Sun Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil

Not only are my tomatoe trees still producing an abundance of tomatoes, but I picked up 16 roma tomaotes at Aldi's for less than 3 dollars.  They were beautiful and I was in the mood to experiment at bit.  I tell all my freinds it "Science meets Religion Night" in my house.  It is either an experiment which in the end we praise God it turned out so well, or a burnt offering, but either way I learn along the way and have fun.

The process does take a while from start to finish, but the work was a breeze.  It definately didn't hurt that these were by far the nicest tomatoes I've bought in a while.  Step one is simple.  After you rinse the outside, just slice them down the center and lay skin side down on the dehydrating tray. 

This was my first attempt at anything this thick so I was in the dark as to how long it would take to dry them completely.  In the end it took all of 24 hours to fully dry them.  I was going to just store them in my dry pantry for later use, but I just couldn't stop there.  I found these adorable 4 oz Ball jelly jars at Wal-Mart for less than a dollar a piece, so I decided to jar them and store them in olive oil.

After sterilizing the jars, I packed them to the top with layers of sun dried tomatoes, fresh herbs, and elephant garlic slices.  Not only will the tomatoes taste wonderful as the flavors infuse them, but the oil will taste wonderful for dipping fresh baked Italian Bread into.  I plan on refilling these jars annually as my garden blesses me with more than I can use for the moment.  Chow, Bella

The Pinapple Project

Wal-mart had the best sale of the year on Pineapples, so I bought 3 of them.  They were not only nice specimins but they were only 99 cents.  I was kicking myself after the sale was over that I didn't buy ten of them.  Well I made the most out of them anyways.  I used the meat of the fruit to make dehydrated pineapple for snacks, I used the skin to make tea - I'll explain more about that as you read on.  Finally I rooted the crown to start three pineapple plants.

Criagslist has been a good source of tools this year.  Here is the slicer I bought for 15 dollars new in the box.  It wasn't the heavy duty one I wanted but it does work very well.  It get's the job done, and I will pass it on when I find the one I want at the price I want.  Well, enough of that back to the Pineapple production.  I sliced the beautiful golden beauties into half inch slices from the bottom to the crown.



They were so sweet that it was hard not to eat them the way they were.  The only thing that I did not use was the core in the center that is quite course, however it made it's way into the compost pile and brought it's own benefit.

It didn't take long to slice them, but this next part was a bit tedious.  I sliced the skins off and set them aside to dehydrate along with the meat of the fruit.  After the skin was carefully remove I quartered the slice and removed the core.  Some people use a circular corer, but I wasn't set on have the final product be rings.  The smaller quarters made perfect for dried fruit snacks. 

Here's where my inexperience blogging shows true.  To view the above picture just turn your head to the right 90 degrees.  Now you can see the extent of the bounty as it mounds up over the sink.  After they are cut I put them directly onto the dehydrator tray to the left.

This is my favorite purchase of the year.  I found this 9 tray excaliber dehydrator on craigslist for 100 dollars.  I almost gave up trying to find a one used, especially a 9 tray, and was about to order one on line after serching for an area store to no avail.  I posted a want to buy post on craigslist for one, but had located this one just north of us in Flagler Beach.  Little did I know how much use I would get from it.

One tray brimmed with the skins to be dryed and gound to be added to teas.  For this I must thank Dehydrate2sore for her wealth of knowledge of dehydrating and especially for turning me on to the excaliber dehydrator.  Years back I had purchased a cheap round dehydrator from wal-mart that was awkward and hard to clean.  Not only do the square trays of the excaliber fit perfectly over my sink to strain, but the mess plastic tray liners lift out for easy pouring and cleaning.

This is the end result of my hard work.  The two side quart size jars are filled with the dehydrated fruit.  The center larger jar is filled with the dryed skins.  The bag infront contains so of the skins that I ground down to try as tea.

Let's not forget the crowns that are now in my garden.  It has been 6 months and they have tripled in size.  In three years they will bring me more riches from this meager 3 dollar purchase.

The hour of action has arrived!

Searching for motivation today, I pulled out an old favorite.  I have carried this with me for many years, and it has taught me alot.

A quote from   Diary of a Madman    by Diesel

From the womb to the tomb, those who will gain the most in this world are the ones who invest the time and effort and who press on past obstacles undeterred. It is easy to wish and not act. It is easy to blame others and cop out. It is easy to die without ever making that grasp for greatness. But it is hard to pursue your destiny, to answer the call of greatness, to be a man of action. The days of wishing and waiting have come and gone. The hour of action has arrived.

My Favorite Quotes

We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

The boys at Play!!!

Stepping out on a new adventure!!!

This journal is for me to create a map to the future I Desire, as well as, a log of my journey as I go.  I am excited that everyday is a new adventure; every moment a gift to be treasured.