Dehydrated Sliced Potatoes

Having dug the last of the potatoes it was time to prepare them for storage. Earlier in the season we had started digging potatoes and canning the new potatoes in jars. These are the small potatoes that are usually smaller than a golf ball. We like them as an addition to green beans during the winter. But O Wise Ones favorite is new potatoes smothered down in butter, garlic and parsley. 

The larger potatoes are stored in the shed for now under dry straw to protect them from the light. They will be used for bakers as well as potato salads, casseroles, stews and mashed potatoes. 

But then you always have those potatoes that are too large for new potatoes and really too small to bake. These are the ones that I like to dehydrate. 

 First I peel them. Yes by hand !

Then I slice them with my mandolin slicer to about 1/4 inch thick. 

The peelings go to the pigs or the compost.

The potato slices are put in cool water with a little citric acid in it.

Then I put my blanching pot on to boil. Once the water comes to a full rolling boil I take my sliced potatoes out of the cool water and put them in the boiling water for 4 minutes. 

After 4 minutes they go into a colander and immediately run cold water over them to stop the cooking process.

Then I put my blanched potatoes in ice water with a cup of lemon juice added until they are all blanched. 

Then the potato slices are placed on dehydrator shelves and dried until crisp at 125 degrees.

We use these dehydrated potatoes to make casseroles and I also make au gratin potatoes like the ones that you buy in the packs in the store only I use fresh local cheese from the Amish and my own dehydrated potatoes sometimes throwing in a little bacon is good too.

You can also rehydrate these and fry them too. I also make a casserole layering the potatoes with ground beef or venison and cheese.

1 dehydrator full makes 4 quart jars of sliced potatoes which is about 10 pounds. I have atleast one more batch of small ones to dehydrate for the pantry sometime this week. Then all the remaining potatoes will be large enough for baking and such.  They will just remain in storage to be eaten fresh.

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

The Last Of The Potatoes

We dug the last of the potatoes today. They were the potato experiment where we planted them under straw. As you can see the potatoes are beautiful and large even in a drought. Much larger than the potatoes we planted without straw which were so much smaller.

These seed potatoes were saved from the year before and allowed to sprout or chitted in the house in January.  Then planted just below the surface in early March here in zone 5A. 

Then covered with a heavy layer of straw and allowed to grow all spring. We added to the straw several times until the straw was atleast 10 inches deep. 

And then simply watered occasionally and allowed to grow under that thick layer of straw. 

They bloomed and made potatoes all under that undisturbed straw. All summer we have ate baked potatoes, oven fries, stews and soups with those potatoes by simply moving the straw aside and stealing potatoes then simply recovering the parent plant with straw. I have to say we are sold on growing them under straw and will probably never go back to the old way again. It is so much easier on our old backs digging them this way. Not to mention the added bonus of not having to water them through this drought with that thick layer of mulch to conserve moisture. Yes indeed we are sold. And who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks : )          

And now here it is the first of September and we are digging the last of the potatoes. We have already canned potatoes in jars, eaten on this potato crop for the last 3 months, dehydrated potatoes and still have about 20 pounds of potatoes in the house and dug another 40 pounds of the last of the potato crop today. Not enough to last the winter but enough to give it a good start. 

These are laying out in the sun for a day to allow them to dry. Then they will be wiped off with a dry hand to remove some of the dirt. Any damaged ones will either go to the pigs or inside to be prepared immediately. That consists of a few that either have been chewed on by the lone grub or vole. Surprisingly there was very little damage by either. There are a couple that are green that will be thrown in the compost. 

All in all a good year and even better a new and easier way to grow an old pantry staple. 

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

Sweet Potatoes!!

Autumn here is usually rainy for us. With a huge amount of rain dumped by hurricane Isaac and rain again in the forecast we thought it might be smart to dig the sweet potatoes and get them started on the curing process. Sometimes when you get a lot of rain at one time they can start to rot in the ground if you are not careful. We had dug a box last week but wanted to get them finished. Just another chore off the long list.  

As you can see they seemed to really love that long hot summer despite the drought. We did manage to water them about once a week. 

Once they are dug we lay them in the sun for about 6 hours to dry the dirt. Then we take and wipe some of the soil off with our hands. 

Then we layer them in cardboard boxes loosely between layers of newspaper and place them in a warm shed to cure. We leave them in the hot shed for about 3 weeks to cure then store the boxes in the bottom of a dark closet upstairs in a cool room that we have the heater vent turned down in. We will let them sit in the boxes inside for atleast a month before we start to eat them. The potatoes need that time to cure and get sweeter before they are eaten. So about the middle or end of October we will start enjoying those sweet potato pies, cakes and baked sweet potatoes. 

Since we have about 65 pounds of potatoes I will share some with my older daughter and her family and put some in jars also. That isn't bad at all for only about 12 plants. These are Beauregard sweet potatoes. I will also have to remember to set a couple aside for starting eyes for next year.

We are glad to get another harvest completed and move on to getting the garden cleared and put to bed for the winter. 

Blessings from The Holler 

The Canned Quilter

Happy Birthday Baby O

Baby O turns 17 today!

And what a joy she is to us..... our little late life blessings....

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

Daily Farm Update

Friday September 7th 2012

This has been one long day. Mine started about 4:30 and it seems as if it has been nonstop  all day. What started out as a normal late summer morning has went down hill fast as the rain clouds move in. We will not complain about rain though as it has become a precious resource of late.

I managed to get a batch of watermelon rind pickles on to soak overnight. It is a three day process and I will continue to work on them in the morning once they soak for 24 hours. Taking plenty of pictures and I will do a post on it with the recipe sometime next week. 

Also got a dehydrator full of sliced potatoes on. They will take about 12 hours so so I will let them run overnight and package tomorrow. 

Also hoping to start on turkey butchering tomorrow if the weather cooperates.   

I had hoped to shampoo the dogs today but I guess that is a chore for another day. 

Supper tonight is sliced potatoes and onions and venison.  Baby O loves it just cooked in a black iron skillet together until crisp. We are using the potatoes that we happened to hit with the potato fork while digging them yesterday. We know they won't keep and that is a good way to use them quick. We will also finish off the cornbread from yesterday and leftover cherry pie. And maybe a bowl of watermelon before bed : )

Life is busy but blessed here in The Holler!

Have a safe and wonderful weekend .......

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter