Bouillon Leather in the Dehydrator

Best thing I've done with my dehydrator in recent memory....


Procured a beautiful Diestel Turkey at Lunardi's for $3.29/lb.  For $30, I think I get my value out of this large bird for my family of 3+.  But I tried something that turned out to make that turkey keep on giving!

The usual MO is to brine and roast my turkeys, enjoying one or two hearty dinners with the usual fixings and then saving all remnants in the freezer for future meals.  The carcass goes straight into the crock pot for turkey broth which usually gives me about 2 1-quart containers of nutrient rich broth to freeze.  My problem is the defrosting part.  Ugh.  Ever been that mommy with a huge lump of broth GLACIER (shaped suspiciously like a yogurt tub) half-melted in an otherwise rip-roaring stew or chili?  Fervently poking and prodding it with a wooden spoon saying "MELT, MELT..."?  Yah, and remember the definition of insanity....?

So instead of being insane, I tried something new...which could have wasted all that glorious turkey broth I suppose...but it didn't!  It turned out to be bouillon leather that I keep in my cupboard and use like cubed bouillon, but without MSG or other mystery ingredients.  When I need a piece, I use kitchen shears to snip off the pieces.  I haven't got it mathematically figured out how much to use when I cook - but I don't cook that way anyway...just keep adding till it tastes right.

Here are the steps I used:

1. Made turkey broth/stock as usual with whole carcass in my crock pot.
2. Next day, strained the stock into a regular stove top pot and simmered with lid off till it was almost gone.  It appeared like syrup at this stage.
3. Let it cool a bit.
4. Poured into one fruit rollup tray of my Nesco Food Dehydrator.
5. Dehydrate overnight.

Final product:  

Confessions of an Elitist Food Snob-Or-Organic Finds At Grocery Outlet

Ok, I admit it.  I am an elitist real food snob.  Well, some might call me that, but in reality I don't have nearly enough energy or budget to deserve the title.  Nor do I want to be one.  With all the over-abundance of information I've encountered in my quest to feed my family healthily, there have been times I've teetered on the edge of insanity with all the "supposed tos".  Soaking, sprouting, fermenting, simmering, dehydrating, chopping, foraging, raw, pastured, organic, local.... One can either pay top dollar for the perfect diet of the moment, or spend every waking moment creating everything from scratch ala Laura Ingalls Wilder.  Can you say nervous breakdown?

To keep me from the brink of insanity this thought helps a lot:  I think a reasonable level of health and well-being is available to all income levels.  To sum up, God is not partial.   Don't get me wrong, I am not glamorizing poverty or dismissing the advantages of sufficient income.

But I strongly feel that the basics are within the reach of us all.  Sunshine, exercise, water, simple food, enough rest, a balanced outlook and cleanliness.  These elements are truly within the reach of everyone living in the U.S. no matter how bad the economy may be.

And I have a strong hunch that what we need is usually right on our doorstep, whether we live in Africa or Alameda.  For example, have you ever noticed that clover filled grass patches attract lots of bees?  Prime bee sting opportunity for little bare toes.  Now, have you ever noticed plantain weeds growing in those same areas?  Prime herbal medicine for all things stingy.

But I digress from my title....doorstep availability was leading to this: At my husband's urging I finally went into Grocery Outlet.  The reason I had not entered before is due to the aforementioned snobbery.  I am humbled.

At checkout, the clerk announced I had saved $40 by shopping with them instead of another store.  Close to tears I had to admit she was right.  Here are just two things I was excited by in my haul:

Coconut oil $4.99 ($1 cheaper than TJ's)
Organic Thompson Raisins (don't remember exact price, but cheaper than TJ's)

I am now a happy convert to Grocery Outlet...and in a small way my theory is proved to me yet again.