#dehydrating

That's my life right now. It alternates with harvest, dehydrate, condition, jar, repeat.

Given the decidedly fall vibes here in Minnesota, I feel some pretty intense pressure to keep the dehydrator in constant action. I want to be sure I get everything harvested and dried before we reach a point that it's too late. Parsley today, to be followed by Genovese basil, then thyme, and finally Red Rubin basil. Then we repeat the cycle. I'll need to fit lavender in, too, I've got plans for it.

I've put out pleas for canning jars (holy crap they've gotten expensive) and people have delivered, thank goodness. Might still need to hunt down some pints because I'll be doing spaghetti sauce, some apple sauce, and another batch of soup stock before the cold truly sets in.

I'm about to go sort through the freezer to identify any fruits I need to convert to jam this week to make way for the temporary holding of vegetable clippings (for soup stock) and tomatoes (for spaghetti sauce) along with all the greens, beans, and other veggies that are getting freezer time for their long term storage.

Raspberry and Strawberry Fruit Leather 🍓

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Learn how to preserve your own herbs and spices using a dehydrator with this video from Epic Gardening!

If you don’t have a dehydrator, there are plenty of there are plenty of other ways to preserve your herbs. Some, like basil, oregano, and sage, can simply be harvested, tied into small bundles, and hung somewhere out of direct sunlight with good ventilation.

Another option is an oven on a very low setting, or even just with the light on to warm it.

Of course, you can always build your own solar dehydrator!