Friday, May 27, 2011

Subaru as Food Dehydrator

I don't have a food dehydrator. It's one of those things that I will occasionally consider getting, until I remember how annoying it would be to have another gargantuan food processing item that has to be stored for nine months of the year in a kitchen built in the 1920s with the corresponding number and arrangement of 1920s cabinets. That is, not enough and stupidly arranged. Really. We have more scary, unreachable dark corners in our cabinets than are in that hotel in Psycho.

Wait. What was I talking about? Oh. Right. Dehydrating.

So, no dehydrator. That's why I was so stoked to read on this site about drying herbs in the back of the car. This totally made sense to me. I mean, what is a car but a greenhouse with no glass roof? All those windows and all. In fact, I knew someone who started her tomato seeds in her car. I thought that was pretty ingenious. And I had the same reaction to the idea of drying herbs in the car.

Not too long after I read that post, I was pulling out the last of the Italian Herb Mix from Penzeys and I stopped to read the herbs in it: oregano, marjoram, thyme, basil, rosemary . . . uh. Wait. I grow all these herbs. I could make this mix. If I could get the herbs dry.

Enter My Awesome Subaru, which honestly gets more and more awesome by the day. Literally. I am awed by the car. It fulfills my every need. Even food dehydrating.

One old framed window screen from the shed (well scrubbed, because the condition of anything that comes out of our shed is EW), two random plastic flower trays to set the screen up off the floor, and I was all set. I put the screen in the cargo part in the back of the car and spread out all the leaves from our overwintered sage plant that was almost flowering, plus several branches from a huge rosemary plant that lives in the cellar in the winter. I pulled the leaves off the sage, but I left the rosemary intact. It took a little over a week to get them all dry, because we had some cool, rainy days. I just left the whole deal back there, even when I was driving.

I could do that because I have an Awesome Subaru, you see. The Nissan was not that awesome. It has very little storage space and a small back seat. Totally useless for drying herbs, I bet. The Nissan people should look into that.

ANYWAY.

Yesterday*, I gathered up the sage and crushed it up into a little container. I ended up with about a quarter cup of sage. Then I just pulled the rosemary branches between my fingers to pull off the little needles. I did it over a sheet of newspaper to catch the needles, so then I could spread them out to pick through and get out any stray bits of twig or whatever before folding the paper and pouring the rosemary out, using the crease in the paper to direct the flow of the rosemary into a jar. I got almost a cup of rosemary, though that will be reduced because I think I'm going to crush the rosemary up a little bit. I hate big needles of rosemary in my food.

I planted marjoram yesterday and the basil, thyme, and oregano are already in the ground. Give me a few months, some more window screens, and some sunny days, and that Italian Herb Mix will be stamped with MY name. And all thanks to my Subaru.

* Yesterday while Cubby was running around climbing on the stump of the cedar tree and playing with sticks and chasing the cat and NOT NAPPING. Though he did sleep for about 45 minutes in the afternoon, during which time I got another row of potatoes planted and the asparagus bed weeded, so that's something.

13 comments:

  1. Car as dehydrator? Why not! They are a huge bill of expense so anything they can do to help out is appreciated.

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  2. I wondered if you drove with it back there and if you had to take it easy and I can see the cop who pulls you over.....yes ma'am, I SEE you are drying herbs in the back. I'll be back with the drug dog..... :) Beth

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  3. Window screens, yes! I'll bet my wife's minivan will hold a ton of herbs.

    That and tomatoes are all I want to grow myself. The rest would be nice, but if I could get those two going well I'd be happy.


    Word verification: sykosens -- henchmen to the near-mythic bad guy in a Kevin Spacey movie

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  4. I think I've dehydrated stuff in my car by accident once or twice. Never thought to do it on purpose. :) Bet your car smelled good!

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  5. Heh, I've accidentally dehydrated lots of fries, and even half a chocolate shake once.


    Word verification: lionvacs -- tool for sucking up loose fur from very large felines

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  6. Wow. Ya think Subaru would like to use that as a marketing tool? You could get paid every time they included your idea in an advertisement.

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  7. Nice!
    I hung oregano and rosemary from pegs in my kitchen and it has taken a long time to get them good and dehydrated.
    I will try the car thing next.
    One more thing for my H to roll his eyes over!

    word verification: sickshn - what my husband mutters after hearing another of my hairbrained ideas.

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  8. Now that you put it like that, I bet I could totally dry herbs in the trunk of my Prius!

    This ugly thing is a hatchback with a very conveniently situated rear windshield and a huge flat trunk area...

    I'm about this.

    Thanks, Kris! And GO SUBEY! Our friends have one and I will admit to coveting it. It may end up in our driveway one of these days...

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  9. How do you handle the crushing? Do you have a mortar and pestle? Or a ziploc bag and a meat tenderizer? If my thyme ever grows... darn Wisconsin "spring"

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  10. I never thought a Subuar could be used a dehydrator to dry herbs of all things. Kind of strange idea but unique at the same time. Glad it worked out for you. Doesn't your car smell like rosemary or other herbs for days though?

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  11. Sure, it makes your car smell faintly of whatever herbs are drying while they're in there, but that's not a bad thing, right?

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  12. Brilliant! I have a Subaru! I love to dry my herbs for winter. Maybe the herbs smells will over come some of the dog smells.

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  13. Thanks for your article, pretty useful piece of writing.
    Boudin Blanc I - (Sausage-Making Cookbook)

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