Simply wash them and place them onto your dehydrator tray.
Set your dehydrator setting on fruits/berries (approximately 135 degrees). Check on the berries in about 4 hours. They should feel firm but yet chewy-ish. Our 16 year old dehydrator is no longer working as accurately as it used to, so this batch is a little overdone as I left it unattended overnight.
If you do over-dehydrate just remember all is not lost. I can still partially reconstitute the berries by placing them into a bowl of water until they become the texture that I want. Even in their overdone state I can still put them into oatmeal and/or granola bars. However, I will reconstitute them slightly before placing into a trail mix.
Blueberries are much easier to freeze than strawberries! They are a very forgiving berry!
As with strawberries, you do not HAVE to wash the berries before you freeze them. However, I do! I simply wash the blueberries and try to make sure I don't have any stems left on any of them. Then I lay them out onto a cookie sheet. (I have a Demarle cooking sheet that I like to use for freezing berries due the holes in it) You do not have to worry about the berries touching as you do with strawberries. They easily seperate if they get stuck together.
Place the cookie sheet into your freezer. After about an hour or two the berries should be frozen.
Then place them in meal size portions (I freeze them in 2 cup quantities) into a freezer type bag, container, or vacuum sealer bag (my favorite way to store).
Tah dah! You have successfully stored a supply of blueberries for the winter!
When you are ready to use them, simply remove from the freezer. When they thaw they will be mushy, BUT...unlike strawberries, I have had success leaving them in a partially frozen state and using them on recipes that call for fresh blueberries. I wouldn't do this for a company dessert though as the blueberries do tend to run/ooze juice as they thaw. (This crew, however, could care less what the dessert looks like just as long as it tastes GREAT!) You do not have to worry about thawing the blueberries completely as most of your blueberry recipes are very forgiving. I have successfully stirred frozen blueberries into my muffin, coffecake, and bread recipes without any problems or strange outcomes.
We will use blueberries for making the yummiest blueberry muffins, smoothies, cobbler, bread, coffeecake and pancakes! Mmmmmm! *insert a drool here*
One of the wonderful things about homeschooling is that your children are not constantly bombarded by the latest and newest fads. They aren't subjected to peer pressure and teasing when they don't participate in the latest styles and fashions.
It has been a wonderful opportunity being able to teach and show our children how to save their money and spend it wisely, without peers interfering with that teaching. It was a blessing Friday to watch 2 of our children spend their money wisely. They had earned their money doing odd jobs for several neighbors. They didn't run out and spend it on something of little to no value or something that would provide them with instant but short lived gratification or something that would help them fit in with their so-called 'peers'. They chose to save it instead.
What a blessing it is to watch them pick up on some of our frugality skills...... I could go on and on about some of the things they have learned, i.e. couponing, gardening, calculating per unit cost, etc. but that would turn this post into a book.....
Anyhow...Where was I?....Oh yeah.... back to the story......
When I announced Friday in the early a.m. that I would be spending the morning yard selling. The children were eager to ask if they could come along. Yard selling for us, is like hunting for hidden treasure! The feeling that comes over you when you find the treasure, can't quite be explained.
I have found many a wonderful bargain at yard sales. New clothes still with tags for 25 cents. Shoes still with tags for 25 cents. Cleaning supplies, light bulbs, bedsheets, bookshelves, barely used cooking utensils, dishes, diapers, baby food, books, books, and more books, videos/DVDs, barely used toys, crayons, paper, unused coloring books, fabric, yarn, ribbon, tools, insulation, lumber, an ugly colored blender that eventually came back into style just as it finally died 16 years after purchasing it for $7 at a yard sale. I could go on and on about the deals we have found for meer pennies on the dollar..... That old saying stands true 'one man's trash is another man's treasure'!
Here is our list of found treasures on Friday:
Our oldest son found a $30 tool in GREAT condition that he has been 'eyeing'/watching/looking at in magazines for quite some time for just $1. He was incredibly excited over his find!
At another yard sale, he found a canvas type fishing bag in new condition for just $1. He wants to use it as a field bag for his hunting and gun accesories. You should have heard him jump for joy when we came home and he discovered this bag STILL had fishing supplies in it, one of which was a name brand (I am not very well educated on fishing supplies) filet knife that would have cost $40 if he bought it brand new. (This is what I call the creative trigger of yard selling. Finding things that could be used or made to work for one's projects or needs. Ya know, thinking OUTSIDE of the box.)
He also purchased a soft mallet hammer for use in his hobby at a meer $3. His total out-of-pocket expenses for the day...... $5.
Our other son spent his hard earned money on a small interchangeable screwdriver set, $20 new in stores for a mere $1. He was also excited over his find.
MY found treasure was a brand new Wagoner Spray Painter for dh, never before opened, for a mere $10.
TWO full bottles of carpet cleaner and a full bottle of 2006 expired vinegar for just $3. (Don't worry I won't be cooking with that vinegar, I will use it to clean with. I don't think vinegar expires though. I'll have to look that up for future reference.)
Then we stopped at a small church thrift shop, which unbeknownst at the time, was having a $1 a bag clothing sale. The clothing had pretty much been picked over, but I still managed to pack/find 3 overflowing bags worth. I also found shoes for 3 kids in like new condition for a mere $.25 a pair.
I also found 12 books (the old educating type. I can't stand 'fluff' or 'junk' books) and paid a total of $1 for them.
A cute table runner for our table for $1.
My total out-of-pocket expenses for the day was $19!!
Our 3 youngest girls each found a small stuffed animal for $.25 each. Which they paid for out of their own stashed/saved birthday money.
Dh came home early and stopped by the opened-all-day yard sale. He picked up 2 new-in-the-box fog lights and 2 new-in-the-box round head lamps that he plans to rig up to his 196? backhoe, and some fancy, I-don't-know-what-it's-called, string. His total out-of-pocket expenses for the day was $10 and now he can operate the backhoe in the dark.
Do you have any yard sale treasure stories to share? I would LOVE to hear all about it!
Hope your week is filled with abundantly blessed treasures!
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." -Matthew 13:44
We followed the recipe in our Ball Blue Book of Homecanning (I highly recommend this book) and then processed it in a water bath for 10 minutes.
These were made from the remainder of last years strawberries and has received the highest rate of approval from our crew! Matter of fact, they devoured 2 loaves of homemade bread and the extra half pint of jam in record time.
And this is the only mess we made during the entire process.
Whenever I see corn-on-the-cob go on sale for 6 or more ears for a $1, I snatch them up! Sure enough, they went on sale for the 4th of July weekend, 12 ears for $1.96. I purchased 48 ears! A whole whopping $8 for 5 meals worth.
There are many types/brands/kinds of corn (i.e. Sweet corn, Popcorn, Feed corn, etc.) but generally the ears of corn you will see in the store are either yellow
or white.
The white corn is a sweet corn. That's our FAVORITE! *insert a Drooool here*
Some people can their corn. They do this by scrapping the corn off the cob and then canning accordingly. I however, am a very busy mom and really don't have time for scrapping and processing when it's much easier and simpler to freeze the corn on the cob itself.
The first thing you have to do in order to freeze your supply of corn is husk the corn. This is where the children can help out. The younger kids in our house LOVE husking the corn! (honestly they do, don't let the picture fool ya. They were in deep conversation when I 'surprised' them with the camera)
I like to husk the corn outside. It makes for an easy clean-up. Especially when the kids are "helping".
After you husk the corn, you simply place into freezer type bags, containers, or (my favorite) vacuum sealer bags.
Tah dah!! You have now successfully frozen a supply of corn for the winter!
When you are ready to cook it, simply take it out of the freezer and thaw. (I don't always allow it to thaw though. Sometimes it gets cooked while still in its frozen state.) Then you can either cook your corn-on-the-cob in a pot of water, or wrap it up in aluminum foil and grill it! *insert a huge DROOL here*
Have an ear filled and blessed day!
"She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard." -Proverbs 31:16
Simply slice the strawberries into 1/8 -1/4 inch thickness. The thicker, the chewier. But not to thick or they'll never dry out.
Allow to dry on your dehydrator's low heat or berry setting (about 135 degrees) for several hours. After about 4 hours you should start to check on them frequently to make sure you don't over-dehydrate. You want dry, not brittle and crumbly. (Don't ask me how I know this?)
You can then store them in a container at room temperature if you like. I personally am paranoid about food storage, so I place dehydrated strawberries in Ziploc bags and keep them in the freezer until I am ready to use them.
We use dehydrated strawberries in homemade granola, trail mix or to toss into oatmeal or cereal. DE-licious!!
A dehydrator is another worthwhile investment! We own 2 of these. They get the most usage in the winter. We LOVE making our own Deer Jerky!! Jerky is great for teething babies, camping, hunting, hiking, etc. We also enjoy drying apples for snacking on later. You can make fruit leathers (aka fruit roll-ups) with it. Some people even make their own raisins. (Until I can find a free source of grapes, that won't be happening around here.) Some people dry their own herbs and flowers with them. (I couldn't grow an herb plant if my life depended upon it)..... Dehydrating possibilities are endless...dried tomatoes, dried plums, dried peaches, etc.
Now that we have strawberries, it's time to store them for the winter.
You do not have to wash the berries before you freeze them. However, I do.
As soon as we get the berries home we wash them, hull them, and place them onto cookie sheets. (I have some Demarle cooking sheets I like to use for freezing berries because of the holes in the sheets.) Do not allow the berries to touch one another. They will freeze to each other and take longer to harden.
After they are frozen (which should only take 1-2 hours depending on your freezer), you can take them out and pack them in convenient portions into freezer bags, containers, or vacuum sealer bags.
(What?!? What do you mean you don't own a vacuum sealer? We actually own 3 of these! We have our original one acquired many years ago. Then we purchased a touchless one a few years later....and our newest one is one of my/our favorites because it allows us to vacuum seal cookies and breads without crushing them. Believe it or not....we have all 3 working overtime when butchering season arrives. It's an investment that you can't go wrong with. Even if you don't hunt, you can use it to portion out discount bulk purchases for your family.)
We will use the strawberries over the winter months to make smoothies, milkshakes, muffins, breads, cobblers, a mousse or two, etc., while our neighbors will be paying high prices for fresh berries shipped from the other side of the country..... or worse yet.....IM-ported strawberries..... Now, remember you will not get a fresh berry look from your thawed strawberries. As they thaw, they will become mushy and liquidy. Perfect for recipes! Not good for desserts that call for the fresh berry look. (Don't ask me how I know this?)
Cucumbers...(I bet you could have figured that one out by yourself)
Potatoes......
Corn.....
and last but not least..... Green Beans.....
Uh...hello...
Where did the pictures I took of the sprouting green beans go???
GREAT!!! I must of lost them somewhere in cyberspace!...
I wish I wasn't technically challenged!
I am off to find the lost pictures.....blog at you later....
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. -Galations 6:7-10
Confessions of a SAHHM (Stay At Home Homeschooling Mom). SAHHM to six children, 3 cats, 1 German Shepherd, Chaos, Murphy's Law, Notme, Idunno, and one incredibly loving and patient husband! :o)
If I haven't blogged recently, it's probably because chaos has gotten loose. It does that from time to time. Rest assured I will be back as soon as it is under control again.
so I place dehydrated strawberries in Ziploc bags and keep them in the freezer until I am ready to use them.
We actually own 3 of these! We have our original one acquired many years ago. Then we purchased a touchless one a few years later....and our newest one is one of my/our favorites because it allows us to vacuum seal cookies and breads without crushing them. Believe it or not....we have all 3 working overtime when butchering season arrives. 
It's an investment that you can't go wrong with. Even if you don't hunt, you can use it to portion out discount bulk purchases for your family.)
