Bonnie,

I can tomatoes, lots of salsa, catsup and just plain old tomatoes.

I freeze green beans, but like them canned too.

I freeze all corn, both on and off cob.

Make pickles

Pickle beets; froze some one year and thought they tasted to "earthy".

We have discussed potatoes and onions and sweet potatoes.

Squash, cook, puree through the strainer and freeze in ziploc baggies, Same for pumpkin (when ever I can raise these things before they succumb to squash bugs)

Asparagus, blanch barely and freeze

Spinach, blanch and freeze

wild greens: ditto

Bell Peppers: dice spread on cookie sheet and freeze dry. Then bag up into freezer bags.

I have frozen onions too and bananas, but never sliced them (the bananas that is) that's a good idea.

Apples, for frying (like Jonathons), slice and freeze

Apples for pies, peel, slice (no sugar) bag the right amount for a pie to a bag.

Cheeries, freeze with sugar

Blackberries, freeze with sugar

I think that is about it.

And, Don't ever, EVER, dry your bananna slices in the dehydrator, without spraying the sheets down with non-stick spray!
Wonder How I know?

Hummm,
I did that w/jerky.
Bonnie

How much do you use your dehydrator. I have thought about getting one. I'm bad about buying small appliances which take up space and are not used.

I use my mothers. We both use it off an on.
Son likes deer jerky.
But I am thinking about trying to use it this year to dry some of my veggies and see which way works best of me as far as storage.
I do know it seemed like forever before the jerky got done. The first time.
Well duh... I had it too thick.
Bonnie

I only freeze these veggies, sugarsnap peas, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, greenbeans, corn, both on cob and cut off. I both dry and freze okra, the latter for stew. I also freeze fruit: strawberries, blueberries, peaches, apples and elderberries. i also make fresh juice--beet-carrot-apple-cabbage is my favorite--and freeze it in pint jars. I also make my own beef and chicken broth which I freeze in pint jars. I mainly use my dehydrator to dry jerky and make yogurt. After I blanch the milk at 160 degrees cool it to 120 and add the starter which I buy at the health food store, I put it in the dehydrator at 100 until it thickens. I can pickled veggies. okra, green "dilly beans" jalapenos but not cucumbers. They always go mushy on me and I won't use alum. I also make saurkraut in a five gallon crock and can that. We have an unheated storage building that we don't allow to freeze. I buy bushels of apples and sweet potatoes in the fall and store them out there. And this year I have a basket of butternut squash that I raised. Potatos go under the bed in the house when we dig them in July and usually last until the next Jan. Onions I dry and braid and hang on nails on the glassed porch. They usually last only til Sept or Oct. Wish I had a root cellar, and a greenhouse, but I make do. Dorothy

Tell me more about the cabbage juice. I have a Vita Mix (high dollar blender) but not a juicer.

When you each say you store your potatoes under the bed. Do you mean in the room you use or a spare room. I'm just asking because I keep my room on the fairly cool side but the spare room is at regular temps w/rest of the house.
I will have to try the yogurt. I have never done that. We use a lot of it here.
If it is getting close to the I need to use stage. I freeze in ice cube trays. sometimes put popsicle stick and make ok treat for grandchildren in summer.
sauerkraut sounds wonderful this time of year. Have to keep that in mind.
Does any one else here make your fruit pies, crust and all as if you were going to bake them and then freeze them? My mother always has. Says it saves her time she makes LOTS of them at a time and then takes what she needs out and lets thaw and bake.
Bonnie

I use a Champion juicer, but my daughter likes her Jack LaLane juicer better as it has a larger opening and is easier to clean. Years ago when I damaged my liver from taking too much Tylenol following a car accident, a wise Dr recommended the beet juice to help restore the liver--without any more Tylenol. I raise my own beets and cabbage, then buy carrots and apples to mix with them. Actually, I have seen some research that says that juicing and throwing away the pulp is not as good as simply pureeing the veggies so your VitaMix might be even better than the juicer. The manufacturers of juicers said for years that the pulp had very little nutritive value, but now that's been shown not to be the case.

About potatoes. We live in a mobile home with a wood stove in the living room and only small space heaters in the bedrooms so our bedrooms stay around 60 most of the time fall and winter. So that's where the potatoes go--but in the summer when I put them under there the bedroom temp is often close to 80 so it's not the ideal place. Really need a root cellar that would stay cool summer and winter but not freeze. As it is I have to pull the sprouts off the spuds at least twice during the late summer-early fall. But homegrown taste so much better than store bought that I do it. Dorothy

I think those Jack LaLane juicers make use of the pulp don't they? That guy looks pretty good for his age which is the best testimony to what he says about it being good for you. I'm convinced.

Thanks Dorothy,
Now I know they can go in my "cold" bedroom. I like my room cold-ish & pile on the blankets. Now I have an extra excuse to keep it cool w/my potatoes under the bed!
Bonnie