DEHYDRATED GREEN ONIONS

Last night, I went to bed with tears in my eyes. Literally!

I couldn't help myself. I just HAD to load up the dehydrator before retiring for the night. While I sleep, I want my Nesco Dehydrator to be working!

I am an avid fan of GREEN ONIONS. I love it in my scrambled eggs, in my homemade dressings, on top of casseroles, as seasonings. I even LOVE green onion potato chips (oh trust me, I'll be making THAT too!)

I normally grow this in abundance in my backyard, but this batch, I picked up from the store. I am going to trim and wash 4 large bags.

Some of the onions being washed. I also added these WET to the dehydrator.

I saved the roots so that I can regrow these. I added this to a bowl of water.

At the top where I trimmed, new onions will emerge. Once they reach a certain length (about an inch or so) I transplant in a pot of soil. Voila! New green onion plants. I plan to keep this batch on the front porch and they should do well in the cold weather, as long as it's not freezing.

I packed the trays pretty heavy. Since the onions are hollow, I wasn't worried about them being too thick for the dehydrator. But I did slice the stems really thin, as I knew they would take much longer.

From what I've read, they say to dehydrate the onions for 7-10 hours. I normally don't pay too much attention to the time. I normally dry much longer than suggested. Since I usually dry things when I'm headed for bed, I know they're going to at least be drying for 7-8 hours before I check on them. Since we can't really "over dry" the food (our goal is to eliminate all the water - with less than 5% remaining) I just inspect in the morning, and if I want them more dry, I turn the machine back on. Or, if needed (like bananas) I'll turn the food over and dry again.

With this batch, I ended up drying for close to 12 hours. Mainly because I forgot (the machine is actually quiet) and because I know that the "drier" the better.

ALSO, depending on what you're dehydrating, some foods WILL cause tears in your eyes. Almost immediately the onions drying traveled through closed doors and to the back of the house. It was bearable, but it really reinforced my decision to NOT try this with hot peppers indoors. 

Dried and ready to pack!

The sliced stems fell to the bottom. So perfect now for garnishes! I really love how the drying has packed in the flavor too.

I found these quart sized green jars at Walmart. I had stopped by the canning section on a whim and was surprised to find these. The darker jars are excellent for storing dehydrated food, as it's best to store these in a cool dark place.

Since I'm not storing this for ultra long term, I've only added an oxygen absorber. I figured I would keep this batch for a few months at the most. When I do store some dehydrated green onions long term, I'll be using a Food Saver and some Mylar bags (more on that later.)

I've recently done a book review for the book - The Ultimate Dehydrator Cookbook - this can be found on The Survival Mom's website. In the book, I learned that when it comes to canning, freezing, or dehydrating, HANDS DOWN, dehydrated foods maintain their nutrients!

If you are new to dehydrating, or are thinking about giving this a try... I can't stress enough how important this is to preserving your food. It takes up less space, and less time!

PANCAKES - DEHYDRATED SCRAMBLE EGG MIX

I'm tapping into my food storage to determine if I want to BUY MORE and to MAKE MORE dehydrated foods. The best way to make sure we're investing properly is to experiment.

I really feel it is unrealistic to buy food you don't normally cook, thinking it will help in a SHTF situation. This is why I try to focus on making the food NOW and seeing if our family likes it, not to mention, if it's easy and convenient to prepare during an emergency. No water. No electricity.

Yesterday, I did a review on the Augason Farms dehydrated scramble egg mix. The prices have gone up considerably on these mixes, so I'm trying to determine if I want to invest another $60 for two more cans. I also wanted to experiment with this mix and see how I could use it as a substitute for not having any eggs or milk in the house.

According to this mix, 2 tablespoons of powder is the equivalent of 1 egg. Just add equal amounts of water.

This is a pancake recipe that I normally use and I occasionally switch the flour. For example, I sometimes grind my own wheat flour, or I will use a store bought gluten free mix (Uncle Ben's) or just regular flour. EITHER works!

This recipe makes about 4 regular sized pancakes

 



For the conversion using the scrambled egg mix, I didn't need to add egg or milk, but I wanted to double on the powdered egg/milk as I'm adding WATER (instead of milk) and wanted to make sure there was a lot of flavor.

For this conversion, I used 4 heaping tablespoons of powdered egg mix, the flour, baking powder and salt, and the 1 cup of water (to replace milk)  That's it!

**I like my pancakes a wee bit runny (to make them thinner) and will just add a little extra water if needed. If I accidentally add too much water, I just add some extra flour.

Cook just like regular. I use a little oil in the iron skillet (This is something I don't skimp on when it comes to food storage - COOKING OIL! We need and use it in so many dishes!)

So far so good.

These pancakes are AMAZING. Rich, thick and definitely filling!

ONE MORE REASON to add the powdered scramble egg mix to the food storage.

**I will be doing a review in the near future on dehydrated butter.
**You can use honey or real maple syrup. I buy both.

Now I know that I can prepare another meal that didn't require refrigeration using ingredients that have a LONG TERM shelf life.

DEHYDRATED SCRAMBLED EGGS - AUGASON FARMS - REVIEW

I went ahead and opened up a can of our Augason Farms dehydrated scrambled eggs as (unbelievably) we had ran out of eggs! Our hens are obviously taking a vacation, and lately this past month, I've been dragging my feet in going to the grocery store. But this is what "emergency food reserves" are for. Right?

Just wanted to mention quickly that I had checked online and the prices are going UP on these eggs. I don't remember the exact amount I paid for this batch (if you're doing a price comparison, feel free to contact me and ask for an exact amount) but I WILL be ordering more.

SIMPLE ingredients - milk and eggs. Just keep in mind, it's equal amounts of water. If you use 1 cup of dry egg powder, it's 1 cup of water added.

A good can opener is needed to open this #10 can. And what the eggs look like when settled in the can.

A soft fine powder and a pleasant smell.

Just add water.

With equal amounts of water, the batter has the consistency of pancake mix. I was thinking that in order to stretch the eggs, I may add some milk and other ingredients like potatoes, onions, salsa - especially if feeding a large group of people.

This is over 6 tablespoons of eggs. Not a whole lot, and won't feed an army.

Great texture. I added this to some bacon grease.

I fed this to my hungry husband.

We rated these eggs a (7) out of a possible 10.

All through the web, we've read reviews of people raving about these eggs. I agree that it is AMAZING to have these eggs and the ability to store them for long term. My can is dated as - BEST IF USED BY JUNE 2024. This is a 10 year shelf life.

My husband's exact words: "It tastes like powdered eggs, but during a SHTF situation, they are pretty good and a MUST HAVE!"

I agree. For food storage, the eggs are important. We plan to order more of these eggs to store away. Currently, these are SOLD OUT on the Walmart website, but I checked and there's a combo (2 can) sale for over $57 at SAMS Wholesale online - FREE SHIPPING.

I did check the Augason website and they are asking $30 for a can, and that's not including shipping.

It appears the best deal is to buy this from Sams online (if you have a membership.)

**While checking online at Amazons, pay close attention to the weight. I had almost jumped on a "deal" to buy these eggs and realized it was for 9 ounces! The full sized can is 2 pounds and 4 ounces.