I like to use fresh green onions when I can, but if I am making a recipe and do not want to run to the market for  green onions, dehydrated onions work great in a lot of dishes. 

Get started by discarding any leaves that are bruised or past their time and cut off the tips of the greens to remove any brown parts.

Rinse onions under running water and drain. You may need to pat dry with a paper towel as you need to remove as much water as possible.

I like to dehydrate the green from the white portion of the onion.  Sometimes I want to add green as a garnish without adding too much of an onion flavor. 

Chop onions into 1 /2 inch pieces.  For the white portions it is best to separate the rings otherwise they take a lot longer to dry.

You can use any type of dehydrator if it has a fan and a temperature control. You want to set your dehydrator at 125 degrees.  During this time of year, I have my dehydrator outside on a table on my porch so it does not heat up the house.  Just make sure you remove your product as soon as it is dry, so you do not start feeding the neighborhood bugs.

Green portions on one tray…….

White portions on another tray.  I forgot to separate the rings of my white portions and had to do it later in the process.

Dried green onions  They should feel like paper when done.

I store my green onions in half pint mason jars with plastic lids.  In the white portion jar I also put a food safe desiccant packet to help with any moisture that may remain in the product.  Enjoy!!

June 5, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources and the UC Master Food Preserver Program launch our independent statewide giving day! We call it Big Dig Day—a day to ‘dig deep' to support the program you care about. We invite you to support our mission to raise public awareness and promote safe food practices.

Now more than ever we know the value of community, outreach, and science-based information. In times of crisis—and beyond, we are here.  We are intent on continuing our work with the Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County during this difficult time and need your help to support our programming with their organization.  You can support them too as a part of “Hunger Awareness Day” today, June 5, by donating to their important work here Hunger Awareness Day

By donating to the UC Master Food Preserver Program and UC ANR you extend the knowledge and resources of the University to your community.  You help us continue our work with the Food Bank Coalition teaching our community how to utilize their food effectively and minimize food waste.  

Join us  and be the first to give —or visit us anytime during the 24 hour giving day. Make your gift then share your support on social media using #BigDigDay and #DigDeep or call a friend to let them know what's happening.

We hope you will join us today June 5 in support our your local Master Food Preserver program!  https://ucanr.edu/sites/BigDig/

A friend gave me a plate of fresh ripe avocados from her tree. I love avocados but I wasn't sure if I could eat them before they started to go bad. So I decided to freeze them for later use!

I started by slicing the avocados in half, carefully removing the pit and scooping out the flesh into a bowl. It doesn't have to be pretty since you are going to mash everything together.

I mashed all the avocados with a potato masher.  You can use an immersion blender for a very smooth consistency. It helps to know how you are going to use your avocados once you unfreeze them.

Add lemon juice to keep the avocados from turning brown.  (Use any brand of bottled lemon or lime juice.  Or you may use fresh if you have it on hand.  UC ANR Master Food Preserver Program isn't endorsing this particular brand of juice.)  The Avocado Council of California does not give a measurement but I used 1 ½ tablespoons for my 7 avocados.

Fill ice cube trays with avocado mixture. I have several ice cube trays I keep around for freezing foods rather than ice cubes. I freeze, herbs, lemon juice, just about anything I need to portion and use for another day!

My 7 avocados filled almost 2 ice cube trays.You can smooth the avocado to the top of the tray for more cubes if you would like. Ready for the freezer…

Do not stack the trays as this will make a mess on the bottom of your trays. Freeze over night.

They should easily release from the trays. Pretty simple so far!!!

I would recommend a food vacuum sealer if you have one. These tend to be sensitive to freezer burn. If you don't, use a freezer safe storage bag or container. If using a bag, try and remove as much air as possible.  Make sure and label with the product name, date, and amount if you measured the cube size.

To use, take out as many cubes as you need and place in a sealed container to thaw in the fridge overnight.

I have found one cube is good for one taco or burrito. Use 2 to 3 cubes for topping nachos. Try 6 cubes mixed with ¼ cup of salsa to make a great personal serving of guacamole. My favorite though is add one cube in a smoothie. You don't even need to defrost. It adds a creamy smooth taste.

For more information on avocados visit https://www.californiaavocado.com/

Now go get some avocados!!!

Photo credit: Tami Reece

 

Oh, no!  I haven't fed my sourdough starter in months!  When I took it out of the refrigerator, this is what I found.  Is it still good?  Is it safe to use?  The answer is YES! There is no mold on it, and it smells good and tangy.  But will I be able to reactivate it?

First things first…DO NOT throw away the hooch.  That is the dark liquid floating on top.  I know (sigh).  It may sound scary, but it helps give the sourdough starter its sour taste.  Stir the hooch into the starter until it is completely mixed as shown in the picture below.

Now let's start feeding the starter and see if we can reactivate it.  Measure 3.5 ounces of the starter with 3.5 ounces of distilled water and 3.5 ounces of all-purpose flour. Or, if you have less starter, use equal amounts by weight of what you have available.  Don't own a scale?  Don't worry.  Just measure equal amounts of starter and water by volume and double the amount of flour.  For instance, use ¼ c. of starter, and ¼ c. of water, and ½ c. of flour.

Place in a food grade container and mix well.  Scrape down the sides of the container to prevent areas of drying.  Cover loosely and let sit for about 12 hours at room temperature.  The lower the temperature, the slower it will ferment and tangier your bread will be.  An ideal temperature is around 72°F.

Yippee!  After 12 hours, I see bubbles!  That means my sourdough starter is alive.  Now, I just need to feed it again every 12 hours to really get it bubbly and active.  To do this, I remove 3.5 ounces of the starter or about half of it (don't throw the discarded starter away – see note below), put it into another food grade container and add 3.5 ounces of all-purpose flour and 3.5 ounces water. Again you can measure your starter, water and flour by volume instead of weight using a 1:1:2 ratio of starter to water to flour. Mix well, scrape the sides of the container, cover lightly, and let it sit for another 12 hours.  Repeat this process until the starter doubles and has lots of bubbles.  This may take another 2-3 feedings. 

Note:  Do not throw away your discarded starter.  Keep it.  Store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use.  Make sure and label the container as “starter discard”.  You can use it to make crackers, pancakes, or a variety of other items.  Just search “what to do with discarded sourdough starter” and you will find a lot of recipes.

Success!  After feeding every 12 hours for 3 days, my sourdough starter is fully activated and ready to make bread!

I am so happy I did not throw away that ugly starter I found in my refrigerator.  What a beautiful loaf of sourdough bread I made with it!  It smells so good and tastes incredible!!