Zone 8 - Growing SPINACH

Do you season your kale chips prior to drying? They sound good either way actually.

I don't season, I eat them with hummas ( the bean dip, not compost, not sure if that's spell correctly. lol). they're too thin to actually 'dip', I use a knife and spread a small amount on the chips.
Any suggestions on how I might be able to season them?

a wee bit of cayenne, yummm. Have been finding dried veggie chips on store shelves- they are so good!!! little tiny bags of dried beets, sweet taters, carrots, green beans, eggplant 'french fries', little white taters, and golds, -just wish i had a way to do some of my own- the oil or butter they are dried in is also addictive- they are just GOOD

How do you dry Okra? I dont like to cook with it because it has a certain consistency, I wont go any futher..

Hi Lisa... I've not tried it yet but picked up a food dehydrator (garage sale NIB) for drying herbs. Now I'm ready to experiment with other foods and have heard dehydrated okra is like eating popcorn. Who wouldn't like that?

I'm guessing I'll need to research on what seasonings and narrow it down to those I like. Thanks for the cayenne suggestion Kittriana. I suspect some of the oils/butters they use in commercial products are not so healthy but maybe still better than other junque food. lol

Drthor ~ I smiled at your comment above " I found out that I can grow crops that I don't like sooo much better than the one I love" That is so true!

Do you have any lettuce cultivars that you've had luck with in summertime? I am trying a heat resistant romaine lettuce and wondered if there might be a similar spinach cultivar.

Well, after all man's search for salt led him west over the rockies, true, but these were home dried... think they used olive oil as the coating base and some of those herbs like rosemary and chives and thyme are better than even sea salt for flavors, on that okra drying- the ones i crunched were done whole, peas are chalky, ptew, and as you munch the veggie rehydrates in your mouth, I suspect you wont care for the okra dried, but the green beans are sweet, and very very young okra-2 fingers tall tastes like green beans and has no slime...good luck

podster
one of my first vegetable gardening class I have attended here in DFW at my very beginning ... the speaker crushed my dreams of a SLOW BOLT lettuce variety.
She said: noooo way !
and guess what? she was kind of right.
I have grown Malabar Spinach ... which they taste ok ...
My Swiss Chard keep growing in the semi-shade area, so I use the tender leaves for salads.
but ... let me know if you will find a good no-bolting variety for TX heat

Okra .. yummy !
I grill the small entire pods on a cast iron pan. As soon as they will turn a little black, I remove them from heat and drizzle Olive oil, salt and pepper and sometime some Parsley too. DELISH !!
Grilled Okra is NOT slimey ...

Thanks Kitt, I'm using a dehydrator, without oils and really wondering how they make seasoning or herbs stick. It's forced air...would that make the cayenne blow all over the kitchen? Do you add oil before or after drying? I've stayed really basic with my dehydrating, because I'm clueless.

wow! I dont believe they were added afterward, tho if dried with olive oils then the herbs ground fine might adhere still after the drying, hmmm bound to find directions somewhere

cocoa? i did a search for oven dehydrating with spices, and looked at the ehow site- it seems to be a good source for flavoring dehydrating foods

Do you suppose the vegies are marinated before dehydrating? I need to do more research...

Drthor ~ I planted Jericho romaine. I also saved some seed for fall planting just in case. I am one of those that likes to eat Malabar spinach leaves raw. It just seems to be a slow starter until we get sweltering hot. I'm hoping to find edible greens in between times. lol

Dandelion greens are edible....

podster
I don't worry ... I eat always what is in season ... it seems plenty anyway.
Right now, lots of Swiss Chard, Okra from the freezer, still some fennel and soon peppers ... and tomatoes .... yummy !!