Grainlady-

[leighcat]

You are my online hero!

Could you please list some of your favorite books and websites for me?? I have a grainmill, and food dehydrator. I want to use them more, especially since I am buying a house with a kitchen big enough for them! When recipes call for vegetable shortening, what do you substitute it with? Do you use homemade laundry detergent, and if yes, which recipe? Do you spray the sheet on the food dehydrator with nonstick spray before you put the puree fruit on it to make fruit leather?

[starsapphire]

Here's a great link for you on dehydrating

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxVpIHre2ao"]YouTube- How to dehydrate and store food PART 1[/ame]

[savvy_sniper]

This is the website for the woman in the video above. There is a lot of information!

http://www.dehydrate2store.com/

Also look for these books at your local library:

Complete Dehydrator Cookbook - Mary Bell
Food Drying with Attitude - Mary T. Bell
The Dehydrator Bible - Jennifer MacKenzie & Don Mercer

[Grainlady]

leighcat -

Many thanks for your kind words.

I'm an information freak, so whatever I get interested in I study the subject, read books, collect the science, create piles of files, take classes when possible.... It's a good thing I can share all this accumulated "stuff" with others, and it's a lot easier sharing on message boards than teaching classes, like I've done over the years.

Many of these books may be available at your local library, or through inter-library loan. These seem to be the ones I use often as references to answer questions.

- Flour Power - The complete guide to 3-minute home flour milling - by Marleeta F. Basey

- The Amazing Wheat Book - by Learta Moulton and the DVD - Quick Wholesome Foods - by Rita Bingham and Learta Moulton. http://www.learta.com/shops/index.ph...products_id=24

If you are interested in using gluten as a meat substitute, this book and the DVD will be a great asset.

- CookWise - The Hows & Whys of Successful Cooking with over 230 Great-Tasting Recipes - by Shirley O. Corriher. The first 99 pages of this 500+ page book are a must-read for anyone wanting to know the science about bread making.

- The Splendid Grain - by Rebecca Wood
A wonderful collection of information and recipes for using a large variety of grains.

- Books by Rita Bingham...
Country Beans
Natural Meals in Minutes
These books will show you how to use bean flour you can mill in your grainmill. If you are interested in incorporating more grains, legumes and vegetables into your diet, and SAVE a lot of money by using whole foods, you'll find a lot of great recipes in these books.

- I think I have everything written by Peggy Layton: http://peggylayton.net/
Great information for people who use home-food storage in the form of powdered eggs, powdered milk, etc...

-Dehydrating. The links included in the previous posts are great!!! I also like to use the National Center for Home Food Preservation for the most up-to-date information: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publication...ions_usda.html

There are new recommendations for making home-dehydrated foods safer that isn't included in many of the older books or videos. Most don't mention pre-treating fruits and vegetables with an acidic solution prior to drying to prohibit microbial growth of microorganisms such as Salmonella and E. Coli 0157:H7. Until recently not much thought was given to the safety of home-dried foods. It was assumed that their low-moisture content would prohibit microbial growth. But research findings have shown that microorganisms are hearty enough to survive basic drying methods, and new procedures are needed, and you will find that information included in the information for drying at the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Books:
Making & Using Dried Foods - by Phyllis Hobson

Mary Bell's Complete Dehydrator Cookbook

How To Dry Foods by Deanna DeLong - [ame="http://www.amazon.com/How-Dry-Foods-Deanna-DeLong/dp/1557880506"]Amazon.com: How to Dry Foods (0075478003273): Deanna DeLong: Books[/ame]

A little off-beat...
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, Ph.D.

This book gives information about traditional methods for food preparation.

SHORTENING - I haven't used shortening or vegetable oil in decades - I use coconut oil instead. I buy LouAna brand at Wal-Mart and Dillons (a Kroger-associated store). This brand doesn't have any coconut flavor or odor. I also use a couple different brands that DO have coconut flavor and odor. As a food on the list of "Seven Survival Foods" for home food storage (grains, legumes, seeds for sprouting, sweeteners, salt, fat, and powdered milk), coconut oil will keep much longer than shortening or vegetable oil. I use all fats in moderation and often use substitutes like flaxmeal or fruit purees in food preparation.

HOMEMADE LAUNDRY DETERGENT: I have used homemade laundry detergent off and on for over 20 years and currently use Charlie's Soap (http://www.charliesoap.com/) - which is actually a detergent, not a soap. I buy it in a 5-gallon bucket which should last us 3.5 years. At the time of the purchase (11/2007) it cost me 9-cents per load. I have another unopened bucket of it in storage.

Homemade laundry soap isn't a good fit for our needs because of hard water. I have addressed the subject several times about homemade laundry mixtures, and relate the science about soap and detergents and how they differ. There are many negative things about homemade laundry mixtures that people aren't aware of. Yes, it's an inexpensive option, unless you are like me and have to add enzymes, phosphates and brighteners and clothes STILL got dingy from scummy hard water buildup. All those add-ins contributed to more cost, so it was no longer cost effective, nor effective on clothes.

FRUIT LEATHER: You can spray fruit leather sheets with cooking spray, but I don't. You can also cover your sheets with plastic wrap. The reason I don't spray my sheets is because fat bonds to plastic and I don't want fat from cooking spray on my fruit leather sheets turning rancid at some point. I make both fruit leather and vegetable leather.

Hope that helps you out...

[leighcat]

Thank you to all of you! Grainlady- you should write a book!! Thank you so much for answering my post I would have looked like a fool if you didn't!! Since I can't pm yet, I figured this was the best way to get your attention without hijacking someone's post!!

[ravenmaniac]

Yes, Grainlady is my hero too. I have searched for her posts and bookmarked several websites she has suggested.

I heard of Charlie's Soap but never purchased it because I was not sure how it would work. After one of Grainlady's posts I decided to purchase Charlie's Soap and never regretted my purchase. Our water is hard, so I never wanted to use homemade laundry detergents. Charlie's Soap is excellent. With my first purchase they sent me a bottle of their cleaner which is wonderful. It cleaned the iron stains and mineral build-up off my shower and fixtures. No more CLR!

With Grainlady's suggestions I have been able to make my meals more nutritious and stretch my food dollar.

I agree, she should write a book!

[Grainlady]

Sorry, no forthcoming book... I couldn't stand the pressure of fame (LOL)! Besides, that's where I get most of my information, so all the works has already been done.

[leighcat]

My library is going to hate me! I just went and put a hold on a bunch of books. They had a few you mentioned, plus I found some others that looked interesting.

[eclectictexan]

Yes, I agree Grainlady is at the top of my list too!!!!
There are people who have the knowledge, but do not share it. Not true of Grainlady .
She has ALWAYS answered my questions no matter how elementary they where to her. And she hasn't whooped my knuckles yet. (ya know she is a teacher) Can ya tell?
Again Much Oblige to you Grainlady!!!!
Texasnative,
Pam

[leighcat]

Here's a great link for you on dehydrating

YouTube- How to dehydrate and store food PART 1

Wow! Did you look at her site? She has some awesome recipes and ideas. I want to have that shelf built in my "new" house!!!

[Grainlady]

Wow! Did you look at her site? She has some awesome recipes and ideas. I want to have that shelf built in my "new" house!!!

I love the shelves too, but dehydrated foods aren't supposed to be stored in the light. Dried foods should be stored in cool, dry, dark storage. The quality of the food is affected by heat and light, and every time you open a container, moisture entering it will be absorbed by the contents. Most dried fruits can be stored for one year at 60°F, but half that time at 80°F. Vegetables have about half the shelf-life of fruits. You can extend that storage time by vacuum-sealing the dried foods.