Meanderings

How long do sea monkeys live? I have heard that they can live for years but I have gone through one batch and they died. Started a second batch and I only have 3 left. I think they must be survivors. I used to have a LOT of them but they all died off. I have this little container that they live in, up on top of my computer desk. I am sick of looking at it but I can't bear to flush them down the drain. So, I guess I will just keep feeding them once or twice a week and wait til they kick the bucket.

Today, I spent a long time dicing about 25 pounds of onions for the dehydrator. My house smells so bad. I can even smell them when I go outside! The dehydrator is drying away and I can hardly wait til they are nothing but little squares so I can bag them up and store them for long term storage - that consists of vacuum sealing with them with an oxygen absorber, wrapping the bag in several layers of plastic wrap and then stuffing it all into a mylar bag with another oxygen absorber and putting the entire thing into a dark plastic tote. They will last about 30 years.

I didn't do any canning this year. What a relief! I still have stuff in my pantry from the last two years - except I do need green beans, carrots, and beets. However, I have been dehydrating for over a year now. Long term storage. I have 3 black plastic totes full of dehydrated food. All of it will last 30 years. But......I know we won't be here on this earth that long. Not with what is going on in our world and knowing the signs of the times - biblically speaking - I don't believe we have much time left. So, you ask, why am I storing up food? Well, I may never get back to canning for physical reasons. Hubby could lose his job, or a family member could lose theirs and they would need some help. Who knows? I have to say that even though it's a lot of work (far less than canning though), it's really satisfying to see silver bags full of food. I think it is every bit as satisfying as looking at rows and rows of canned food - although the home canned is far prettier since you can see what is in the jar. And guess what - I have made homemade pot pie with some of my dehydrated veggies. I just reconstitute them first. You would never know they had been dehydrated. I can store dehydrated stuff in canning jars with an oxygen absorber for short term. Still have to keep the jars in a dark room - which I have a pantry in the basement which is just fine. I can say this - once you start dehydrating, you become OBSESSED and want to dehydrate everything!