When we lived in Colorado, the store Vitamin Cottage held a lot of treasures, but my favorite was their bulk item section with a wide variety of dehydrated and freeze dried fruits, veggies, herbs and other things like TVP (textured vegetable protein), onions and garlic. They also had a great selection of granola, nuts, seeds and beans.
I rarely went in without getting at least a bag of spinach and one of parsley flakes.
Here in Kentucky, I haven't found a decent place yet. No Vitamin Cottages. Thankfully, I brought some of my "stash" with me with we moved here, and I have found some online.
Check out your local health food store. If you don't have a V.C. in your area, get out your phone book and call up health food stores to find out if they have the following:
This posting will give you a shortcut on providing a few essentials.
Onion flakes: These are diced onions that have been dehydrated. I would usually buy every bag they had them. If the section labeled "onion flakes" is empty, I would find a clerk and ask! Sometimes they had more in the back and sometimes they were waiting to dry more. Sometimes I would rehydrate them and use as regular just-diced onions. Most often, I left them as is and used in taco meat, spaghetti sauce, stew, crock pot meals, roasts, etc.
This posting will give you a shortcut on providing a few essentials.
Onion flakes: These are diced onions that have been dehydrated. I would usually buy every bag they had them. If the section labeled "onion flakes" is empty, I would find a clerk and ask! Sometimes they had more in the back and sometimes they were waiting to dry more. Sometimes I would rehydrate them and use as regular just-diced onions. Most often, I left them as is and used in taco meat, spaghetti sauce, stew, crock pot meals, roasts, etc.
Garlic flakes or granules: I prefer the flakes even though they look almost as small as a granule. Again, this is garlic dehydrated. These are still pretty potent and really add a great garlic taste, whether rehydrated before adding to a dish, or during cooking.
Spinach flakes: These are spinach leaves chopped and dried. Sprinkled on salads, add to spaghetti sauce, or rice. Remember that spinach has iron and calcium so we try to add them to our meals several times a week. Also a great green plant for chickens and quail.
Parsley flakes: Same as spinach. Doesn't have as much flavor as fresh parsley but still provides great nutrition.
Soup Vegetables: This is a combination of dehydrated veggies like potatoes, celery, parsley, carrots and more. This can be powdered (see below), or added to sauce, stews, chicken bakes, and more. Or, here's a novel idea, make soup with them! One bag of soup veggies makes one huge pot of soup!
The above aren't very expensive. A $3.00 bag of garlic flakes should last you a couple of months.
Each comes in a plastic twist-tied bag, marked with contents and price. They weren't marked if organic, but they didn't have any additives - just what's on the ingredients section.
When you bring these home, mark on the bag the date you purchased them. Then store them in the original bag but placed inside something airtight like a mason jar. Include a dessicant package (moisture-eater) if you have some (we save them from new shoes or vitamin bottles). No need to process by canning; just seal tightly. Store in cool place, away from light. I have my son color brown paper bags, cut to fit, as labels.
If you need to get more of the above into your children, use a spice or other grinder to turn them into a fine powder. This will hide the color and individual tastes. We call this our "all-vegg powder". Add to mashed potatoes (covered with cheese), rice, into mac-n-cheese, pizza sauce, etc.
Each comes in a plastic twist-tied bag, marked with contents and price. They weren't marked if organic, but they didn't have any additives - just what's on the ingredients section.
When you bring these home, mark on the bag the date you purchased them. Then store them in the original bag but placed inside something airtight like a mason jar. Include a dessicant package (moisture-eater) if you have some (we save them from new shoes or vitamin bottles). No need to process by canning; just seal tightly. Store in cool place, away from light. I have my son color brown paper bags, cut to fit, as labels.
If you need to get more of the above into your children, use a spice or other grinder to turn them into a fine powder. This will hide the color and individual tastes. We call this our "all-vegg powder". Add to mashed potatoes (covered with cheese), rice, into mac-n-cheese, pizza sauce, etc.
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