Konrad, that does make for a nice raised bed :) With having a large yard and well amended relatively weed free productive soil, I hadn't looked into using the bale method and had wondered why anyone would even bother ... though, last night I had watched several videos and my thoughts had changed as I observed the benefits to be had under certain circumstances and am now "almost" tempted to try it with some peppers, as I guess they do especially well when bale grown. Mmmm, I do have some two year old bales sitting at the back of my yard, but I'd be more inclined to do as Konrad's posted photo, because I'd like for the plants to draw the nutrients from the soil, rather than me having to be dosing the bales with fertilizer. Peppers require very good drainage and this would certainly provide for such and requires no carpentry skills of needing to cut and nail a bunch of boards together :)

This is a final follow-up to my experiment freeze drying with dry ice. I rate it a dismal failure. It may be theoretically possible to freeze dry foods with dry ice, but it certainly is neither convenient nor cost effective. Another way of freeze drying in the link above was to flash freeze with dry ice, then put the frozen foods on an open tray in a frost free freezer. I did that with a tray of apple slices. They are not yet at the dehydrated bendable stage after six days in the freezer. I don't know if they will ever get to a dry enough state to snap when bent. I do not rate this system as practical either, because it takes the purchase of dry ice and use of lots of freezer space for the process. The third method of freeze drying was to flash freeze with the dry ice, then put it in a vacuum chamber to draw out the moisture. Wartach astutely noticed the $15 harbor freight vacuum pump. The acrylic for the top is available from Lowes. I was planning to use a large stock pot for a chamber and a cut rubber mat for the gasket. I would still have to figure out the line to the chamber from the pump. Thanks, Rick for the reminder to be careful with dry ice. At the moment, I am so disappointed in the dry ice, I may not even proceed with the vacuum chamber experiment. Its interesting that people put processes on line that they have never tried and then do not report any results of their own experiences. I don't want to leave people with a false impression so am supplying this report. On a pleasant note, I just finished reading the biography BIRDSEYE, The Adventure of a Curious Man and I highly recommend it. Birdseye learned about flash freezing while living in Labrador and preserving food for the winter. He wondered why foods frozen in mid winter stored so much better than foods frozen in fall or spring. When he returned to the states, he used EXISTING knowledge and technology to invent a practical way to flash freeze foods and store it. Unfortunately he was ahead of his times. There was not distribution or storage available either commercially or in homes to appreciate what he had done. Never the less, food storage world round has been transformed by his success and perseverance. After succeeding in that venture, he turned to dehydration as the most practical way to preserve and distribute foods. He did not live long enough to discover that his original flash freezing was also the key to quality dehydration. Carol

David52 Good point. I agree that if the juice is cooked in some sort of container with a large surface area, the reduction time would be less than in a deep narrow container, probably a great deal less. digdirt Is it a good rule of thumb that liquids are likely to be at least half of the tomato substance if juice and solids are separated? At least for some tomatoes, maybe average? I know that a lot of people try to grow tomatoes that aren't so juicy for sauce-making (aiming for "meatiness" and few seeds), but I believe you've said you use all that you grow, and don't particularly aim for paste tomatoes but rather taste. Neither do I, and neither do most tomato lovers!

I've also made zucchini brownies and I have a recipe for zucchini bread with pineapple that I like a lot. Amanda likes me to add coconut to that one. I use the big zucchini, don't peel, do remove the seeds. I squeeze out the liquid, but the big ones often aren't that juicy. I've also been known to grate zucchini and just freeze it in a ziplock bag to use later, although I have some in the garage that are at least four days old and they are still fine, not refrigerated. My favorite use for zucchini, though, is Sol's zucchini pancakes, they're savory instead of sweet and good with a lot of things: Zucchini Pancakes ================== Sol's recipe 2 cups grated zucchini 3 eggs, lightly beaten 3 tablespoons melted butter (more for greasing the pan) 3/4 cup AP flour 1-1/2 tablespoons water 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese Black Pepper and Salt to taste * 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg Serve with: 6-1/2 ounces double cream brie Roasted tomatoes 2 tablespoons chopped chives Preheat a frying pan over medium heat. Combine all pancake ingredients in a bowl, except for the water. Mix until smooth, then add enough water to make a thin batter (you shouldn't need more than 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons). Mix until just combined. For 6-inch pancakes, add about 1/3 cup of batter to greased pan and cook 1-2 minutes per side. Serve with double cream brie (or your favorite melting cheese), roasted tomatoes and chives. *Add all the black pepper you like, but use a light hand with the salt, as parmesan provides some saltiness. I normally add 1/8 teaspoon salt, and find it's plenty. Enjoy. Pineapple Zucchini Bread 1 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened 1 cup shredded zucchini (1 small) 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained, reserving 1 tablespoon liquid 2 eggs, slightly beaten 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans Glaze: 1/2 cup powdered sugar reserved 1 tbls pineapple liquid 1 tsp corn syrup 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour bottom only of 9x5-inch loaf pan. In large bowl with electric mixer, beat brown sugar and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. With spoon, stir in zucchini, pineapple and eggs. Stir in flour, baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, the salt and allspice until well blended. Fold in walnuts. Spread evenly in pan. Bake 60 to 70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool 30 minutes. In small bowl, mix all glaze ingredients until smooth; spoon over warm loaf. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Store in refrigerator. Zucchini Brownies from King Arthur Flour Brownies 8 ounces zucchini (about one 8" fresh zucchini, trimmed), cut into chunks. If you don't have a scale, 8 ounces is about 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini, lightly tamped down. 3 tablespoons butter, melted 3 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 3/4 cup sugar 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch processed preferred 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder, optional; for enhanced chocolate flavor 1/2 teaspoon baking powder heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup all purpose or White Whole Wheat Flour 3/4 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips Frosting 3/4 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips 1/4 cup heavy cream or 3 tablespoons milk Directions Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" square pan. To make the brownies: Combine the zucchini, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla in the work bowl of a food processor, and process until smooth. Add the sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, salt, and flour; process briefly, just until well combined. Add the chips, and pulse several times, to break up the chips just a bit. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the brownies for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it; you shouldn't see any sign of wet batter. Remove the brownies from the oven, and allow them to cool completely before frosting. To make the frosting: Combine the chocolate chips and milk or cream in a microwave-safe bowl or small saucepan. Heat until the milk is steaming, and the chips are soft. Remove from the heat, and stir until smooth. Spread the frosting atop the brownies. Place them in the refrigerator for an hour or so, to set; then store them at room temperature, covered, for several days. Yield: 16 brownies. Tips from our bakers If you don't have a food processor, use a blender to blend the zucchini, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla until smooth; then transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl before proceeding with the recipe There are lots of goodies to be made with zucchini, I'll have to try Martha's lemon version, I love lemon. Enjoy your zucchini. Annie