Dehydrating Strawberries

These strawberries are delicious and they can be preserved and used in a variety of ways like freezing, jams, jellies, muffins, breads, and dehydrating. Here is a batch of berries ready for the dehydrator. After they were washed and trimmed, the berries were sliced with and egg slicer. It is an easy way to make sure the berries are a uniform thickness for a more even drying.

The 8+ pounds of berries filled 9 drying racks in the dehydrator. The temperature was set at 155'(F) for the first 5 hours, then reduced to 135'(F) for the next 5 hours. It took only ten hours for these little beauties to be reduced and preserved for a winter treat. There is a fan blowing in the back of this dehydrator to keep the air moving evening over the food.

When the dehydrating process was complete, the berries filled 2 1/2 quarts. They will keep for a long time if eaten in moderation. We like the dehydrated berries mixed with nuts, mixed into granola and yogurt, eaten by themselves tasting just like candy, and put into a river mix (trail mix). When the fruit is abundant, it is time to enjoy fresh and to preserve for winter provisions.

Pear Blossoms

It is that time of year with the Rogue Valley in full bloom and the annual Pear Blossom Run and Parade in Jackson County underway. The pear trees here on the farm are in bloom too.


We have six different varieties of pears for some tasty snacking, pear butter, pear pies and crisps, and adding to The Farm Mix. The red Bartlett and green Bartlett pears are great for canning and dehydrating. The Asian pears have a satisfying crunch and are very nice toppers to a salad. The Comice pears are juicy, creamy and delicious, and with plenty of water they can produce single pear that weighs a pound! The Anjou pear has a mild flavor and stores fairly well into the winter, and the Bosc pear has a distinct long neck and golden color when ripe. We even have a small Seckel pear tree that produces compact packages of sweetness.

With all this talk about pears, I think we will have some pear butter with our supper tonight. Enjoy the blooms!