Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Homemade Shallot Powder ~ Dehydrating Shallots

I love shallots.  They have such a good flavor for sauces and such.  They kind of have an onion flavor with hints of garlic in it.


Some days I want to flavor my greens (other other dishes) with shallots and I don't have them on hand.



I dehydrated some shallots by finely chopping them and placing them on parchment paper on my dehydrator racks.  I can't tell you how long it took, but about the same as drying chopped up onions.  


I use parchment paper because it will fall through the racks, and when it's all dry. . .



I can lift the paper and fold it to slide it all down into the coffee mill I use.


I have two jars of shallot powder now in the pantry.  Mmm! 

Less space, less in my freezer, and until I get that root cellar built...... 

Ever since I re-organized those cupboards last year, the kids can find every spice and herb they could want in there now.  

12 comments:

Kim said...

I love the shallot idea! I do the same thing with mushrooms. My hubs does not like them(the looks of them)but I like to add them for flavor to certain dishes so this is the way I can use them and they make it under the radar.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Kim, that is a good idea. I have one daughter who doesn't like mushrooms either.

Susan said...

Great idea for both shallots AND mushrooms! I don't shop often and my shallots won't be ready for months. I imagine they're stronger when dried and powdered, so a little will go a long way.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Susan, I did not plant any last season, and they most likely would have drowned in rain anyway. I hope to get some this year (from the garden).

Rain said...

That's a great idea. I would do that with green onions because they tend to go to waste far too often. But I was just wondering, do you remember how long approximately it took to dehydrate? Maybe it's the dehydrator I have but it takes 12 hours or more sometimes just to dehydrate one apple. I know it's not the best quality, it's really noisy, kind of deters me from wanting to preserve that way.

Mama Pea said...

Two jars of shallot powder! Wowzer, that must be such a good feeling. What wonderful flavor they must add to soups. And wouldn't it be tasty to sprinkle some over the cheese for grilled cheese sandwiches?

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Rain, I am taking a wild guess on time to dry them, but it was less than 12 hours. I diced them pretty small, so they dry faster. Green onion is a good idea too (I freeze mine like I do chives).

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Ohhh Mama Pea that is a good idea. Yum.

RB said...

Sounds like a good idea. You can grow them you know, but I believe you have to plant them the fall before, not sure.
Just know that when we moved here, a row of leeks and a row of shallots popped up where the old residents had their garden. They were good and I've been using leeks instead of onions ever since, cause I developed an allergy to onion products a few years back, and now when I eat them, it's like I've been poisoned. Leeks are about the only thing my system will tolerate, cause you know there are just some things that can't be made without an onion of some kind - like a meatloaf, etc.
Prayers for a safe happy week ahead.
God bless.
RB
<><

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

RB, that's great you had a surprise harvest. How fun.

LadyG1951 said...

Can shallots be dried in the oven?

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Lady G, I guess it depends on how low your oven temp can go. Try watching some "how to's" on Youtube for more help on that.