[New shoot]

Easy peasy Plum 

Slice mushrooms and dehydrate until completely dry.  Whizz up in the food processor.  Make sure you let it settle for 5 mins before opening.  It's fine powder and probably not that great to breathe in. 

Superb ingredient though.  Thickens and adds mushroomy flavour notes to all sorts of stuff 

[plum crumble]

mmmm. brilliant. thanks NS!

[GrannieAnnie]

So far this week I've made piccalilli, runner bean chutney and green tomato chutney.  But the green tom chutney was a pressure cooker recipe and I used last year's frozen green toms.  It's come out a bit sloppy.  So I think I will have to stick it back in a saucepan and reduce it more.

Like the sound of the tomato and mushroom powder though!

[New shoot]

I did celery powder as well when Trascos had it on a deal and it was cheap.  That's a bit tougher to process.  Mary Bell suggests freezing the dried veg and sure enough, the food processor whizzed through it no problem after that.  That was a good one to have.

Mary Bell's suggested uses for veg powders

Instead of salt as a seasoning and recommends celery over baked potato or a tomato salad.  Tried both and very yummy 

In soups or sauces.  Both mushroom and celery were great for this and for thickening and flavouring stews

To flavour homemade pasta - thinking tomato might be superb for this and also for gnocchi and bread 

Fruit powders

Over ice-cream or yogurt

As a sweetener for fruit salad

Flavourings for jelly, breads and cakes

I did some strawberry last year and OH was spooning it into his morning porridge as a change from dried strawberry slices and dried raspberries. He loved it and was sorry when we ran out 

[Beetroot Queen]

Currently have two batches of runner bean on the go. And a double batch of tom and another single batch of tom chutney.

Lined up for this afternoon is another two batches of runner bean and god knows what else as hubby is off picking

Also got another 20lb of green toms to work though, i need a second hob 

[New shoot]

Made more tomato sauce today so have saved the skins and put them in the freezer.  Did eat one to make sure I wasn't wasting my time and there is loads of tomato flavour in them 

When I have a tub full and I have dehydrating to do, I'll defrost, dry them and bung them in a jar.  When I am going to use the food processor the next time and don't mind a bit of tomato flavour in whatever I am doing, I'll process the dried tomato skins first 

[RJR_38]

Today I have been non stop. 8kg of cherry toms made into pasta sauce, 2 big batches of braised red cabbages, beetroot crisps made and courgette fritters prepped ready for dinner tonight. I am fed up of chopping and slicing I have to say... Not even had time to go down the allotment today!

[Beetroot Queen]

Today I have been non stop. 8kg of cherry toms made into pasta sauce, 2 big batches of braised red cabbages, beetroot crisps made and courgette fritters prepped ready for dinner tonight. I am fed up of chopping and slicing I have to say... Not even had time to go down the allotment today!

That was how i felt yesterday it was just no stopping.

[RJR_38]

I need a weekend off before I go back to work  I'm sure people used to get days off to deal with the harvest.....

[Beetroot Queen]

I need a weekend off before I go back to work  I'm sure people used to get days off to deal with the harvest.....

I dont work ......... Work was easy compared to this madness

Off topic and getting right back on. Harvest time 

[Madame Cholet]

I need a weekend off before I go back to work  I'm sure people used to get days off to deal with the harvest.....

I dont work ......... Work was easy compared to this madness

Off topic and getting right back on. Harvest time 

you have a baby and children enough work there!

[Madame Cholet]

Just got in from a weekend away dehydrator full of courgettes again. I went up to the lotty Friday and was given abot 15lb of beetroot as it was going in the compost

[Madame Cholet]

Spent the afternoon filling 15 2lb jars of pickled beetroot plus a little date and apple chutney still only used half the beetroot very pink hands.

[Sparkyrog]

Spent the afternoon filling 15 2lb jars of pickled beetroot plus a little date and apple chutney still only used half the beetroot very pink hands.

Just send it over MC 

[Trillium]

MC, wear rubber gloves when handling beets. Works a treat. I bought a 100 pr box of the vinyl ones, quite cheap and very handy for messy jobs.