As Long As My Tail's Not Fluffy

I'm starting to feel a lot like a squirrel storing up for winter.  Mandyland's been a hot bed for food preservation.

It started with the applesauce.  Sarah came over with a bucket and a box of tart Pippens.  Too tart to eat without puckering, we cored, peeled and sliced them into applesauce.  Nine quarts later, the smell of apples and cinnamon permeated the house.  When I get more apples, I'll be canning apple pie filling for the holidays and maybe, maybe one more batch of applesauce.

Next came the grape juice.  Using sweet green grapes (and Ruth's steamer) we created a smooth, slightly tart juice that will be perfect for a delicate jelly or, more than likely in a glass, ice cold and delicious.

When I came home from Sarah's house, guess what was sitting in front of my door.  No.  Not a check for a million dollars.  No.  Not a pile of grow boxes.  (Although that would be pretty cool.)  Nope...sitting there, in all it's boxed glory was my food dehydrator.

It was like Christmas or my birthday.  Wait.  Actually it was an early birthday gift from Chad's parents.  So, it was my birthday!  I tore open the box, read the directions - okay, so I skimmed them - and then washed the trays to get my first batch of fruit ready to dehydrate.  I filled one tray with grapes that I was sure Joseph wouldn't get to, another tray with Italian plums and three trays with dried apples.  I set the temperature, realized I should have found a dehydrator with a timer and then plugged it in.

Twelve hours later, I had delicious apple rings.  Twenty-four hours later, I had not so delicious prunes.  And forty-eight hours later, I finally had raisins.

Since then, I've done another batch of apple rings and will be doing sundried tomatoes and dried cilantro and basil.

I hope this thing is energy efficient.  Otherwise, my normally patient husband is going to make me choose between the air conditioner and the food dehydrator.  It's the Sophie's choice of energy conservation! 

Then we come to the tomato portion of this post.  At my favorite local produce market, I came across a 20 pound box of gorgeous tomatoes for $5.  Unable to resist such a steal and knowing that my tomatoes are trickling in and will be used for drying purposes, I bought them.

Half of the box is currently being made into marinara sauce in my slow cooker.  When it's done, I'll can it in quart jars and then...

Salsa!

Needless to say, it's going to be a busy week.  A week full of delicious smells and tempting tastes.  And then...it'll all go in the cupboard to be pulled out later this winter.

See why I feel like a squirrel?