Cluttering up the kitchen :-)

I can still remember that exciting feeling I always got as a kid, the night before a much anticipated vacation. Sleeping was not going to happen, as I dreamed about all of the possible adventures I might have on the trip. I am a bit older now, but that feeling still comes at the weirdest times. But over kitchen appliances? Ha...yes!

For quite some time I have had a list of appliances that I wanted to save for, that would help farm life just a bit. The list kept getting longer, and the funds kept disappearing. Two things on the list: an Excalibur food dehydrator and a Soybella nut milk maker. Every time I almost had enough saved up, something would need fixing around here. Things like dishwashers, washing machines, septic tanks, or even little girls teeth. Just when I had given up hope for these much treasured things, the Lord brought them to me in a most economical way. My niece owned a Soybella and was wanting to sell it for half the price of a new one, and I had enough to buy it!! My Mom owns an Excalibur and hasn't had time to use it. She offered for me to keep hers here at my house, and just dehydrate some things for her as needed. To say that I was excited would be a huge understatement. I stayed up most of the night pouring through cook books and owners manuals trying to figure out these modern conveniences. Yes, it almost felt like I was going on vacation the next morning.

Dried yellow tomatoes. :-)

The next morning came...and it was a full one. Between making almond milk (several times), dehydrating everything that I could find growing around here, and then squeezing in canning some more peaches and jam, I never left the kitchen. Funny...I don't remember the vacations going quite like this. ;-) It is amazing how much more food I am able to store for winter with the dehydrator. The girls are loving the fruit roll ups and all the many fruit chips I have been experimenting with. The almond milk was a total flop...until I figured out the right way to use it. It has been turning out so well, that I am having a hard time keeping up with the constant demand for it.

So thankful the girls are excited about this whole process too! We found great deals on strawberries and bananas this week, so when exhaustion set in, I finally let the girls practice their kitchen knife skills. I could use the help. But I warned them,  I was not dressed for a trip to the Emergency room, so if they got injured, they would have to wait for me to make myself a little more presentable. :-o They surprised me at just how good they were at their task.

With all of this food preserving going on, it is not only me that isn't looking presentable. Oh No. The kitchen just about looks like a bomb went off in it every day, and if it wasn't such a tiny kitchen, I am not sure I would have been able to find the sink.

Well, I did find the sink, and it's a good thing, for I remembered I had carrots that needed to be canned.

Who would have thought that cluttered kitchen counters could be so exciting?