Tag Archives: DIY

Homemade Garlic Powder

Earlier this year, I made a list of five items to DIY this year, you can check out that list here. On that list, I wrote that I was excited to make my own garlic powder at home, and now that I have tried it, there’s no going back.

First of all, this homemade garlic powder is WAY more flavorful, so you can use less while cooking. Second, it’s a super easy project to complete. You will need three tools:

  1. A chef’s knife. This knife is made by Victorinox, super shape, and holds a great edge.
  2. A dehydrator. Any dehydrator will do, even the stackable tray ones. I prefer the dehydrators with fans in the back, they dry more evenly, and no need to rotate the trays. My dehydrator is no longer available, but this one is similar and has great reviews.
  3. A blender. Any blender works, I happen to have this Nutribullet.

Now it’s time to get started! I used 2lbs of garlic bulbs for this project, which made about a pint of powder. The most time-consuming part is peeling and slicing the garlic. To save some time, you could use a container of pre-minced garlic. Now you can lay the garlic slices on your tray and get dehydrating, if using pre-minced place parchment paper down on the tray first. Now that you have your trays prepped, set the dehydrator to 125 F and check at 8 hours, every four after that. I use this Dehydrator Cookbook to find temperatures and times for dehydrating.

Make sure that your garlic is completely dry, you do not want it to mold on you. Once the garlic is completely dry, you can pulse it in the blender until it is a fine powder. Store in a mason jar and use as needed.

DIY Five Everyday Items This Year

This new year is all about becoming more self-sufficient here at Wolf Pack Woodcraft! I have a list of five everyday items to DIY this year, that I’m sharing with you today.

  1. Laundry Detergent: This may be weird, but I am most excited about making my own laundry detergent. DIY laundry detergent seems like an easy project that lets one control what goes into their detergent and stretches the dollar.
  2. Cheese: So excited to make cheese at home! The first DIY cheese adventure that we will be partaking in this year is mozzarella. I am dreaming of a pizza with homemade crust, sauce, AND cheese.
  3. Vanilla: Storebought pure vanilla is so expensive. I didn’t realize it was something that could be DIY. When I learned that making my own pure vanilla extract was two ingredients and some time, it hit my must-try project list.
  4. Taco Seasoning: Tacos are a favorite around here, but taco seasoning packets can add up quickly. This one is going to be a simple and affordable DIY. Since I have bulk spices on hand, it’s just a matter of blending different ratios together to get the best taco flavor.
  5. Garlic Powder: Currently I buy garlic powder in bulk to save money, as we use so much of it. With garlic bulbs always on hand and an amazing dehydrator at home, garlic powder is begging me to be a DIY project this year.

I am so excited to start on these five everyday items to DIY this year. Sharing the journey with you all will be the very best part, so make sure to stay tuned. I would love to know what DIY projects you have lined up this year, let me know in the comments.

Canning for the First Time – What I Wish I’d had.

Today was my first time canning. I’m going to share with you what I wish I had for this adventure.

The Decision to Can

I made pepper jelly and canned it today. I have never canned anything in my life, nor have I ever made jelly! Dehydrating – yes, but canning – no! Christmas is upon us though, and nothing feels better to give than something you made yourself. To say I was unprepared would be an understatement, ha. I’m going to share my experience, and then share somethings that I wish I had had to make my first time canning easier.

This whole jelly project started with a game our family plays for Christmas, and we always play a round where the gifts up for grabs are homemade.  I’ve always wanted to can, but never really had a reason. Also,  I really don’t know too much about it.  The family likes pepper jelly with cream cheese and crackers though, so I thought “Heck, let’s go all-in!”

I picked up a box of Mrs.Wages pepper jelly kit, which seemed like the easiest route to introduce myself to canning.

Picking Up Ingredients

At my local grocery store, I picked up 8 green bell peppers and 2 beautiful, red bell peppers. I figured I had everything else at home. Fast forward to this morning, I wake up, super pumped to make this jelly. I start chopping the peppers and throw them in my food processor (which I had luckily just received or I’m not sure what I would’ve done, ha.) Everything is going well until I need to strain the juice from the pepper puree. Cheesecloth is not something I have at home, and paper towels would soak up too much of the juice. Kory saved the day with a bandana and I was able to get my 5 cups of juice! Cheesecloth is definitely something I will be keeping on hand from now on.

Now I’m at the part where I am supposed to be adding the lemon juice, vinegar, and packets from the Mrs.Wages kit. Vinegar…where is my vinegar?! I could’ve sworn I had some, after looking high and low I was clearly out. So, another run to the grocery store. I pick up beef sticks while I’m there, to make sure I have the strength to get through this.

I’m Actually Canning

Finally, I can really get started. I add my pepper juice, lemon juice, vinegar and the jelly packets to the saucepan and mix. Then I need to warm up my jars, so I make a small water bath in my largest stockpot. While my stockpot did work for this, a canner would be a better fit. Because a canner can hold more water and come with a jar rack. Jar racks are for keeping the jars off the bottom of the pot where the most direct heat is.  Keep jars away from direct heat so they don’t accidentally shatter from getting too hot.

  

I get my first 5 jars (my stockpot only held 5 half-pints at a time) into the hot water with my trusty tongs and boil for five minutes. Using tongs was definitely tricky and I was wishing I had a jar lifter. Jar lifters are created to get jars in and out of hot water safely. Using tongs is something I will NEVER do again, and I’m sure my hands will thank me.

 

Success

I was pleasantly surprised that after all of this, my lids SEALED! As a result, I successfully canned my first batch of anything. As I am sharing my ordeal with you, my first batch of pepper jelly is coming to room temperature and 24 hours from now should be ready to eat. I am officially a canner.

I hope you laughed a little with me and enjoyed these tips I wish I had known. Please make sure to come back for future canning adventures with me!