Gathering for the winter

My husband compared me to a squirrel yesterday. Ive been dehydrating things for 2 days now and putting them in Ball glass jars. This doesn't look like much but remember, they are dehydrated. This in fact is 5 lbs of carrots, 5 large cremini mushrooms, 2 days worth of cherry tomato's from my garden, 1 large zucchini, and 1 small yellow squash.

You may be wondering why I am doing this. Well I guess it is my inner self telling me to start gathering for the winter. I want to be able to have summer produce anytime I want. I am a huge fan of soups and so are my girls so this will come in handy later. Just thinking about it makes me happy. Just wait when its Fall or Winter, too cold to go outside, sitting by the fireplace getting warm, sipping on cocoa and eating yummy vegetable soup. Oh how yummy it will be.

Did I mention this will save you money? Here is a break down of how much I spent so far on what Ive dehydrated as of now.

1. Carrot's-Free from my neighbor.

2. Mushroom's-bought at Winco for $1 a piece. $5 investment. Super cheap so hurry and get some! They are usually $2 each.

3. Cherry Tomato's-Free from my garden

4. Zucchini and squash-Free from my neighbor.

I plan on dehydrating much more depending on what comes my way. This fall will bring lots of apples, pumpkins, squash, etc. Who knows but I will be ready for them.

My favorite soup to make is super easy and anyone can make it.

1/2 cup of your favorite dehydrated veggies

enough water to cover

salt is optional

Boil for 20 minutes. Done.

See? Isn't that easy? My mouth is watering right now thinking about it. Did I mention how cute this looks in glass jars? Not only is it cute but it keeps your food fresher for longer once you put them in a dark pantry. They can keep forever.