How to Dry Herbs

Hanging Dried HerbsIf you grow you own herbs you should really learn how to dry and store them. Herbs are very easy to grow and fresh herbs are wonderful to cook with. One of my favorite summertime sandwiches to eat is a slice of fresh tomato, mozzarella cheese and fresh basil with a little salt.

Drying Herbs With a Microwave

• Wash herbs well, pat dry and lay aside for an hour. You want to make sure there is no moisture on them before heating.
• Place herbs in a single layer on a paper towel, cover with another paper towel. Place in microwave and heat for 2 minutes on high. Turn paper towel and microwave for another 1 minute or reheat in 30 second intervals until herbs are dry and brittle.
• Pack herbs in ziploc bags (remove all air) or airtight containers and store in a dark, dry place. Use as needed.
• Can be used for up to one year.

Air Dry Method for Herbs

• This is the preferred method for drying herbs since most of the flavor and essential oils of the herb are retained. If you have the space and the time, you can tie small bunches of cleaned herbs together (about 4 or 5 stems) and hang them upside down in a dark, warm, well ventilated area. The drying time is about 2 to 4 weeks–you want the leaves to be crispy and easily crumble between your fingers before you pack them.

Oven Dry Method

• Arrange cleaned herb stems in a single layer on a cookie sheet with temperature set at 180° F. Heat for about 4 hours, keeping the oven door open the entire time (to let moisture escape). Stir herbs occasionally during this heating process.

Important: If you notice any moisture in the airtight containers or sealed plastic bags after storing the dried herbs–this is a sign that they weren’t completely dried when packed. Mold can develop because of the moisture, so make sure the herbs are thoroughly dried and have absolutely no moisture left in them.

Article from Tipnut

Garden Time

Here is an article I wrote yesterday over at the West Virgina Preppers Network. The WVPN has a lot of good information on preparation and I am happy to be a part of the network.

Fruit and Vegetables from the Garden, Kent
I know there is still snow on the ground, but it is time to start thinking about our gardens. Gardens play a very important part of our food storage plan and you need to plan ahead to think about your needs for the upcoming season. You need to think about your consumption of vegetables and apply that to your garden planning. For example if you only ate 1 quart of green beans as part of your dinner plans 3 times per week that means you would have to can 156 quarts of green beans to sustain you for the next year. Think about your tomatoes- you have canned tomatoes, salsa, tomato sauce, tomato juice etc. We eat lots of tomatoes so we always plant a lot of tomato plants. It really pays to sit down and do a little planning ahead before you even think about ordering seeds. It is a lot of upkeep to raise such a large garden but so worth the efforts. There is a comforting feeling knowing that you have food to sustain you and your family during an emergency or during hard times financially. We have 5 in our family- me, my husband and 3 boys - 2 of which are teenagers, and they can eat!!


Where to buy your seed? Remember the words Heirloom and Open Pollinated or NON-Hybrid Seeds. These seeds are not genetically modified and you can save your seed from your vegetables to plant again the next year. If you have never saved your seeds before you can read Saving Seeds Successfully for more information. Here and here are 2 wonderful articles explaining Non hybrid, open pollinated, and heirloom seeds.

A few stores carry open pollinated or heirloom seeds- but not very many. You will most likely find hybrid seeds- which means that they have been treated so you can not save your seeds to plant again- you will have to buy new seeds again every year.

You will need to start some of your seeds indoors to get a head start on the growing season. Here in Pocahontas County we have frost up until at least late May. So only the early "cold season" crops such as onions, radishes, spinach, peas are put out before Memorial Day.

Starting seeds indoors is a lot of fun and it is really easy - if you have never started seeds indoors and would like to try here is an article you can read How to Successfully Start Plants from Seed

Here are some seed companies that sell Open Pollinated, Heirloom, and Non- Hybrid seeds:

• Victory Heirloom Seeds
• Heirloom Seeds
• SeedSavers Exchange
• Amishland Heirloom Seeds
• Heirloom Acres Seeds
• AAOOB Foods These seeds are packed for long term storage
• The Heirloom Vegetable Gardeners Assistance has a great list of heirloom seed companies as well.

DIY Tricks for Saving Money

Piggy Bank
This Old House has a great article for DIY Tips for Saving Money. Here are a few of their tips and a link to read their article

Shorten your dryer-vent hose. First, disconnect it and vacuum it out. Then trim the hose length so that it's just long enough for you to pull the dryer a few feet out from the wall. A short and unobstructed line makes your dryer run more efficiently.
Cost: Free.
Savings: $25 a year on electric, gas, or propane.
Bonus: Your clothes will dry about 20 percent faster.

** Better yet - dry your clothes outside on a clothesline or during wintertime/ raining on a indoor drying rack. Nothing smells better than clothes that have been dried outside!

Close closet doors to lower the square footage you're heating (and cooling). Shuttering closets along exterior walls also helps to insulate the house.
Cost: Zilch—although it may take a few minutes for your clothes to reach room temperature before you put them on.
Savings: About $50 per year off your energy bills.
Bonus: You and your guests won't see closet clutter.

Plug in a SmartStrip. Three-quarters of the energy that electronics burn is consumed when the equipment is turned off. Rather than unplug items after every use, hook them up to a SmartStrip surge protector, which automatically kills power to electronics when you turn them off and returns it when you switch them back on.
Cost: $31 for a seven-outlet strip at SmartHomeUSA.com.
Savings: As much as $240 per year in energy costs.
Bonus: Two always-hot outlets ensure that slow-to-reboot devices like your digital cable box can be left on all the time.

My favorite money saving tips are to use it up, make do or do without.

• Learn to cook! You can save so much money and home cooked foods are much better for you than processed foods.
• Make your own household cleaners- they are cheaper and better for the environment.
• Make saving money a priority - even a few dollars or spare change adds up over time.
• Learn to become more self sufficient. The less you depend on consumerism and the more dependent you become on yourself the less money you really need to live on.
  Grow a garden, Learn to preserve your food - Get back to the basics of life.
  

The Sustainable House

The Today Show is doing a wonderful green series. One segment caught my eye this morning. They had a couple from Australia that lives in a completely self sufficient house. Here is the clip in case you missed it. You can click here to watch more of The Ends of the Earth videos.

Make your own Microwave heating pad

One thing that I find very useful here on the mountain is my homemade heating pads. They have a duel purpose really because you can heat them up in the microwave or you can put them in the freezer for a cold pack. They are really simple and quick to make and are a lot cheaper than store bought heating pads too!

I have a couple different sizes for here on the mountain. I have a small one to lay across my head for headaches and a larger one for bigger aches and pains. ( they work great for ladies monthly pain)

Just cut two pieces of cloth in the size and shape that you want your pad and sew together. Leave an inch or so open so you can add your filler. I like to use white rice. Fill the opening about 1/2 - 3/4 full. You don't want it to be really full- you want it to kind of mold to your body.

Sew the opening shut - and it is ready to go!!