Tag: Preserving

Freeze-Drying The Sweet Side Of Cakes And Bread
Freeze Drying · Homesteading · Prepping · Preserving

Freeze-Drying The Sweet Side Of Cakes And Bread

Sarah

This was a fun adventure with our Harvest Right freeze-dryer. I made up 2 chocolate cakes, 2 gluten-free pumpkin breads, and 1 of my favorite sugar-free cheesecake to freeze-dry. We run on a Large size unit, with 5 trays.

With the cake and bread I replaced all the oil with unsweetened applesauce, to keep the fat content down (oil isn’t your friend in freeze-drying). The cheesecake I do is crustless, but due to the cream cheese I won’t keep it for long-term food storage. It will make a great trail snack though to take along, and as well for treats this winter at home.

How To:

For all three items bake as normal, then let cool to room temperature. I used a 9″ x 13″ pan for the cake, an 8″x4″ bread pan and for the cheesecake a standard glass pie pan.

Use unsweetened applesauce to replace the oil called for, to keep the fat content lower.

Cut into small portions, thin sticks or cubes works well. If there were crumbs, toss those in as well onto the trays.

Place the items on each freeze-dryer tray, I found one cake or bread fit perfectly on each tray. It’s OK to pack it in.

Keep each flavor separate.

I then put the plastic lids on each tray and froze till solid.

Then I sent them to the freeze-dryer, using the auto settings.

Due to the cheesecake being a more dense item, we added 10 hours extra on top of the auto setting.

This came out right and all items were ready to store.

We used glass mason jars this round, so they wouldn’t get crushed, then sealed the jars with our Avid Armor chamber sealer. Every container got an oxygen absorber and a desiccant packet added.

I’ve included the recipe I used for the cheesecake. It is super simple and tastes great. I make it sugar-free but you can make it regular of course.

Sugar-Free Crustless Cheesecake

Ingredients:

  • 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
  • ¾ cup milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup Bisquick mix or similar baking mix
  • 1 cup sucralose (or granulated sugar)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly oil a 9″ glass pie pan.

Add all the ingredients into a blender, mix on medium and then high until mixed.

Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Let cool fully before cutting.

Makes 1 cheesecake.

I made the chocolate cake with mixes I got on a huge sale on Amazon. Because why not? Fun and easy. Yes, I could have made it from scratch. Now then, only use cocoa powder if doing chocolate. Do not add in chocolate chips. Actual chocolate doesn’t freeze-dry. Just don’t try it!

For the gluten-free pumpkin bread I used King Arthur mixes. I am not a master of GF baking, so honestly, a mix means it’ll turn out and our youngest will love it later on.

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~Sarah

The Fleeting Season of Medicinal Flowers
Gardening · Herbalism · Preserving

The Fleeting Season of Medicinal Flowers

Sarah

The past few weeks every time I was in the gardens – or out on walks in the woods, if I saw flowers popped up, I was picking them. This is a yearly thing for me, in late summer as we approach fall.

I played it right, and got a lot picked before the rains showed up this week. Just a day of rain – but very heavy at times. The sun will come out till end of the week, which should promote the final blooms for me to pick even more.

Heavy rain for a whole week, next week, is predicted. So I know I am almost done for the season.

Why should you pick medicinal flowers?

When you buy online, you are taking a gamble of where the item was grown, and how it was grown.

If you are interested in making body care products, you might see crunchy mamas talking about making infused calendula oil to use in salves, soaps and more. Which is a great use for calendula and an excellent intro to herbalism. But it also takes a lot of flowers to do it. And if you buy online, you have no idea how they were really sourced – or if they were grown in the USA (or your country as it applies to you). I do not want to be using Chinese grown flowers in my herbalism!

If you grow your own (and if do this, most flowers will self seed and spread on their own by year 3) you win in two ways: you have a source to pick from, and you provide for the native pollinators amply. You also will get free seed yearly to store for the next year, if you choose to.

I let the flowers grow randomly amongst the vegetables. It’s a win win for pollination.

Strawberry Calendula.

Strawberry Calendula. As you can see it comes in a varying range of colors.

Orange Calendula. This is the version most think of when they buy the flowers dried. It’s often pale yellow due to being exposed to heat while drying.

White Lavender. Lavender comes in many shades, not just lavender the color. Find a good grower and find a vast world you didn’t know about. Some of these types you can grow from seed, others must be started by plugs.

Native wild rose petals, to be carefully plucked. These are Sitka Roses.

And no not forget to take some rose hips. From Nootka Roses.

For best results pick once the morning dew has gone, but before it gets warmed up (so midday from say noon to 3 pm is a no-go). You want dry blossoms to pick.

It’s a simple process. I have a small picking basket lined with cardboard baskets. As I walk along the rows, I pluck and put in by type.

When I get done, I get out paper lunch sacks and add each particular flower to a bag. I fold over a bit, to keep out light and dust. Then every day or two, I flip the bag over. Don’t overload the bag of course, if you have lots of flowers, and if they are heavy, such as Calendula, better to only have a dozen blossoms in each bag.

The flowers will slowly dry naturally. They won’t lose their color nor their essential oils deeply hidden in them. It’s far better than drying flowers in a dehydrator with heat. You pay for it by the flowers losing aroma and color.

As for rose hips, I cut them in half, scrape out seeds and pith, then air dry – you can leave them on a paper towel lined plate, or do the paper bag method.

Once everything is fully dry, or you remember about all those bags loitering around, transfer them to dry mason jars. Store out of direct light and use within a year for best results.

~Sarah

Lower Sugar Plum Jam
Preserving · Recipes

Lower Sugar Plum Jam

Sarah

A good friend brought me a bucket of Italian Plums she gleaned and so I needed to figure out what to do with them. So it seemed jam was what I was focusing on this week. I had realized it was September and I had not canned a single jar of jam. Now I have 2 kinds, stored for the winter.

This recipe is lower sugar, calling for 3 cups of sugar. A traditional jam would have had 7 cups. The Ball pectin I used can also take less sugar or even use fruit juice if it is desired, it has recipes both on the container and online. It comes in a multi-batch bottle as well, where you can make 2 to 8 jars a batch, based on how much fruit you have. Great if you don’t have a lot, or have a smaller family. I did a full batch however as I have many to feed.

Most grocery stores sell this pectin in the canning section, look up high for it.

Lower Sugar Plum Jam

Ingredients:

Directions:

Place 8 6-ounce canning jars in a water bath canner. Fill the jars with water, then fill pot with water to cover the jars. Bring to a near boil, then let simmer, while you are working.

Pit and dice plums, then place in a large pot, stir in water and pectin.

Bring to full rolling boil over high heat (a boil that doesn’t stop when stirring). Stir in sugar quickly, return to a full rolling boil, cook for 1 minute after it returns to the boil. Take off the heat.

Drain jars using tongs, place on a clean kitchen towel. Ladle the hot jam into the bars, using a sterilized canning funnel. Leave a ¼” headspace.

Dip a clean paper towel in hot water, then run around the top of each jar. Place a lid on each jar, then a band, screw on finger tight.

Turn canner up to high, place jars in water bath rack, lower rack into water. Water should cover by 1 – 2″. Bring to a rolling boil, covered, and then process for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, carefully remove jars, placing on a clean dry kitchen towel to cool.

Once cooled, check again that seals are down (you should hear the Ping! as each one seals). Gently remove bands (wash, dry and store for your next project. While they look nicer on, if they have water inside from processing, they can rust. If you are giving away your canned items, you can always slip one back on), note on jar or lid what is in jar with a date. Store in a dry/cool/dark area and use within a year.

As always, if you ever go to use a canned item and the lid is not sealed anymore, or bulging, discard it immediately! (I have only ever lost one jar in all my canning, so don’t fret!)

This batch made 7 6-ounce jars (42 ounces). I always add in another jar just in case there is extra jam – if not, just let it air dry and set aside.

~Sarah

Lower Sugar Pear Jam Recipe: A Homemade Healthier Spread
Preserving · Recipes

Lower Sugar Pear Jam Recipe: A Homemade Healthier Spread

Sarah

I had various pectin brands around the house, so I decided to make a quick batch of pear jam, that was lower sugar (if you make traditional jam with grocery store pectin, it can be 7 cups sugar for a batch, this way I only used 3 cups. Which was still high for my taste, but far better).

I did a dice of the pears, and while I mashed it a bit while cooking, I let most of the fruit stay intact, giving a lovely look to the jam. It turned out as a thick spread.

This year we had a great pear crop on our one tree in the orchard. The tree produced very nicely.

I picked the pears a little early, I didn’t want the hornets/wasps getting into them, and let them ripen inside. A solid choice. They eventually turned a pale yellow and were ready.

Lower Sugar Pear Jam

Ingredients:

Directions:

Place 7 6-ounce canning jars in a water bath canner. Fill the jars with water, then fill the pot with water to cover the jars. Bring to a near boil, then let simmer while you are working.

Peel, core, and dice pears, then place in a large pot and stir in lemon juice. Add ¼ cup of the sugar to the pectin, then stir into the pear mixture. Bring to full rolling boil over high heat (a boil that doesn’t stop when stirring). Stir in sugar quickly, return to a full rolling boil, and cook for 1 minute after it returns to the boil. Take off the heat.

Drain jars using tongs and place them on a clean kitchen towel. Ladle the hot jam into the bars using a sterilized canning funnel. Leave a ¼” headspace.

Dip a clean paper towel in hot water, then run around the top of each jar. Place a lid on each jar, then a band, screw on finger tight.

Turn the canner up to high, place jars in the water bath rack, and lower the rack into water. Water should cover by 1 – 2″. Bring to a rolling boil, covered, and then process for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, carefully remove jars, placing on a clean dry kitchen towel to cool.

Once cooled, check again that the seals are down (you should hear the Ping! as each one seals). Gently remove bands (wash, dry and store for your next project. While they look nicer on, if they have water inside from processing, they can rust. If you are giving away your canned items, you can always slip one back on), note on jar or lid what is in jar with a date. Store in a dry/cool/dark area and use within a year.

As always, if you ever go to use a canned item and the lid is not sealed anymore, or bulging, discard it immediately! (I have only ever lost one jar in all my canning, so don’t fret!)

This batch made 6 6-ounce jars (36 ounces). I always add in another jar just in case there is extra jam – if not, just let it air dry and set aside.

~Sarah

Packing Your Freeze-Dried Items Like The Pros
Freeze Drying · Prepping · Preserving

Packing Your Freeze-Dried Items Like The Pros

Sarah

It’s National Preparedness Month – and part of that is getting emergency food ready.

I had a goal for a long time, and it was to be able to pack my freeze-dried meals & ingredients in commercial grade bags, where I could seal the bags for long-term storage, with the ability to have a zipper to shut the bag back up after adding water, if I was rehydrating them in the mylar bag. I wanted a low bag, for less waste of material, for single serving meals.

In the last two years I was able to make that happen. We invested in first an impulse sealer, then a chamber sealer. No longer did I need to keep meals stored in quart freezer bags, I could prep for a year out if I wanted to – or even 10 years out.

To be able to pack meals like the commercial companies do. For the ultimate sealing, and space saving, you can have compact meals to rip open, pour in boiling water, seal and eat 15 minutes later. Dream of a prepper pantry where you can walk up to, and pull out the meals you want, made from the many FBC recipes on our TrailCooking site we have up, or that you freeze-dried yourself.

You can easily purchase the bags now, the same ones the food companies use, at affordable prices. Only a few years ago, before the rise of home freeze-drying, it was not easy to buy the bags, and the sealers.

There are two methods to do this.

One is simpler, the other is for those who want the tightest seal. and more space saving by removing as much air as possible.

In both methods we used Wallaby MRE bags. These bags can be sourced on Amazon as well in larger packs. They are made of food grade mylar bags, that are rated for boiling water to be added to them. They are short bags, wide at the bottom, forming a bowl. No reaching into a deep bag here, these are simply some of the best bags you can buy. A tip though: These are for single serving meals and you won’t want to go past 2 cups water in them, and more than 1½ cups dry ingredients.

The basic method, using an impulse sealer:

Using the bags, open each bag carefully, and widen the gusset at the bottom. Add in your meal’s dry ingredients. Since you will only be sealing the bags, and not sucking out the air, you can tuck packets in like Olive oil. Be sure to put them in a tiny ziptop sack, like a snack bag, as a barrier before putting into the bag, with the dry ingredients.

Once done, plug in  your impulse sealer, then give it to two times at the top of the bag as directed for your sealer. We go for the 2 taps, so you know it is sealed.

And that is it. Just mark the bag what is in it, date when made, and how much water to add. (Our bags came with white stickers you can write on, and put on each bag.)

For longer term storage, consider adding in an oxygen absorber and or desiccant packet with the dry ingredients.

(Our impulse sealer came with our Harvest Right Freeze-dryer.)

The Avid Armor chamber sealer method:

Last year we picked up an Avid Armor USV32 sealer. Unlike a Food Vac style sealer, these chamber sealers are designed to seal heavy duty mylar bags, especially ones with a built in zip top. They can seal both mylar and plastic bags, by changing the settings. (Ours also seals mason jars.)

Open the sealer, and place the bag in (different models may vary in directions). Ours has the bag pointing the opening to us.

The zipper is not shut on the bag.

Bag in place. Ready to seal the top and start the quick process.

It sucks all the air out of the bag, and seals the bag with a heat strip in the chamber sealer.

After removing the bag from the chamber sealer, we tap the top on the impulse sealer, as a backup seal.

Now the bag is ready to mark what is in it, the date and how much water.

It is an investment, but it is well worth it.

See it it action:

To prepare your meal:

Rip or cut off the top part of the bag, above the zipper (there is a notch on each side, which is below the impulse sealer marks).

Open the bag, so it forms a bowl form.

If you added an oxygen absorber/desiccant packet, take it out and discard. If you had stashed an oil packet, take it out and add the oil to the dry ingredients.

Add in the amount of boiling water called for, stirring the dry ingredients well.

Zip tightly and let sit for 15 minutes. Open, stir again and enjoy.

One bonus of these mylar bags is they retain heat well. In summer weather you may not need an FBC Cozy or similar to keep your food warm.

FTC Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links that give us commissions on products purchased. These items are what we used above.

~Sarah