Homemade Sweet Potato Chips ~ Dehydrator

 

Sorry for the bad photos above.  My camera battery died, and I tried using photos off my phone. 

My preferred option to stock up sweet potatoes, is freezing them.  Click here to see that post.

I made beet chips way back in 2012, before I even had a mandolin or a dehydrator, and they were delicious!  Info on that post, CLICK HERE

We tried "chips" this time in the dehydrator.  My dehydrator guide book stated 125°F.  They literally tasted just like sweet potatoes.  I highly recommend, that if you want snacking "chips" to season them with maybe garlic, cayenne or other spice/herb.  I used a tiny bit of organic avocado oil and salt.  They are bland.  So season it up if you want flavor.

You can also dehydrate just the sweet potatoes, and grind them into powder for smoothies etc.  I have not done that, but I may try it in the fall when it's cooler out.

from the Homesteading Journal . . .

Blanched and froze 40 cups of sweet corn.

Staked 20 more tomato plants.

Froze 7 cups of shredded zucchini.

Canned 4 more pints of Sweat Pickle Relish.

Dug up 2 rows of red potatoes.

Number of eggs we got in June: 121

Baked up some beet chips for the first time every.  Delicious!  A bit of olive oil and sea salt.  These were amazing.  Now I have to buy a mandolin.  Otherwise, these won't bake evenly and some will burn. I used Martha Stewart's recipe for reference on temperature etc.

Spent days and days weeding out all the flower, herb, and vegetable/fruit gardens.  Weeds, weeds, and more weeds.

Purchased 12 wooden fence posts for the new goat pen.

The 4-1/2 pints of apricot-jalapeno jelly that I made are half gone already.  Hubby loves it so much I am down to 2 jars.  I hope I get more peppers after the next rain. I need to can more to sell.

Planted 4 more loofah seeds.  I'm taking a chance and trying to grow some sponges here in my state.  These seeds came from my Aunt.  If I can get them to grow here, we'll be selling them at the Farmer's Market, as well as for personal use.  The weather is just finicky this summer.

Barn Siding ~ Getting our Legumes ~ Red lentil burgers ~ Beet Hummus

Sorry if this is a boring post about beans, but I have a few new recipes to share - from "pile to file" keepers.  I've found my voice this month, so watch out for long posts.  I think I have blog-i-tis this October.  I can't blame the weather either.  It's been hot out again.

The only other news, is that while I was sitting on the porch with leg up sipping my hot herbal tea yesterday, a car hit a deer just yards from our north drive.  The driver pulled over (a young girl), and the deer flopped around on the road for a few seconds, then got up and ran off.  The same area a car hit one early morning not long ago.  There is a corn field adjacent and north of our property.  

 Before

We also got some barn siding removed last night.  We are tired folks.  Simply tired.

We've been eating more beans than meat lately.  It helps the budget as well as our health.  These meals were over a period of time.

I soaked a bag of organic black beans for all sorts of meals/snacks.  We love it on a burrito for any meal - add scrambled eggs, any leftover rice/veggie mix, jalapenos or cowboy candy, or yellow squash relish (or radish relish)...more total goodness.  

I'll have a post regarding the yellow squash relish soon. 

(these are broiled)

I have also made red lentil burgers for the first time.

Happy Homemaker Monday

It's now cold weather handiwork, winter coat weather, but more so hurry-up-and-get-it-done outdoor work weather. 

A recent conversation on the porch with Hubby got us talking.  We talked about what we would never do again as a homesteader - deal with black walnuts.  

The other day workers were going up and down the country highway, and cutting back trees near the power lines.  Our black walnut tree is one of them.  I looked out the window and saw the guy on the ground throwing black walnuts at the guy in the bucket.  It gave me a chuckle.  I thought to myself, his hands are gonna be black when they drive off.

I then remember my hands after peeling those walnuts.  Yeah, with two pairs of gloves, my hands burned for days after that.  The tree is getting old, so it may become firewood.  Who knows.

Another thing I won't do ever again - buy straight run chickens. 

We have a plethora of grasshoppers. I mean a plethora, so much that when I took the dog out in slippers I felt something up in my jeans near my thigh.  I shook my pants twice and out popped a grasshopper at my ankle (but it was in panic mode as you know I was bitten by a spider - note to self - boots on always).  There was some chicken free-ranging going on to reduce the bug population.

You never know what works for your homestead unless you at least try it, so there are no regrets of trying.  I still would like to raise either angora goats or alpaca in the future, but who knows.

We canceled our camping trip that was for last weekend.  The weather went to a low of 37° one night and 90% chance of rain all day Sat.  It wouldn't be fun to camp and not cook over a campfire (we do all our meals over the campfire).  I was okay with that.  It would not have been fun to put down the camper in the rain either.

I started more deep cleaning again.  Let's hope I get it done this time, and before the holidays. 

I got a bag of clothes and hangers donated to a church, and passed down some tops and shoes to Youngest Daughter.  

Today I'm joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. 



On the breakfast plate . . .
Have no idea yet.  It's 6:04am right now.


The weather outside is  . . .
Should be 65°F and sunny


As I look out my window . . .
It's pitch dark out right now.



Right now I am . . .
Drinking coffee in my PJ's and trying to wake up


As I look around the house . . .

This arrived!  Thank you so much Rebecca!  Can't wait to use it too.



On the to-do list . . .
-laundry
-make a 2nd batch of homemade croutons
-make homemade sausage
-continue to deep clean bedroom/bedroom closet
-continue to deep clean hallway
-re pot a houseplant
-clean off driveway side porch
-make a trip to the post office
-go to the library
-purge Halloween totes



On the menu . . .
Homemade Corn dogs, and (gulp) homemade fries
Sausage sandwiches with home canned cabbage/beet relish
Cowboy Beans (Crock pot)
Mama Pea's Lentil Burgers
Leftovers in there somewhere....

Snack:  Hummus and Einkorn Chips

Breakfast:  Homemade English Muffins or Bagels, Homemade Sausage for patties



Currently reading . . .
Nothing right now, just blogs right now when I can


On the TV . . .
We finished Goliath, so we are looking for a new series to watch.


What I am creating . . .
I finally had time to dig through my yarn stash.  I am making a scarf for a daughter (had the colors wrong, but now they are correct).  I also got an order for an XL hot pad, so that's started.  

I also got more netting cut, so I'll have yellow dish scrubbies soon too.  I'm looking for more fall craft shows, now that the November show has been canceled (due to it being the same day as the OH/MI game.


New recipe I tried or want to try . . .
Cowboy Beans, Crock Sausage/Pasta Dinner, Baked Spaghetti, Taco Dip


Favorite photo from the camera . . .

Prayers . . .
Our son-in-law (married to our daughter who just lost their infant son) who is having open heart surgery today, myself (leg, insurance denied the easier procedure), our daughter and grand niece who lost their babies, a friend's mother, our older two daughter's (they seemed to have left the universe), and other personal requests