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What kind of HOMEGROWN are you?: Dirt Under My Fingernails City Slicker

A bit about me:: I live in the city, but I can't wait until I move to the country to start being more self sufficient. I've been learning new skills, new recipes and trying my hand at gardening on my 1/5 an acre.

My blog, A Life Beyond Money (alifebeyondmoney.info) is about frugal and simple living.

Latest greatest meal cooked at home:: Homemade pizza. Crust made from scratch reusing whey from cheese-making, tomato sauce, onions and garlic sauteed in bacon grease, crumbled bacon, an assortment of peppers and a mix of mozzarella and my home-made goat cheese.

Currently reading:: The Good Life, Tightwad Gazette

Currently listening to:: Edwin McCain

My latest DIY project:: Dehydrating a couple hundred pounds of tomatoes and peppers.

How did you find HOMEGROWN.org?: Facebook post from a page I follow

Web site I recommend:: http://alifebeyondmoney.info

Cynthia Skelton's Photos

Cynthia Skelton's Blog

Use It Up: Make Bread Crumbs

I'm always surprised (horrified) when someone at the bakery I work at asks if they can buy bread crumbs. Using bread crumbs is supposed to be a way to use up the crumbs that break off the loaf while you're cutting a slice of a good rustic bread, or a way to use bread that has become hopelessly dry. Not something you buy.…

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Posted on January 4, 2014 at 7:38pm — 1 Comment

How to Avoid Produce Waste

If you are trying to cut your grocery bill, reducing waste is a great place to start. We waste between 14-25% of the food we buy. Produce is commonly wasted since it seems to go bad in the blink of an eye. Planning ahead can help you to stop wasting the produce you pay good money for.

* If you buy produce in bulk, have a plan to use it. Plan…

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Posted on August 29, 2013 at 8:38pm — 2 Comments

Dehydrating Peppers

I use a lot of peppers in my cooking, especially in winter when I make lots of soups, stews and chilis. During the winter, however, peppers are ridiculously expensive and the quality is terrible. Instead of just settling for crappy, expensive peppers, I dehydrate wonderful and cheap peppers during summer to use all winter long. Dehydrated sweet peppers make a wonderful snack, especially for road trips or hiking. Peppers can also be added to eggs, casseroles or pasta…

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Posted on August 29, 2013 at 8:35pm — 5 Comments

Why I Love My Dehydrator

I love my dehydrator. It is right up there with my blender as my favorite kitchen appliance. It really helps to reduce food waste and increases the shelf life of many foods. Here's how I use it to save money:

When I find an amazing deal on produce, I dehydrate some of the bounty. Sometimes I find packages of peppers for $.40/lb, and I'll buy 10 pounds. Some are used fresh or frozen, but I dehydrate a lot of them to toss into soups or to add to…

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Posted on August 29, 2013 at 8:00pm

Comment Wall (3 comments)

At 12:13pm on October 23, 2012, Jennifer said…: Hi, Cynthia. Welcome to HOMEGROWN! My name is Jennifer, and I'm the flock tender here (site updater and tweaker, feeder and waterer of content). I’m so glad you found us! Sounds like you’re already elbow deep in dirt and doing just fine, thank you, but if you’re ever looking for help, we’ve got a few useful HOMEGROWN 101s on gardening, including a pretty solid primer on garden planning. And homemade pizza: I love it! Actually, speaking of the 101s, any chance I could twist your arm into guest writing a 101 on making homemade pizza crust from reused whey? Let me know, and we can take things from there. And now that I’ve hit you up for help before welcoming you properly, you can always find the latest additions to the site at the top of the homepage, and if you’ve ever got questions, please don't hesitate to leave a comment on my profile page or shoot me a message. I hope you feel right at home and I’ll look forward to hearing from you!

At 9:22am on October 24, 2012, Jennifer said…: Hi, Cynthia! Hooray! Having you write a guest 101 on homemade pizza crust using whey would be *awesome*. For some examples, here are a few links to recent cooking-related guest 101s: Homemade Chai Tea Concentrate, Catching Wild Levain (sourdough starter), and Homemade Tortillas. So, basically, there's an introduction, a list of ingredients/tools, and a step-by-step how-to. Pretty straightforward! If you're game for writing it up and sending it to me, I'll do a very light edit, just to make sure it fits our usual 101 style, and then I'll send it back to you for your OK. You don't need to include that thank you to yourself up top (I'll write that!) or the "SPEAK UP" stuff down at the bottom (ditto), but if you could send me a photo or two, that would be awesome. Let me know how all this sounds, and we'll get started. Thanks so much! So excited you're game for this—and just happy to have you here in general!

At 3:35pm on July 30, 2015, Emily Eagan said…: Hey, Cynthia! HOMEGROWN member Gayle is looking for some tips on dehydrating - I thought you might be able to help her out. Would you mind taking a look? (Her post is below)

Click here for her question

Thanks!