anyone here done this much?

looks like i might have enough this year to
give it a try...


songbird

On 5/24/2014 10:52 AM, songbird wrote:
> anyone here done this much?
>
> looks like i might have enough this year to
> give it a try...
>
>
> songbird
>
What would be the purpose? I've never seen commercial dried
strawberries, seems most folks want them fresh or made into jams and
jellies.

You might try a small batch to see how they turn out. I've also never
seen dried blackberries, I think strawberries and blackberries are just
way to juicy to dehydrate.

How's the garden this year?

George

George Shirley wrote:
>songbird wrote:

>> anyone here done this much?
>>
>> looks like i might have enough this year to
>> give it a try...


> What would be the purpose? I've never seen commercial dried
> strawberries, seems most folks want them fresh or made into jams and
> jellies.

i've seen dried strawberries in cereals.
recently i've been enjoying some dried
cranberries and was thinking if i can get
some dried strawberries they would be a
nice change. if the crop comes in as it
looks it might, i'm going to have plenty
to experiment with.

may make some sauces and dressings too
for salads, bbqs, etc. i enjoy cooking and
trying to come up with different or new
things for me, so it will be fun.


> You might try a small batch to see how they turn out. I've also never
> seen dried blackberries, I think strawberries and blackberries are just
> way to juicy to dehydrate.

there's not much left of them that is for sure
but what is there is all flavor and pretty good
if it works.


> How's the garden this year?

wrote up a large post in r.g.e. this morning.
short version, going well, but slow with injury
cutting into me getting stuff done. still we
should be planting Sunday and probably into Monday
to get things in that are in pots. seeds (beans, peas,
etc.) i'll be planting for the next few weeks.


songbird

On 5/24/2014 10:28 PM, songbird wrote:
> George Shirley wrote:
>> songbird wrote:
>
>>> anyone here done this much?
>>>
>>> looks like i might have enough this year to
>>> give it a try...
>
>
>> What would be the purpose? I've never seen commercial dried
>> strawberries, seems most folks want them fresh or made into jams and
>> jellies.
>
> i've seen dried strawberries in cereals.
> recently i've been enjoying some dried
> cranberries and was thinking if i can get
> some dried strawberries they would be a
> nice change. if the crop comes in as it
> looks it might, i'm going to have plenty
> to experiment with.
>
> may make some sauces and dressings too
> for salads, bbqs, etc. i enjoy cooking and
> trying to come up with different or new
> things for me, so it will be fun.
>
>
>> You might try a small batch to see how they turn out. I've also never
>> seen dried blackberries, I think strawberries and blackberries are just
>> way to juicy to dehydrate.
>
> there's not much left of them that is for sure
> but what is there is all flavor and pretty good
> if it works.
>
>
>> How's the garden this year?
>
> wrote up a large post in r.g.e. this morning.
> short version, going well, but slow with injury
> cutting into me getting stuff done. still we
> should be planting Sunday and probably into Monday
> to get things in that are in pots. seeds (beans, peas,
> etc.) i'll be planting for the next few weeks.
>
>
> songbird
>
I picked four cucumbers and two tomatoes earlier this morning, now 0751
CST. Lima beans and cukes are at the top of the four feet tall
trellises, hoping they start blooming soon. Lots of baby yellow squash
and there are four Acorn squash on the volunteers along the fence. Looks
like this may be a good year for us, depending on rainfall. The new
soaker hoses are working well so we're happy.

George

George Shirley wrote:
....
> I picked four cucumbers and two tomatoes earlier this morning, now 0751
> CST. Lima beans and cukes are at the top of the four feet tall
> trellises, hoping they start blooming soon. Lots of baby yellow squash
> and there are four Acorn squash on the volunteers along the fence. Looks
> like this may be a good year for us, depending on rainfall. The new
> soaker hoses are working well so we're happy.

we have been growing the fordhook lima
beans which are bush type. i try to find
extra spots behind other things to wedge
them in as they are the last to finish.

i have to remember to get the squash seeds
planted. they are on my list in my head, but
where they go is far enough in the back that
out-of-sight-out-of-mind may happen for a bit.
we'll need to cage them as there are woodchucks
and wabbits about.

got the potted plants in (red and green
peppers, onions and tomatoes) and that was
enough. the rest of the planting i have to
do will go much faster and easier as i don't
have to get up and down to plant things -
just scratch a line with the hoe, drop seeds,
cover and water... oh, well, maybe not as
i have another nine buckets of worms/worm
castings to put down as fertilizer, still will
go faster to plant than to have to put in
potted starts.

we used soaker hoses for the tomatoes last
year and while they worked i still wasn't
all that happy with the flavor of the tomatoes.
i'm going to do things a little different this
year and see how things go.


songbird

On 5/25/2014 3:35 PM, songbird wrote:
> George Shirley wrote:
> ...
>> I picked four cucumbers and two tomatoes earlier this morning, now 0751
>> CST. Lima beans and cukes are at the top of the four feet tall
>> trellises, hoping they start blooming soon. Lots of baby yellow squash
>> and there are four Acorn squash on the volunteers along the fence. Looks
>> like this may be a good year for us, depending on rainfall. The new
>> soaker hoses are working well so we're happy.
>
> we have been growing the fordhook lima
> beans which are bush type. i try to find
> extra spots behind other things to wedge
> them in as they are the last to finish.
We are growing Hopi red lima beans this year for the first time. Forgot
where I found them but it was a Native American Heirloom seed outfit. We
just barely can walk around our tiny backyard, I mow it with the weed
eater. Thirty-two feet long by four feet wide raised beds plus two feet
wide beds around 64 feet of fence and another bed under the windows of
the house. Doesn't even cover the roll around potting bench on the
patio. Then there's flower beds in the front of the house with veggies
growing behind the flowers plus a pear tree in front and a fig and a
kumquat tree in the back. As we age we're trying to cut back on acreage.
>
> i have to remember to get the squash seeds
> planted. they are on my list in my head, but
> where they go is far enough in the back that
> out-of-sight-out-of-mind may happen for a bit.
> we'll need to cage them as there are woodchucks
> and wabbits about.
We've been eating summer squash for three weeks now. Big difference in
climates.
>
> got the potted plants in (red and green
> peppers, onions and tomatoes) and that was
> enough. the rest of the planting i have to
> do will go much faster and easier as i don't
> have to get up and down to plant things -
> just scratch a line with the hoe, drop seeds,
> cover and water... oh, well, maybe not as
> i have another nine buckets of worms/worm
> castings to put down as fertilizer, still will
> go faster to plant than to have to put in
> potted starts.
>
> we used soaker hoses for the tomatoes last
> year and while they worked i still wasn't
> all that happy with the flavor of the tomatoes.
> i'm going to do things a little different this
> year and see how things go.
>
>
> songbird
>
It's always better with natural rain, the rain brings down meteorite
dust and nitrogen from the atmosphere, helps everything green. Saw a
news program the other day that the meteorite and volcanic dust in the
atmosphere has bacteria with it and helps with the rain. We don't
fertilize but a tiny bit, the rest comes from compost. Wish we still had
rabbits, best fertilizer there is, put it on the garden straight from
the rabbit and it doesn't burn. Been many years since we had the
rabbitry but we did have wonderful gardens back then, cow, chicken, and
rabbit manure all composted nicely. About two acres of gardens and six
acres of grazing pasture. Lots of work but fun in our twenties, which
were a long time ago. Plus we had two kids to work with us. They both
still garden. But neither cans anything, to busy I guess, both have
careers as do their spouses.

George

George Shirley wrote:
>songbird wrote:
>> George Shirley wrote:
>> ...
>>> I picked four cucumbers and two tomatoes earlier this morning, now 0751
>>> CST. Lima beans and cukes are at the top of the four feet tall
>>> trellises, hoping they start blooming soon. Lots of baby yellow squash
>>> and there are four Acorn squash on the volunteers along the fence. Looks
>>> like this may be a good year for us, depending on rainfall. The new
>>> soaker hoses are working well so we're happy.
>>
>> we have been growing the fordhook lima
>> beans which are bush type. i try to find
>> extra spots behind other things to wedge
>> them in as they are the last to finish.

> We are growing Hopi red lima beans this year for the first time. Forgot
> where I found them but it was a Native American Heirloom seed outfit. We
> just barely can walk around our tiny backyard, I mow it with the weed
> eater. Thirty-two feet long by four feet wide raised beds plus two feet
> wide beds around 64 feet of fence and another bed under the windows of
> the house. Doesn't even cover the roll around potting bench on the
> patio. Then there's flower beds in the front of the house with veggies
> growing behind the flowers plus a pear tree in front and a fig and a
> kumquat tree in the back. As we age we're trying to cut back on acreage.

it's dangerous to mention the B-word around me as
i've really enjoyed growing many different varieties
of beans. are the Hopi red lima beans anything like
the Jackson Wonder limas?


>> i have to remember to get the squash seeds
>> planted. they are on my list in my head, but
>> where they go is far enough in the back that
>> out-of-sight-out-of-mind may happen for a bit.
>> we'll need to cage them as there are woodchucks
>> and wabbits about.

> We've been eating summer squash for three weeks now. Big difference in
> climates.

Ma ended up planting them and put netting over the
holes to hopefully keep the chipmunks and other critters
from digging them up. these are the squash for fall
and winter eating.


>> we used soaker hoses for the tomatoes last
>> year and while they worked i still wasn't
>> all that happy with the flavor of the tomatoes.
>> i'm going to do things a little different this
>> year and see how things go.

> It's always better with natural rain, the rain brings down meteorite
> dust and nitrogen from the atmosphere, helps everything green. Saw a
> news program the other day that the meteorite and volcanic dust in the
> atmosphere has bacteria with it and helps with the rain. We don't
> fertilize but a tiny bit, the rest comes from compost. Wish we still had
> rabbits, best fertilizer there is, put it on the garden straight from
> the rabbit and it doesn't burn. Been many years since we had the
> rabbitry but we did have wonderful gardens back then, cow, chicken, and
> rabbit manure all composted nicely. About two acres of gardens and six
> acres of grazing pasture. Lots of work but fun in our twenties, which
> were a long time ago. Plus we had two kids to work with us. They both
> still garden. But neither cans anything, to busy I guess, both have
> careers as do their spouses.

oh yes, a good rain is always appreciated. the
forecasts for today went from rainy to partly sunny
and then it ends up raining a little anyways. which
is fine with me as it gives me a day off to rest up
a bit and it keeps those seeds properly moist.

two acres of gardens is plenty for a few people
to keep busy that is for sure!

i won't keep any animals until i'm ready to kill
and clean them for food. Ma will not put up with
anything other than the worms and they are doing
what i need them to do - good enough for now.
things may change in the future...


songbird

On Saturday, May 24, 2014 10:52:39 AM UTC-5, songbird wrote:
> anyone here done this much?
>
>
>
> looks like i might have enough this year to
>
> give it a try...
>
>
>
>
>
> songbird

I don't know if I should post on a month of May original post, but here goes.
I dehydrate strawberries all the time.
My husband and I like the dried strawberries better than fresh. We also dry a lot of bananas and like them better.
For the strawberries we cut 1/4" slices to the same width for drying for each strawberry. We sprinkle lightly with sugar or desired sweetner and dry until slightly crisp.
With bananas as well as strawberries - the flavor is highly enhanced when in cereal. We coat the bottom of the dehydrator trays with oil sprinkled on a napkin so the strawberries and bananas won't stick.
We put nothing on the bananas - once we tried cinnamon but the bananas are so sweet that we use nothing. Bananas take a long time until crisp, but OH so good. Use a banana that has spots.

Carol Smith wrote:
....
> I don't know if I should post on a month of May original
> post, but here goes.

never hurts if the information is helpful.

due to circumstances i never dried any
strawberries, but i did make some fruit leather.
i decided after that to find a way to get rid
of the seeds before doing it again. i suspect
my reaction to dried strawberries would be the
about the same.


> I dehydrate strawberries all the time.
> My husband and I like the dried strawberries better
> than fresh. We also dry a lot of bananas and like
> them better.

> For the strawberries we cut 1/4" slices to the same
> width for drying for each strawberry. We sprinkle
> lightly with sugar or desired sweetner and dry until
> slightly crisp.

> With bananas as well as strawberries - the flavor is
> highly enhanced when in cereal. We coat the bottom
> of the dehydrator trays with oil sprinkled on a napkin
> so the strawberries and bananas won't stick.

> We put nothing on the bananas - once we tried cinnamon
> but the bananas are so sweet that we use nothing.
> Bananas take a long time until crisp, but OH so good.
> Use a banana that has spots.


songbird

Hi,
I honestly never noticed the seeds when dehydrating.
All the companies that sell canned food for storage sell dried strawberries.
I did buy some from Honeyville, but have never opened the can since it is for long term storage.
Then I decided that I could just do this myself. Some of the strawberries here are not as sweet as others. Different grocery stores carry different quality fruit.
When you said that you grew them, I knew that you must have the best tasting strawberries.
Never tries fruit leather.
Carol