10 reasons dehydration is a great tool to preserve and store food

MsKymeth uses the 700Watt Nesco Dehydrator.

With Spring well established and Summer fast approaching, farmer's markets and backyard gardens are about to be or already are teeming with fresh fruits and vegetables. Eating organic, seasonal, locally grown foods is one of the best ways to stay healthy, yet it often seems like the season for some of the best produce is far too short. Sure, most basic produce is 'available' year-round, but that's because it's being picked before maturity, then shipped halfway across the planet. By the time it reaches the shelves of your local super-center most of the nutrient value, and most of the taste, is long gone.

So what can a backyard farmer do? There are three basic ways to preserve food for the winter or even for a 'rainy day' - freezing, canning, and dehydrating. There are great benefits to each, but for someone wishing to really boost their preparedness, dehydration is hard to beat.

Ten reasons dehydration is beneficial

1.) Prep time is quick and, in most cases, simple. It only takes a few minutes to slice some apples, onions, peaches, etc. and toss them on the dehydrator. Even dipping the apples in lemon juice beforehand is quick and easy. Dehydrating is a great way to introduce kids and get them involved in food preservation and storage. (Note - some foods should be blanched before dehydration - check for the optimal way to dehydrate each food.)

2.) Dehydrating provides the ability to prepare a great variety of delicious, nutrient-rich meals (especially soups) even when the ingredients are not in season. Additionally, having a variety of foods in your pantry year-round will minimize those last minute trips to the grocery store. This is especially nice when what you would be forced to buy would be a lower-quality, imported item.

3.) Dehydrated foods are absolutely bursting with intense flavors. It's fun to enjoy this different take on flavors of your favorite foods (especially fruits).

4.) As anyone into prepping knows, storage space is like gold. Removing the moisture from food allows much more of it to be stored in a smaller space. It's like money in the bank!

5.) Removing the moisture from food provides a longer shelf life than any other form of food preservation. This is a great bonus for anyone wanting to prepare for the long haul.

6.) From fruits and vegetables to meats and even applesauce, almost anything can be dehydrated. (However, some foods do dehydrate better than others. For example, it's probably better to can green beans.)

7.) Dehydration maintains a much higher percentage of the food's original nutritional value than canning. It preserves the vitamins and minerals that water would wash away.

8.) Have you ever had to throw away the last couple of onions in a bag because they went bad faster than you could use them, or reached into the fridge for that last zucchini only to find it soft and moldy? Dehydration allows you to make the most out of the food you grow and purchase by easily preserving those items before they go bad. Instead of becoming expensive compost, they become an addition to your preps!

9.) Dehydration is inexpensive. Most dehydrators draw very little power and can be run for many hours at very little cost.

10.) Dehydration adds redundancy to your food storage. Freezing is vulnerable to a power outage lasting more than a couple of days. Canning requires equipment and a consistent heat source. Dehydration is the only preservation method that can be accomplished without electricity or equipment. It's been done for centuries and, while using an electric dehydrator certainly makes the job easier, it can be accomplished using very primitive methods.

Sources and links for further research:
http://www.lifeskillsinternational.com
http://www.nourishingdays.com
http://thesurvivalmom.com

Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/035984_food_storage_dehydration_reasons.html#ixzz1wCSVcFs1

Rand Paul warns preppers that the government considers you terrorists.

In a warning from Rand Paul on the senate floor, where he speaks out against provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act, we learned today that the government considers having guns or storing more than 7 days of food a possible terrorist activity.

In the speech Rand Paul warns Americans that “Someone who has guns, someone who has ammunition that is weather proofed, someone who has 7 days of food in their house” can be considered a potential terrorist by the federal government.

He warns that under a new provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act the federal government could lock you up indefinitely if you are suspected of activities that they consider terrorism related. That’s right the military will now have the power to lock up anyone, even American citizens without due process and without being convicted of a crime.

Original article and videos:
Rand Paul warns preppers that the government considers you terrorists.

Preppers Are Now Considered To Be Potential Terrorists?

If you and your family store up lots of food, will you be identified as "potential terrorists" by law enforcement authorities?  That sounds like an insane question, but sadly it has gotten to the point where "preparing for the worst" has become a "suspicious activity".  Today, there are millions of preppers all across the United States, and the vast majority of them just want to be left alone and do not want the government to interfere in their lives.  Storing up food is a completely peaceful activity, and preppers are generally some of the most patriotic and law-abiding people that you could ever hope to meet.  Unfortunately, prepping has become associated with "extremism" by many in the government, and lately we have seen some very disturbing signs that authorities are actively seeking to gather information on preppers.  So are preppers now considered to be potential terrorists?  Well, read the evidence posted in the rest of this article and decide for yourself.... (Read More.....)

Source: http://endoftheamericandream.com

Federal agents raid Mormon food storage facility, demand list of customers storing emergency food

This story has been updated with new developments that include news channel 5 confirming door-to-door questioning of Tennessee citizens about their stored food, as well as the cannery in question here now reversing their original account and saying it never happened. Read those developments at: http://www.naturalnews.com/034381_T...

Here is the original story as posted:

As was the plan all along, the so-called "War on Terror" has officially devolved into a war on the American people (http://www.naturalnews.com/034321_w...).

This was clearly illustrated by the recent traitorous passage of the egregious National Defense Authorization Act by the US Congress (http://www.naturalnews.com/034302_i...). But in order to fully implement the ultimate goal of total control and tyranny, the federal government is now actively collecting the names of individuals that are preparing for the future by buying and storing emergency food supplies.

Oath Keepers, an association of active servicemen devoted to upholding their oath of guarding the republic and protecting individual liberty, has reported that federal agents recently paid a visit to a Latter Day Saints food storage cannery in Tennessee (http://oathkeepers.org/oath/2011/12...). Though they had no reason to be there, these agents allegedly interrogated the facility's manager and demanded to see a list of customers that had purchased, and were storing, food there.

Oath Keepers Tennessee Chapter President Rand Cardwell confirmed the incident, according to reports, as he is in close contact with a fellow veteran who happens to store his own food at the facility in question. According to the man's account, agents entered the facility and began demanding payment records and personal information for everyone connected with the operation.

"The manager informed the agents that the facility kept no such records and that all transactions were conducted on a cash-and-carry basis," Cardwell is quoted as saying, concerning the incident. "The agents pressed for any record of personal checks, credit card transactions, etc., but the manager could provide no such record. The agents appeared to become very agitated and after several minutes of questioning finally left with no information."

Watch the full interview between Steward Rhodes and Alex Jones at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSeY...

This unprovoked act of intimidation is highly concerning, but it is also somewhat contradictory. On the one hand, the federal government has been instilling fear into the American public for years, and has even made announcements urging the public to be prepared. But on the other hand, this same government is now pursuing those who are heeding these precautions as if they are terrorists.

Oath Keepers suggests the government might be trying to gather intelligence on food-storing Americans in order to later come and confiscate that food, or worse -- after all, freedom-loving patriots who are preparing for social upheaval are a threat to the power structure that seeks to tighten the noose of tyranny around the neck of society.

You can read the entire account of the incident at:
http://www.shtfplan.com/emergency-p...

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/034371_food_storage_federal_agents_customer_list.html#ixzz1gT9vdYqG