RIP Houdini AKA Deenis

As our Twitter Followers and Facebook Friends are already aware, our friend Houdini AKA Deenis the Goat passed away Sunday night. We'd like to thank our friends for the outpouring of sympathy and support during this rough time.

Anyone who's owned a friendly goat knows they are much like a big, goofy, mischevious dog. He was a Boer/Pygmy cross, estimated at almost 200lbs when he passed, saved from the meat market by the farm he was born at thanks to his extremely friendly personality. We had many good times with him laying out in the sunshine, going for walks, and hanging out by the campfire on summer evenings. He was a great helper in the garden, turning unwanted piles of weeds into fertilizer! He was also a prankster, and loved to attempt to take off with and eat non-food items such as plastic bags, duct tape, tarps, and even a lit cigar when he thought you weren't looking!!!

He came down sick Thursday afternoon, with what we initially thought was just a bad case of bloat. We were able to treat the bloat, but it turned out that he was also suffering from Urinary Calculi, a total blockage of the urinary tract. It is most common in wethers that are castrated too early, and in the winter months when a variety of forage is scarce whether your rations include Ammonium Chloride or not. He was just 3 1/2 years old...

Deenis was certainly one of a kind, and is sorely missed by all of us...

DEHYDRATING: Broccoli

Broccoli is used in a variety of foods, and is especially popular in soups, casseroles and noodle dishes, many of which can even be modified into dry mix camp meals for a day in the great outdoors! 

I like to have dried broccoli on hand to throw in rice and pasta dishes. The last batch I made was purchased frozen, and therefore only had to be cut into 1" floret pieces. Broccoli only take about 6-8 hours in a 135 degree dehydrator to dry completely, making it one of the fastest drying vegetables.

If you wish to dry fresh broccoli, it must be blanched after chopping into 1" floret pieces. You can dehydrate the stems, but they tend to be woody after re-hydration and isn't recommended. To blanch, simply bring a pot of water to a boil and submerge chopped florets for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, quickly strain the broccoli and plunge it into ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain it well on paper towels and place them in the dehydrator in a single layer on 135 degrees for 6-8 hours as you would frozen broccoli.

When they are completely dry, they will be crispy and the individual floret tops will easily crumble from the stem. As with other vegetables we've dehydrated, store your dried broccoli in a glass jar in a cool, dry, dark place. Sealing with a Food Saver, or placing an oxygen absorber in the jar will extend shelf life. It will be good for at least one year without sealing if stored properly.

DEHYDRATING: Mushrooms

Fresh mushrooms can tend to be expensive. Take advantage of fresh mushroom sales by preserving them through dehydration!

Dehydrating mushrooms is extremely easy. Even more so if you buy the mushrooms already sliced! If you purchase whole mushrooms, depending on type, an egg slicer does a great job. Slices should be 1/4" in thickness. Simply rinse the sliced mushrooms and place a single layer of slices per tray and place in the dehydrator at 135 degrees for about 6-8 hours! That's it!

The mushrooms will darken in color, and will crumble easily when completely dry. Store them in an airtight glass jar, use an oxygen absorber or seal with a vacuum sealer for long-term storage. They should last at least a year in a cool, dry, dark place without an absorber/sealing.

Dried mushrooms are great for adding to soups, sauces and pasta dishes!