We are quickly entering into my favorite season: The season of STRAWBERRIES!

As my most desired snack as a child, and my low sugar go-to fruit as an adult, I simply can’t get enough of this delicious red berry! My family loves strawberries so much that when they are in season, we each eat about a pound a week (so that’s 4 pounds of bright red strawberries in our refrigerator!)

Not only are strawberries delicious, they are super healthy for you, too. They are loaded with antioxidants, magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin K and act as a natural anti-inflammatory. Strawberries help fight in the battle of breast, cervical and esophageal cancer.

Strawberries are even good for your eyes! The Archives of Opthalmology recently published a study in which strawberries were found to be one of the fruits that can lower the possibility of contracting age-related macular degeneration by over one-third when you consume 3 servings a day.

Incorporate Strawberries into your day!

Strawberries complement foods so nicely that you can pair it with every meal.

Breakfast: Try slicing up strawberries to add to your oatmeal. I love the way the cold berry blends with the warmth of the oats. If you eat good ol’ old fashion oats, you might find that you no longer need to add sugar (like brown sugar, honey, etc) since the strawberries add amazing flavor.

Lunch: To add dimension to your yogurt, try adding some diced up strawberries!

Dinner: Sliced strawberries are the perfect topper to a spinach salad with walnuts and a vinaigrette dressing.

Dessert: Dip strawberries into a fat free, no sugar added pudding! Drizzle no sugar added chocolate syrup over whole strawberries.

Snack: Nibble on dehydrated strawberries as a snack on the go. Don’t forget juicing and blending, too!

Strawberry Blending and Juicing Recipes!

Blended Strawberry Juice (pictured above)

• 2 cups fresh whole strawberries
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp Torini’s Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Cut strawberries into thin slices. Sprinkle over with 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp vanilla syrup (this is the same syrup you’d use to flavor coffee, tea, milk, etc). Leave in the fridge for two hours until the juice starts to come out. Process the strawberries with cold water and lemon juice in a blender. Strain the juice if desired and serve chilled.

Strawberry Lassi

• 1 cup strawberries
• 1 cup greek yogurt
• handful of ice cubes

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend till mixed. You can play with the taste of the Lassi by trying different flavored greek yogurts.

Apple Strawberry Juice

•  5 apples
• 1 cup of strawberries

 Cut the stems off of the strawberries and apples. Juice the rest and enjoy!

The Subtle Strawberry 

• 1 cup of blueberries
• 1/3 cup of strawberries
• 1 apple

Cut the stems off of the strawberries and apple. Juice the rest and enjoy!

What are your other favorite foods to add strawberries to?! Tell us in the comments!

A really handy form of food to have around is dehydrated food, because it has so many uses. For example, produce can be dehydrated and used for stews, soups and other delicious recipes all year long. So, even if one has far too many vegetables from their garden, the food will not spoil. Another great example of popular dehydrated food is dehydrated fruits, such as raisins, apples and pineapples, just to name a few. These go great with nuts and a few chocolate chips, and make a great on-the-go snack (trail mix).

Types of Food Dehydrators

There are many different types of food dehydrators, and they come in a variety of sizes, so there is definitely one to fit into just about any kitchen. They can dry fruits and vegetables, and, for those of you who love such treats as beef jerky (which is delicious when made with the right marinade recipe…experiment to find your favorite flavor), you can even dry meats, such as beef and poultry (fish too) in a food dehydrator, and many people use dehydrators and smokers interchangeably.

There are three types of food dehydrators, those that blow hot air from an element in the bottom of the machine, of those that blow hot air form an element on the side of the machine, and those that blow hot air from the top of the machine. Food dehydrators do not use a lot of electricity either, and it is actually cheaper to use one of these handy little gadgets than to use a conventional oven to dry foods, which is done over long periods of time at low temperatures.

How A Food Dehydrator Works

Food dehydrators have shallow trays that stack on top of one another, which the food is placed on. For the best and fastest results, the food should be sliced thinly, and placed on the trays in single layers. Basically, a food dehydrator will suck the water from whatever food you are trying to dry.

Different foods dry at different speeds, so it may be necessary to check the foods at specific intervals, especially if you are drying different types of foods at the same time. Also keep in mind that there are some really delicious flavor combinations that can be created with a food dehydrator, so have fun and experiment with different flavors. Just remember that in order to prevent juices from meats dripping and contaminating other foods, it is important that you place any meats on the bottom racks.

It is incredibly simple to dehydrate your own food, and it can save you a lot of money in the long run. Think about it. Many of us waste a lot of food because we buy too much, and end up throwing it away. With a food dehydrator, we can preserve a lot of those foods, even meats, which can save hundreds of dollars each year. There are many different types of food dehydrators available. To learn more about the various types, you can find all kinds online at http://www.877myjuicer.com/dehydrators.html.

These are the three methods of preserving food naturally without adding any preservatives and will prove most healthy for you.

1) Freezing – One of the most common forms of food preservation is freezing.  It works by reducing the temperature to a degree that it reduces the water activity to prevent microbial growth.  This form of food preservation is so common because it is so simple, only requiring a freezer, and works with a wide range of foods.  Generally by freezing food products you can increase their preservation up to several months.  You can freeze food products longer, however it requires extremely low temperatures of zero degrees Fahrenheit or less which most freezers cannot achieve.

2) Drying / Dehydrating – Dehydrating or drying is one of the oldest methods of food preservation that dates back many years to sun drying.  The concept behind food dehydrating is very simple, remove the moisture from the food and the growth of bacteria can be controlled.  However, it must be completely dried or bacteria will grow and your food will spoil.  This process is simple, requires very little space, and all you need is a food dehydrator.  Most people like the dehydration method because the drying process drains the excess fat from the foods making them rich in carbohydrates and fiber, and loosing very little nutritional value.

3) Canning – Canning is a popular yet more complicated method of preserving food.  It involves cooking your foods and sealing them in sterile cans or jars, and boiling the containers to kill any remaining bacteria. Their are many factors that if not performed correctly will result in an unsuccessful attempt.  Factors such as humidity, altitude, the region in which you are located, the nature and quality of the food, the air/space left in the jar, and even the shape of the jar all play a vital role in being successful at canning.  To successfully attempt canning you will need a canner, a canning kit, and quality canning jars.  Depending on which foods you are canning, you will need to do some research as to the best methods for them individually.

There you have it.  These are our three favorite methods of food preservation.  They are fairly simple and allow your food to retain most of the nutritional value.

What’s amazing is that dehydration hardly affects the nutritional value of foods at all, especially when the process takes place in your own home. When you dry foods in a dehydrator at home under gentle conditions, you produce a product far superior to anything that can be purchased in the grocery store. And compared to canning and freezing, which both involve extreme temperatures, food drying is the least damaging form of food preservation.

There is a minor loss in Vitamin C when food is dried because it is an air-soluble nutrient and food drying is an air-based process. Vitamin A is completely retained and minerals available in certain fresh fruits-such as potassium, sodium and magnesium are also not altered when the fruit is dried. The caloric value of food doesn’t change when it’s dehydrated either and dried fruits and vegetables are high in fiber and carbohydrates while being naturally low in fat.

So perhaps there’s something to the overall preservative effects of being dry. Moses was 120 after 40 years wandering around the desert and he’s just one of many centenarians in the Old Testament. I’m not making any promises, but I’m loading up on figs and long walks.

Check out our sick selection of dehydrators!  The Healthy Chef is a pretty good one.

Be well,

Juicy Josh

These are the three methods of preserving food naturally without adding any preservatives and will prove most healthy for you.

1) Freezing - One of the most common forms of food preservation is freezing.  It works by reducing the temperature to a degree that it reduces the water activity to prevent microbial growth.  This form of food preservation is so common because it is so simple, only requiring a freezer, and works with a wide range of foods.  Generally by freezing food products you can increase their preservation up to several months.  You can freeze food products longer, however it requires extremely low temperatures of zero degrees Fahrenheit or less which most freezers cannot achieve.

2) Drying / Dehydrating – Dehydrating or drying is one of the oldest methods of food preservation that dates back many years to sun drying.  The concept behind food dehydrating is very simple, remove the moisture from the food and the growth of bacteria can be controlled.  However, it must be completely dried or bacteria will grow and your food will spoil.  This process is simple, requires very little space, and all you need is a food dehydrator.  Most people like the dehydration method because the drying process drains the excess fat from the foods making them rich in carbohydrates and fiber, and loosing very little nutritional value.

3) Canning – Canning is a popular yet more complicated method of preserving food.  It involves cooking your foods and sealing them in sterile cans or jars, and boiling the containers to kill any remaining bacteria. Their are many factors that if not performed correctly will result in an unsuccessful attempt.  Factors such as humidity, altitude, the region in which you are located, the nature and quality of the food, the air/space left in the jar, and even the shape of the jar all play a vital role in being successful at canning.  To successfully attempt canning you will need a canner, a canning kit, and quality canning jars.  Depending on which foods you are canning, you will need to do some research as to the best methods for them individually.

There you have it.  These are our three favorite methods of food preservation.  They are fairly simple and allow your food to retain most of the nutritional value.