Untitled - Imperfectly Happy Homesteading

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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------CELERY POWDER INGREDIENTS & TOOLS NEEDED      2 – 3 bunches of celery (homegrown and/or organic is always best) 1 bunch will typically make about 2 oz of celery powder. Dehydrator ( this is the one I use ) Spice grinder, blender, mini food processor (what I used) or mortar and pestle Canning or Spice Jar with tight lid to keep out moisture DIRECTIONS 1. Thoroughly wash and dry your celery. How to Make Celery Powder at Home - a great way to preserve and stretch your garden harvest. 2. Crop celery into even slices – you want them to be as uniform as possible so they are all done about the same time. I pull the leaves off and save those too – lots of flavor there! But I do not use the ends of the celery where it is nearly white. 3. Arrange your celery slices in a single layer on your dehydrator trays. 4. Set your dehydrator to vegetables or 135 degrees F 5. They’ll need about 8 – 9 hours to fully dehydrate and they are going to shrink a lot. 6. You’ll know they are ready when they celery powders so try crushing one under a spoon to see if they’re ready. 7. I grind about a handful at a time for best results. Make sure you do not open the lid to whatever you’re using to grind until the powder settles – you don’t want to breathe that stuff in. 8. Store in your jar/s and keep in a cool dry cabinet for best results. 9. Try mixing with other herbs and spices for your own special blend. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------GARLIC POWDER INGREDIENTS AND EQUIPMENT         2 lbs of garlic – peeled and sliced thin Try to keep the slice size consistent with a mandolin slicer. Dehydrator of your choice I use the Nesco and still love it! A Spice Grinder You can use a coffee grinder but you’ll pretty much never want to put coffee beans in it again. Air-tight containers for storage I have re-used my old spice jars! Or check these mini glass jars. DIRECTIONS 1. Arrange your garlic slice on your dehydrator racks in a single layer 2. Set your dehydrator to 130 degrees 3. Allow the garlic to dry completely and crispy. Depending on your dehydrator this can take 12 hours or more. 4. Now you can grind your dehydrated garlic 5. Store in an air-tight container 6. If you won’t use a lot right away you can refrigerator or freeze it for longer storage (remember no preservatives) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MUSHROOM POWDER INGREDIENTS     A pound or more of your favorite culinary mushroom – I really like to do this with shiitakes or even portobellos; but try several varieties and see what you like. You may even want to try your hand at growing mushrooms. Amazon carries some awesome kits that are fairly easy to use. A food dehydrator – I use this one A food processor or blender Jar with air tight lid for storage DIRECTIONS 1. Clean your mushrooms – if you use water to clean make sure you allow them to dry completely for better dehydrating times. 2. Slice your mushrooms into thin slices. You can use a mandolin slicer for more uniform thickness but watch your fingers! I use all of the mushroom – caps and stems. 3. Arrange your mushrooms slices on your dehydrating racks in a single layer. Don’t crowd them too much because you need that air flowing through all the racks. 4. You’ll want to set your dehydrator at about 130 degrees and allow for up to 14 hours; you should check them after 10 hours. 5. You want dry, almost-crisp mushroom slices. They should not have any “sponge” left in them. 6. Once your dehydrated mushrooms have cooled you’re ready to make mushroom powder! 7. Take your dried mushrooms and use your food processor or blender to crush into a fine powder. You may need to do this in several batches if you’ve done a lot of mushrooms. Don’t overfill your blender or processor, you could have larger pieces left. 8. Allow the powder to settle before you take the top off – or you might be breathing it in!!!! Ick 9. Store in an air tight container in a cool cabinet without a lot of light. It should keep for several months without issue. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TOMATO POWDER INGREDIENTS     1 dehydrator – I use a Nesco Tomatoes – all varieties work Food processor, blender or coffee grinder Container for your powder – mason jar, zip lock bag, FoodSaver bag DIRECTIONS 1. Wash your tomatoes and slice into 3/4 inch slices 2. Arrange your slices on your dehydrator trays in single layers 3. Set your dehydrator for 125 – 135 for 12 – 15 hours. It could take a little longer depending on humidity. They need to have very little flexibility left when they are done. 4. Once they are completely dehydrated remove them from the racks. 5. Depending on what you are using to grind them down into the powder, try a few at a time to see how much it can take. I used my food processor and it can pretty much handle all 4 of my racks at once. 6. “Grind” until you have a nice fine powder with now sizable pieces. 7. Store your tomato powder in a mason jar (sealed with a FoodSaver for long term storage), zip lock bag or FoodSaver Bag. And keep it in a cool, dry place.