Handmade Food & Craft Tutorials for Beginners
In this episode, we dive into freeze dryers! Using an at home freeze dryer is THE way to preserve indefinitely nearly any and every food. They are incredible devices that make a wise investment from a serious homesteader to a casual hobby preserver.
Listen today to learn best practices and how to use a freeze dryer!
With egg prices rising, no caged eggs allowed to be sold in CA, and other factors, eggs prices probably will stay high, and more and more people will try their hand at raising their own hens at home or rely on people who do. In this episode we will discuss the best ways to preserve eggs, and the ways that aren’t recommended.
Hens naturally go through periods where they lay zero or far fewer eggs, specifically when they are molting and many don’t lay when the days shorten during the winter. This period can be between 2-4 months, and for some hens it can be shorter- my hens lay zero while molting but at probably 50% during the winter once their feathers return. Some birds don’t lay at all- I have a few of those hens as well. Egg laying depends on length of day, not temperature. For many who keep hens, there’s a glut of eggs in the spring and summer.
The Nebraska State Extension office says eggs can be preserved 3 ways, not including freeze drying which we will talk about later, and canning isn’t one of them. Eggs can be kept raw below 40 degrees, pickled, and frozen raw.
Pickled eggs are prepared by adding peeled hard boiled eggs covering them in a mixture of vinegar, salt, spices and seasonings.
“Eggs used for pickling should have clean, sound shells. Small or medium eggs are usually a good choice for pickling so the seasoning can penetrate into the egg. Fresh eggs are the best to use for pickling to ensure the highest quality possible since the eggs will be stored over a relatively long period of time. However, eggs at least a few days old will peel better after boiling.”
Use a sterilized (boiled for 10 minutes) jar (canning jars are great) for storing the pickled eggs. A quart jar will hold about a dozen eggs. Small eggs take 1-2 weeks to season (or become deliciously penetrated by the vinegar pickling mixture) and large eggs take 3-4 weeks. Keep refrigerated at all times.
Here are some great recipes from the Nebraska state extension office for pickled eggs.
RED BEET EGGS
1 cup red beet juice (from canned beets)
1½ cups cider vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
a few canned whole tiny red beets (or several slices of beets can be used)
SWEET AND SOUR EGGS
1½ cups pasteurized apple cider
½ cup cider vinegar
1 package (about 12 oz.) red cinnamon candy
1 tablespoon mixed pickling spice
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic salt
DARK AND SPICY EGGS
1½ cups cider vinegar
½ cup water
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon mixed pickling spice
¼ teaspoon liquid smoke or hickory smoke salt
2 teaspoons salt
CIDERED EGGS
1½ cups pasteurized sweet apple cider or apple juice
½ cup white vinegar
6 thin slices of onion
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon whole pickling spice
1 peeled garlic clove
DILLED EGGS
1½ cups white vinegar
1 cup water
¾ teaspoon dill weed
¼ teaspoon white pepper
3 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon mustard seed
½ teaspoon onion juice or minced onion
½ teaspoon minced garlic or 1 peeled garlic clove
PINEAPPLE PICKLED EGGS
1 can (12 oz.) unsweetened pineapple juice*
1½ cups white vinegar
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon whole pickling spice
*If sweetened pineapple juice is used, omit sugar
Recipes and information from:
https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/lincolnmcpherson/preserving-farm-fresh-eggs/
To wash or not to wash farm fresh eggs: This is a very interesting discussion and the practice of washing eggs in America and all info I got from this article from Food Safety News.
Essentially, egg washing in America began in the early 20th century and by the time we realized washing the eggs caused them to spoil more quickly, the customer was already accustomed to perfectly clean (and more and more often, white) eggs. European egg-eaters didn’t have to transport eggs as far, and their customers never got used to washed eggs and thus, we’ve stayed on our egg-washed path all this time. It is agreed upon that farm fresh eggs are best left unwashed because they are coated with a bloom that naturally protects the porous eggshell from any bacteria entering. “Through time, the European philosophy of foodborne pathogen control has been that prevention is better than the cure.”
It is recommended also, of course, that eggs be completely cooked through to eliminate the risk of salmonella. However, no French cook nor Eggs Benedict lover would cook their eggs through and it seems to be one of those recommendations that are rarely followed, for better or worse. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to loving a runny yolk, and I put raw egg in my coffee.
An excellent blogger I’ve followed for years is Deanna of the blog Homestead and Chill has an even better blog post about washing eggs that details when to wash (right before you use them), why, and she has great tips including storing the eggs on the counter in a skelter so you use oldest eggs first rather than a basket and storing eggs in the fridge in a container rather than open to the air. Her post is here https://homesteadandchill.com/store-fresh-eggs/
Water glassing eggs: This is a method that’s being demonstrated all over social media, and I really was curious about it and I researched quite a bit for myself and for you all. Water glassing eggs is the process of covering eggs in pickling lime and water solution. Pickling lime is also known as calcium hydroxide. This ingredient, when used as a pre-soak for pickled veggies, requires 3+ rinses to get the product off the veggies before canning because of the risk of botulism it presents (in pickling). Industrial lime can be found in cleaners, solvents and cement. Lime ingestion can cause calcium hydroxide poisoning. Lime ingestion when in the pickled vegetable context has been linked directly to a handful of botulism cases.
Pickling lime is no longer sold by Ball, because it is an alkaline chemical (listen to our Acid and Canning episode for more about that) and if the chemical fails to be rinsed properly, the pickled vegetables won’t be acidic enough for water bath or pasteurization (listen to our cucumber pickle episode for more about that). This is specific to canning, but gives me more pause when considering using it for water glassing.
The practice of water glassing became popular at a time when it was thought that eggs were sterile inside and all bacteria came after eggs were laid. Research shows that salmonella can contaminate eggs as they are being formed in the hen, and there’s no way to know if there is salmonella inside your egg or not. Water glassing also requires unwashed eggs and they’ll likely come from smaller flocks. Penn State University found that small home flocks have a much higher incidence of salmonella than in commercial ones (surely due in part to mass farming practices that admittedly have huge problems therein). We aren’t mentioning this to scare anyone but it is something to consider when deciding to or to not waterglass.
Another concern with water glassing leading to it being officially “not recommended” is that the lime water which is hoped to plug the porous egg shell can actually seep inside the egg.
Storing eggs in this way also leads to a loss in nutrients, changes in protein functionality, and sometimes leads to a bitter taste from the lime.
Most compelling for my household is that even pro-glassers admit that the yolks break after being stored in a water glass method. My family would riot if all winter we were trying to fry eggs and having the yolks break. Even if you weren’t worried about salmonella nor the potential effect of ingesting lime, a broken yolk is a tragedy not to be taken lightly.
Kansas State University has a great article that explains this in detail here: https://enewsletters.k-state.edu/youaskedit/2020/11/13/storing-eggs-safely/
Purina Mills (I know, I know, it’s a huge corporation but the information was solid and mirrored what I read in many other places) has an article about how long fresh eggs last and they stated that farm fresh eggs last 4 months or more in the fridge. It was this information that really solidified in my mind that summer’s eggs can be stored to last through the winter especially if used thoughtfully and if a family has enough hens. My recommendation to those interested in storing eggs for the winter would be to refrigerate them.
Eggs can be frozen, but they have the best quality when they are whisked first. I’ve never done this but maybe Anna has.
Finally, eggs can be cooked and preserved via a freeze dryer. Check out our episode about freeze drying for more about these amazing tools.
To conclude we don’t recommend water glassing because of the decreased egg quality, risk of lime contamination, risk of botulism poisoning, and the fact that eggs can be kept for many months in a refrigerator.
In today’s episode, Anna and I talk all about how to save money by preserving food.
This episode will explore the ways food preservation saves you money, which methods to employ and how, and how you can start truly eating from your pantry today. We will talk both about making the preservation methods affordable and as well as finding deals on food.
I think our overarching message today will be that canning alone isn’t the best way to save, nor is dehydrating alone, nor is freeze drying. It is the whole idea that food can be preserved safely, purchased at its peak ripeness and cheapest price – that’s what will really make a significant difference in your food budget.
A super easy first step is to learn to quick pickle. A quick pickle takes just a veggie, vinegar, and a clean container which could be a jar but doesn’t have to be. Produce that you won’t eat fresh can be preserved for more than a month in a mixture of vinegar and salt and it is stored in the fridge. There’s no processing, you can do a single jar or several, but it reduces food waste and makes really crisp pickles.
Canning on the cheap: don’t skimp on new lids as reused are likely to fail, but get used everything else. Check out our equipment episode for specific details on what you need to start canning but you can thrift everything other than the lids. Alternatively, you could explore using Tattler reusable lids (I’ve not used these) and we just did an episode about Weck jars and those are all glass and reusable as well- more expensive but if you could get a great deal, they’d be great. A water bath canner can be made from any pot you may boil several quarts of water in but you do need a rack on the bottom. I love a silicone trivet for that.
Pressure canning on the cheap: A pressure canner is an investment and one that you’re not afraid to use, one that’s manageable in size, one that has an effective seal and an accurate dial is critical. Spending $20 on one that you can’t get a seal for or can’t test is a waste. You can get replacement parts from manufacturers, and you can print out the manuals for a pressure canner also from their websites. If you’re going this route I’d lean heavily on your cooperative extension office for checking the gauge and helping affirm that yes, your canner is ready to go.
We mention this in our pressure canning episode but if you don’t have a cooperative extension that can help near you, I’d call one anywhere and ask your questions. You can have the dial checked at a local tire shop as they can check the pounds per pressure for you.
Or buy a new canner. Consider the size: I got a 16 qt presto and I love it, and it isn’t too giant for me or my tiny kitchen but it doesn’t hold more than 8 quarts. That’s not as many as some of them. They are an investment. If you have a neighbor or friend you trust, you could share it as long as the canner is cared for and not left in a cold car or garage overnight so as to change the effectiveness of the dial.
Dehydrating on the cheap: Dehydrators are fairly expensive new. I’d explore thrifting one (we have an episode on dehydrators) and try if you can to get one that has different temps on the dial. The plastic trays do degrade over time (my mom’s started to crumble after 10+ years) so don’t forget to check that. Or using an oven is a great way to start the process but just be sure you know you’ll be turning the oven on and leaving it on for several hours. I’d never try this in the summer (that would have been a capital crime when I was growing up- turning on the oven in the summer!). Listen to this episode for more on how to dehydrate like a pro!
Freezing: Because a freezer and the electricity are expensive to begin with and have an ongoing cost, I’d reserve the freezer space you have for things that can’t be safely canned or preserved in another method you’re comfortable with. That includes butter (no other excellent way to preserve), meat because of it’s bulk and the fact that it often comes to you frozen, this is a good way to preserve meat), and I’d use the freezer for saving/meal planning/leftover saving just as Elisa of Meal Planning Blueprints described in our Freezing episode. I personally use a large chest freezer which is absolutely an expense to keep it cold but because I have it, I am sure to use it! I freeze a lot of things including flour when I see it on sale- this just keeps bugs out and its a big space to store it.
Freeze drying: this is by far the most expensive method to start but it has the greatest capabilities for preserving food truly indefinitely with almost 100% nutrient retention. They take up space, they take electricity, and they take a bit to learn but they are THE way to preserve almost anything other than very very high fat foods like butter. It’s been around a long time, it is the way that MREs are made. Freeze dried food should be stored in black/opaque tubs in mylar bags with moisture absorbers (not just in a jar on the shelf) and then you have to have space to store all this food but this is the penultimate way people prep. Freeze dryers are the size of a washing machine and currently they don’t hold a ton of food. Stay tuned for an episode with Harvest Right to learn more about them!
Means of getting deals: foraging (check upcoming episode about that) or otherwise free food. This is a great method and there’s more resources than you’d think like facebook groups.
Sales: When you find food on a great deal, then of course you have to think about which method you’d use to preserve it and if you have the space to store it once it is preserved. Think about if your family will truly eat it.
I’ve been pressure canning meals with meat and beans because they are filling; beans are cheap (used to be cheaper of course but they are still very affordable), dry beans are shelf stable when you buy them so you can soak and cook with the amount you need. They are sort of out of style but they are a cheap way to make a meal.
I hope you loved this episode all about how to save money by preserving foods! Please share it with a friend if you loved it and leave us a rating and review!
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Tomatoes USED to be much higher in acid. No tomatoes available today, even the ones you grow yourself, even organic, even heirloom, simply aren’t as high in acid as they used to be 100, or even 50 years ago. The magic acid value in canning is 4.6 and tomatoes are right around that number. That means ALL tomato recipes need the addition of an acidifying ingredient to bring that acid value up (and number down). Download the Acid and Canning chart for free here!
Acidifying ingredients include: lemon juice (must be store bought). Listen to our episode about Acid and Canning to learn more about why.
Citric Acid – easy, has a taste but not one that can’t be hidden, add to jars before or after filling, or add to batch
Vinegar- has a strong taste, which isn’t always a bad thing, but you should always use store bought
Salsas: because they are canned, they aren’t going to be that fresh salsa you might want from a Mexican restaurant- they also can’t be changed dramatically as that will change the acid level- alliums (garlic onions) are low acid, as are peppers, and that’s what people want a LOT of- stick with a tested recipe.
Ketchup- I made once in the crockpot and it was truly a lot more like a barbeque sauce but still very good.
Tomato sauce- if there’s meat or broth, it must be pressure canned. I add essential oil (oregano rosemary) for flavor punch, you CAN skip peeling (I use a blender to blitz skins and haven’t had any negative taste). Use my recipe here!
If it is a water bath canning recipe, don’t be tempted to add more garlic and onions as that changes the acid level.
Enchilada sauce/pizza sauce/etc- great choices for pantry, same rules apply- don’t overdo garlic and onions, use essential oils for flavor boost.
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This post will share how to whip up your own no sugar, monkfruit sweetened beef gelatin marshmallows. I make this big batch every few weeks and store them in the fridge so I always have one handy for my morning coffee and afternoon chai. It is a great way to add in gut-healthy beef gelatin to your diet and have your coffee sweetener in one white, fluffy package.
The monkfruit makes for marshmallow that has less volume than a standard sugar marshmallow, and they aren’t bright-white.
The addition of vanilla paste is optional but gives a powerful flavor oomph.
A few drops of optional peppermint cinnamon essential oil give the marshmallows a ton of flavor as well.
The gelatin starts to set pretty quickly so you’ll want to be sure you have all ingredients assembled and measured before you add the gelatin to the water.
Combine 2 cups lakanto monkfruit sweetener with 1 cup water, bring to a boil for 10 minutes, whisking often. When this comes to a boil, combine in a mixer:
2 cups water
6 tablespoons beef gelatin
1 optional teaspoon vanilla paste
This will give the gelatin time to absorb the water. Turn the mixer on with a whisk attachment on lowest setting if the gelatin starts to look globby or set.
Boil the sweetener mixture for 10 minutes. Pour the mixture into the gelatin mixture slowly. Add one teaspoon vanilla bean paste and/or a few drops of high quality cinnamon or peppermint extract if desired.Turn the mixer on high and whisk steadily until mixture is white and fluffy, about 15-18 minutes. I put a towel over the mixer to keep the splatter contained.
While the mixer is going, it will feel like nothing is happening or that it isn’t working. It takes many minutes for them to begin to fluff up. Regular sugar marshmallows really puff up dramatically and these puff significantly but not to the degree that real sugar ones do. You can make this recipe in exactly the same way but replace the monk fruit with real sugar and it works out the same but with greater volume and brighter white.
Once the mixture is white and fluffy and you’ve mixed for over 10 minutes at least, it is done.
Pour the mixture onto a wax-paper covered baking sheet and use a spatula to spread the cloud-like mixture somewhat evenly over the sheet. Cover the mixture with another sheet of wax paper, pressing the edges to seal. Allow mixture to set for several hours or overnight.
Remove the top sheet of wax paper and cut marshmallows with a sharp knife. Place cubes of marshmallow into a container to be stored in the fridge. These keep for 3+ weeks.
