Self-Sufficiency in a Condo

Dehydrating with a Beginner      I've been wanting to try out a dehydrator for a while now, but they're kind of expensive. Luckily, my parents let me borrow their American Harvest Snackmaster Dehydrator, which I'm told is older than I am. But this dehydrator, even in it's 30's, works great! If only I could figure it out. The first time I used it, I forgot to spray the trays with cooking spray and my applesauce stuck like glue. I had to soak the trays in water just to clean it off. It was unsalvageable, not too mention over cooked. Live and learn! So I just tried it for a second time, and you better believe I sprayed the heck out of the trays! Probably a little too much, but that's okay.      First things first, I went to the store and bought three pounds of apples, a pineapple, and a simple apple corer. After looking up how to cut pineapple videos on youtube (yes, I've never cut a pineapple), the pineapple went into the blender and then stra...

     Hi, my name is Cheri and this blog is about my trials in learning to become more self-sufficient while living in an urban landscape. I read all the time about being self-sufficient on one acre of land. Well, I live in a condo on the second floor with a balcony. That’s it. How in the world am I going to do this? Well, I plan to figure that out.      Here are 15 ideas to get me started: 1.       Growing food. Last year was my first year in the condo and I grew two cherry tomato plants in large pots. I also grew cilantro and parsley, which brings me to my second idea to get started. 2.       Growing herbs. Cilantro didn’t go very well my first year. It bolted pretty early on in the heat of the summer. And to be honest, I wasn’t watering as regularly as I should have been. This year, I will try a variety of herbs. 3.       Dehydrating food. I would love to get my hands on a dehydrat...