pretty much set it and forget it, and come back hours later with perfectly dried fruits and other foods.

Helpful Hints
Slice sweet apples (like Fuji or Delicious) or sweet ripe peaches into thin slices. Dip in cold water with ascorbic acid or lemon juice and place in single layer on dehyrator rack. Check your progress every few hours for dehydrating fruit and other foods.  You can also make fruit leathers by pureeing fruit in a blender and spreading them on a flat dehyrator pan

Dehydrating is really easy. I always think of the old backpacker’s original trail mix called GORP (get out the raisins and peanuts) when I think of dehydrated foods.  I like to dehydrate fresh herbs, too. Right now I have a Concord grape vine loaded with grapes.

So, I guess its either harvest and dehydrate, or harvest and make jam. I’ll have to check my family cookbook and recipe box for my grape pie recipe. Granny used to have a really good Concord Grape pie recipe, but that’s another story.

Happy Cookbooking,

Matilda

Maybe you have this same scenario at your house:  I’ll tidy the kitchen in the evening, clearing all the dishes from the sink, only to discover that by morning the sink is littered again with late night snack dishes, used ice cream bowls, and other assorted after-dinner cups, mugs, or glasses. I often wonder if there isn’t a night shift of visitors coming in to take advantage of our home and my good graces. Read the rest of this entry »

Don’t know if Chelsea Clinton’s vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free wedding has anything to do with it, but more people seem to be thinking about trying a vegetarian meal plan with meatless dinners. That’s great news for all the critters in the world that get scooped up as dinner fare.  That’s also great news for the long-term health of our nation. Read the rest of this entry »

While perusing a food gift catalog recently, my dear friend, Ruth, happened upon a nice selection of conserves, fruit chutneys and marmalades that would be perfect hostess gifts for the holidays. “These conserves, fruit chutneys and marmalades are so beautiful and sound so good,” she said. “This catalog certainly has me sold.” Read the rest of this entry »

A dear friend who lived in Peru for many years recently shared this condiment recipe for her Peruvian dipping sauce that is very delicious on just about anything. For that summer get together or family reunion that needs something a little different, try this Peruvian dipping sauce recipe: Read the rest of this entry »