product review: shelf-reliance oranges & onions

a few weeks ago shelf reliance had a great sale and all their freeze-dried fruits and vegetables were 25% off, so i bought one case of freeze-dried mandarin oranges and just one can of freeze-dried onions.

the oranges: they are kind of an odd texture (i have a weird thing about textures, so for it was a definite negative. they also have quite a kick to them and quite an after-taste. all in all, for us they were a thumbs down. i would say that we won't eat them, and not even my toddler will eat them. so that's a bummer, since i bought a whole case. but....

don't necessarily take just my word for it. a friend of mine bought a case as well and her and all 6 people in her family can't get enough of them! they love them! so i guess it's probably just a matter of taste. lucky for me - she's going to buy my case!

the onions: i am super super sensitive to onions - like my eyes will hurt for a good 48 hours after being in the same room as on onion, so i tend to just stay away. my poor, could-eat-an-onion-like-an-apple husband has resigned himself to onion powder in the jar and that's as good as it gets at our house, so i thought i'd give these a try. i love them! i've been using them to cook and they don't hurt my eyes at all, they taste just the same as the original and are a thousand times more convenient. i will definitely buy these again.

so if you're on the fence about some of these products - hope this helps!

public service announcement: raspberries

for those of you in this area, this week kroger has raspberries on for $.99 per crate. they are usually like $4 or $5 per crate, so this a great deal - stock up! i love love love raspberries and bought 4 crates yesterday (4 is the limit) and let's be honest, i'll probably go buy 4 more today....and the next day and so on.

if you think you won't use them all up in time, freeze them. rinse and spread them out separately on a cookie sheet to freeze them initially, then you can put them into freezer bags when they're frozen, that way they won't all mush together.

what is freeze-dried fruit?

Q: what the heck is freeze-dried fruit? should i spend my precious food storage budget on it?

A: excellent question. here's the details:

Freeze dried fruit can be a nutritional boon to anyone who wants to maintain a healthy diet through all four seasons.

Convenience

In some situations, freeze dried fruit is the most convenient option for getting your vitamins. Fresh fruit is only available in season, whereas freeze dried fruit is easy to get all through the year. Freeze dried fruit is lightweight, doesn't need to be refrigerated, and takes up very little space. These are a few of the reasons why freeze dried fruit is often the preferred snack of hikers, campers, and other outdoor enthusiasts looking for a durable, portable energy and vitamin boost.

Budget

Fresh fruit is often quite affordable, but all too often the money you spend on it goes down the drain. Fresh fruits spoil very quickly, even in the refrigerator, and those wasted dollars and cents can really add up. Perhaps the greatest advantage that freeze dried fruit has over fresh produce is its shelf life, which can help you get more for your dollar. Some fresh fruits, like berries, last only a few days in the fridge, which can make them an inconvenient part of your diet. When stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place, freeze dried fruit can keep for up to a year. This makes freeze dried fruit a great way to keep an ample supply of fruit on hand for snacks at all times without having to worry about whether it has spoiled, and it means that you can be certain that the money you spend on fruit will be well spent.

Nutrition

Although the nutritional effect of drying food is minimal, when you have the choice between a fresh fruit in season and its dried counterpart, it is usually a smarter health choice to opt for the fresh produce. Some freeze dried fruits will not maintain their full amount of vitamin C through the drying process, but when a fruit is fresh, you can be certain that it contains the maximum possible nutritional value. In addition, fresh fruit contains a large quantity of water, which helps you feel full and satiated while it helps your system stay hydrated and efficient.

It's All Good

Although some freeze dried fruit is slightly lower in vitamin C, research suggests that the vitamin and nutrient content of freeze dried fruit remains roughly similar to that of fresh fruit. There are advantages to both fresh and freeze dried fruit, so whichever fits more conveniently into your lifestyle and dietary habits is the right choice for you. Whenever fresh fruit isn't practical or available, you can chow down on a piece n of freeze dried fruit and revel in the knowledge that you are doing right by your body.

Q: so where can i buy it?

A: shelf-reliance, emergency essentials, honeyville grains to name a few... and probably a whole bunch of other places too.

fruit cocktail

today, may 13th, is national fruit cocktail day.

this is a great item to add to your food storage -- it's in cans, so it's easy to stack and store, and it will last for quite awhile. it's also a bit of a crowd pleaser because it has a little something for everyone. you don't like the pineapple? just pick them out, enjoy the cherries and the peaches... even the pickiest kids should be able to pick out something that they like.

so go ahead, add some to your storage.

how to: make your produce live longer

so if you're like me, you inevitably end up throwing some produce away every time you clean our your fridge. and it hurts my heart... it's like throwing money right into the trash and it makes me feel so wasteful. and i hate waste! there are always a few peaches that i forgot were back there, or a bag of spinach that was hiding underneath everything else. so here is a list of produce and its shelf-life, with tips on how to store it to make it live a little longer.

• apples (fresh): 6 months, store at 32 F, separated



• beans (dry): 12 months



• beets (fresh): 6 months, store at 32 F in mesh bag



• cabbage (fresh): 6 months, store at 32 F in mesh bag



• carrots (fresh): 6 months, store at 32 F in mesh bag



• canned fruits: 24 months



• dehydrated fruits: 6-12 months in airtight container



• fruit juice (frozen): 12 month in freezer



• fruit juice (canned): 24 months, keep cool



• fruit juice (dehydrated): 12 months in airtight container



• jam and jelly (unopened): 18-24 months



• jam and jelly (opened): 12 months in refrigerator



• lentils: 12 months in airtight container



• mustard (unopened): 12 months, refrigerate for longer life



• onions (fresh): 6 months, store at 32 F in mesh bag



• oranges (fresh): 2 months, store at 32 F in mesh bag



• pears (fresh): 4 months, store at 32 F in mesh bag



• peas (dried): 12 months in airtight container



• pickles (bottled): 12 months



• potatoes (canned white): 30 months



• potatoes (canned sweet): 30 months



• potatoes (dehydrated): 30 months



• potatoes (fresh white): 6 months, store at 40 F in mesh bag



• potatoes (fresh sweet): 6 months, store at 60 F in mesh bag



• potatoes (frozen): 8 months in freezer



• pumpkin (fresh): 6 months, store at 55 F in mesh bag



• spices (ground): 6 months, avoid sunlight



• spices (whole): 12-24 months in airtight container



• squash (fresh): 6 months, store at 55 F in mesh bag



• tomato products (canned): 24 months



• vegetables (canned): 24 months



• vegetables (dehydrated): 6-12 months in airtight container



• vegetables (frozen): 12 months in freezer



• vegetable juice (canned): 12 months

source: food storage for the clueless, by clark & kathryn kidd, p. 277-279

pick your own

i love love love me some fresh fruit, especially berries. vegetables aren't so bad either, but who can resist big juicy red strawberries? so there are a few area farms that let you go and pick your own fruits and vegetables. and here's the info:

Gnismer Farms: their hours are wednesday from noon till 5:00 and saturdays from 9:00 till noon. their estimated schedules cites that in may they have strawberries, onions, garlic, lettuce, blackberries, "and more." mmmmmm. for more info, click here to see their website and a map to their farm.

Henrietta Creek Orchard: located in roanoke, texas. they have apples, peaches, tomatoes, peppers, garlic and herbs. they also have a store selling all sorts of goodies. they are open daily from july to october, 9 am till 4:00. for more information on this farm, click here.

if you are reading this from beyond the dfw area, click here to find a farm near you.

and one more thing, those of you in my ward, we have the delicious opportunity to participate in the bithell farms berry order again. i will be handing out the forms this sunday, but please feel free to contact me before then if you have any questions.