Deryn

Have you called any sheep farms in your area to ask them if they ever sell mutton or would if asked? I have no idea what they do with the lamb-bearing mommas when they are finished with producing but if I were you, I would ask them. They probably don't think anyone else would be interested in 'mutton' so they slaughter only for their family table.

Absolutely love that picture of the peeled dehydrated tomatoes (by themselves). How dehydrated did you get them - completely 'crisp' or just on the outside or somewhere in between?

French onion soup as a starter, served in (if you have or can find them) those ugly brown pottery dishes with a handle? Still prepared today but somehow that is also reminiscent of the 60s for me. I associate it with dinner parties of that day and as a staple in dark comfy steakhouses (in North America), and perhaps with farmhouse fare in France? Is 'nostalgia' what you are going for? How many courses are you planning? What 'does' unfashionable really mean to you? An eclectic mix of dishes that are not commonly found together? Recipes that few ever make any more? An 'Austin Powers' moment? Comfort food or elegant bites? What do you want the 'mood' of your dinner to be - even if you don't want a 'theme'? This is a really fun thread and I am enjoying it immensely, but, are you getting the ideas you need for planning purposes ... and has it helped you define what your original 'idea' so you can proceed to the execution stage? I keep throwing out ideas (and questions) as they occur to me but perhaps that is not a good thing to do if it throws you off your original concept.

I am out at the very northeastern tip of Nova Scotia. Didn't try rosemary outside here last year but though this area usually doesn't get a lot of snow, we certainly did last winter. Had I had any, I suspect I would never have found it again. However, I had what were nearly rosemary trees in North Carolina till last year too - and when I went back to look at those in the spring, after about 8 years of continually supplying me with great rosemary (especially the old woody branches which were amazing for stringing chicken pieces, brochette style, on) .. all were dead from the cold, even there. Grew rosemary in Ontario for years too but that was iffy - really just depended on where you planted it and what the winter was like as to whether it survived. I honestly would probably start with a rosemary plant even here (and not use the cultivator for that) .. was just trying to come up with an example of obviously differing plant needs that I want to know about to see if that can be addressed or if you can plant only plants with like humidity and temp requirements together. Probably didn't choose a perfect example. My main crop targets for the Cultivator would most likely be basil, chervil, flat leaf parsley, nasturtium, etc. ... the faster growing, softer herbs. Mint, thyme, rosemary I can do in pots. DiggingDogFarm .. you are, of course, correct. Have done that before too. But, as Kerry says .. she with the most toys when she dies, wins. I can't beat Kerry but I admit to a sad addiction to toys. I also seem to 'acquire' shop tools (traditionally thought of as boy toys) I will probably not use too often either. It IS a sickness .. and as such .. rarely responds to logic.

Jaymes, the site seems to be working for me now.

Jaymes, it WAS working earlier. I am also getting an error right now. Perhaps there is a net glitch or their system is down right now. I will continue to check it and let you know if I see it come back up. Sorry about that. First .. I am going to make a bit of a correction here about price - since I just found this http://www.eatlocallyblogglobally.com/2012/11/the-urban-cultivator-answer-to-home.html article which quotes someone who actually called the company (BC based) for a quote and was told $2200 (plus I gather $150 for a butcher block top) ... and was given quite high shipping costs to Toronto. Add tax to that and it would be steeper than I would like (although if I am desperate for herbs out here in the backwoods, it 'may' still make sense down the road for me - freeze-dried herbs?). Also that article reminded me of where I saw this invention - and it was on Dragon's Den.

Seems to me that the small one (which is the one meant for residential use) is around the $2k mark Canadian. I don't think there is a difference for the built-in model vs the one on wheels with a cutting board top. Seems to me that somewhere I also saw they may ship free (within Canada at least). I was intrigued when I saw it originally - about a month ago I think and I am not sure how I came across it .. may have been on a tv show. I definitely still am intrigued but the freeze-drier jumped to the front of my list when Kerry introduced that 'toy'. I like the Smart Herb Garden you mentioned too, FP .. but when I use herbs, I tend to use a lot more than just a leaf or two at a time I find. I looked a number of times at AeroGardens too a number of years ago and decided they were just too small/limited for me. This Cultivator is just a different beast entirely. I do have a few questions about the Cultivator that I will address to the manufacturers if I get to the point of being ready to purchase one. The most important one: it takes a few weeks to produce a boatload of herbs but I worry that I may want say both Rosemary (an herb that likes drier conditions) and Basil (one which may need more water and different temps) at the same time - and would like to know the limitations on what herbs, etc. you can plant together.

Resurrecting an old post because, though I think I told Kerry in a private conversation that the purchase of a freeze-drier would be my last 'large' gadget, I am not quite so sure I can hold myself to that promise now that I have found this (Canadian) product. http://www.urbancultivator.net/product-information/ Herbs are my very favorite thing to grow (and use freely), but, as winter approaches, I have been looking around this house for an 'ideal' place to situate a few shelves of potted herbs inside and found no perfect spot that isn't either filled with furniture or large radiators. Have also been considering re-investing (used to have one once upon a time) in another 3-tiered grow light stand http://www.leevalley.com/en/Garden/page.aspx?cat=2,44716&p=10549 - not cheap either and unsightly enough that it would have to go in the basement where it may languish unused or forgotten. And, having fresh micro-greens of any kind at my beck and call during long winters surely would be a healthy thing, wouldn't it? I have a small 'sprouter' bin but honestly have never used it. It was purchased for 'just in case emergencies' as I recall. Have I convinced myself yet that the more stylish solution is the ticket? Not sure ... but darn, it IS tempting. oops .. just noticed this was originally a thread under NYC: cooking and baking. Not sure where I should have put this post but feel free to move or delete it (after reading about the 'cultivator' product I wanted to highlight, of course). Maybe it belongs under 'gadgets'? Didn't want to start a new topic so did a general search for a similar type of topic. Sorry.

The earlier part of the 1940s were war years. The latter part of the 1940s may have removed the problem of living on 'rations' from the table but the food was pretty basic, simple fare in most households both in Europe and North America. The 50s in North America saw the emergence of 'convenience foods' which I think were adopted far more in North America than in Europe. I think the problem with trying to define your 'menu' as 'western European' from any time starting with the 1940s is that Europe was not (and I would say probably is still not) as into 'fads' in terms of cooking/eating as North Americans were. A good simple roast chicken, vegetables and herbs from the garden, homemade or locally made bread and cheeses - these sound like dinner for the average person in the France of those days - and today. Maybe in the 'upscale' dining room a few more ingredients found their way to the table and meats may have been 'cut up', mixed with herbs and wine (and or heavy cream) to seem 'fancy'. You may want to look at early Julia Child for ideas there. I also think that the 'service' was as important (if not more so) than the actual foods being presented, in creating the feeling of 'haute cuisine'. Using a silver platter for the chicken made it 'upscale', more so than using an old cracked pottery piece. Candlelight, chandeliers, servants to bring in the dishes, people arriving dressed formally as opposed to farmers slogging in from the field to eat stew at the kitchen table. Stew is stew - add wine and candles .. it feels special. Put in a tv dinner tray and it feels kitschy. Not sure exactly what effect you want to achieve but thinking about 'how you serve' what you serve may be all you need to do to be 'different'/fashionable/unfashionable. That said, I would perhaps consider the Coquilles St. Jacques I mentioned since a) the name is French b) Julia made it c) I can't recall the last time I saw it on a menu, at least in North America - do people still eat that in France? On the whole though, without a specific 'theme' (like the recreation of a particularly spectacular event or idea - World's Fair foods of the 'xxxx' perhaps), I would bet that few would recognize recipes from that era as being anything out of the ordinary even today in Europe. I think you may have to go back further - to the beginning of the 1900s maybe - to find dishes that were then innovative or upscale but which we don't really eat today so that they would be 'special' for your dinner party. Or you could maybe look at 'airline foods' at the dawn of commercial aviation. Not sure what Air France for instance served in their first class section for cross Atlantic flights but I remember being served amazing food flying to Britain from North America in the 50s. You could also consult the 'food timeline' online (http://www.foodtimeline.org/). There is a lot of reading there and at times I have found myself following link after link for days - may be good for ideas or may confuse you completely. Also a favorite of mine is Heston Blumenthal since he loved to research and 're-create' history in some of his banquets. If you haven't watched his historical series before, see if you can find them online and indulge for a few hours.

Sad to say ... I was a child in the 50s but was married and starting to learn to cook in the late-ish 60s/early 70s ... in the Yukon (land of the midnight sun and, at that time, NOTHING 'fresh'). Everything had to be trucked in a thousand miles or so. I didn't know egg yolks were supposed to be yellow or that milk came in any form except powdered. I married a man who liked only 'meat and potatoes' (and peas and carrots). Most days we ate moose (big hunks frozen, brought out on Sunday afternoon, popped into the oven - still frozen, roasted till the outer inch or two were well done, carved down to the next layer of frost and re-introduced to its freezer home till the next day. Rinse and repeat. Horrifying now, but, darn it, that moose roast was good, and easy!) I did however love (in my innocence, thinking I knew how to cook) to give 'dinner parties' and it makes me cringe now when I think of what I served. My ex-mother in law was an elegant and fabulous cook so I felt I had something to live up to. From her I learned about veal piccata and shrimp 'scampi'. My mother was not. From her I have really only one 'dinner party' item I copied back in those days - sour cream mashed potato balls (rolled in crushed corn flakes). She would make them and freeze them and bring them out to be heated up only for dinner parties. On my own I 'discovered' coquilles St. Jacques (and probably made those a few too many times because people were crazy enough to rave about them, and the shells were re-usable). I joined a 'by mail' cook book club way back then. The best cookbook I ever received was a New York Times 'Dinner' book from which I learned that (New York style) 'cheesecake' can be baked (not made from a box with canned cherries on top). That book was my prized possession for many many years - and its recipes were amazing! Thank you, Craig Claiborne. Oh and I became almost famous (among our acquaintances up north) for my 'pickled shrimp' appetizer (again from the NYTimes book). Escargot was also a favorite appetizer, smothered in garlic butter, in the shells. I also did many of the dishes mentioned above by other posters so can vouch they ARE from the era.

JoNorvelleWalker - sent you a PM but check out Vacupack.

Wrote this in a hurry this morning .. before my coffee was fully imbibed. Sealing mylar can be done with a Foodsaver - I was thinking of sealing my retort bags (which are part mylar - inside - and paper - outside. That can be difficult even with many chamber vacs. I have found it difficult to get a good vacuum on mylar with the Foodsaver (or my Weston) however without inserting something with texture at the top of the bag while suctioning but perhaps the mylar I was using was much heavier. Kerry ... there is a youtube video online where a guy is trying to make his own mini freeze drier and tests it with Jello. It yielded very crispy cubes of Jello. Using that same logic, I think if one used freshly juiced oranges (the juice from which is much thinner than straight from the can concentrate and hence should be much less sticky) it should work. What occurred to me when I saw that experiment was that I would love to try making tomato aspic 'cubes' or even Caesar 'cubes' to munch or add to drinks perhaps.

If you add gelatin to orange juice it should dry well (like the freeze dried ice cream but crispier) I believe. Kerry, you may find that the result would be good enrobed in chocolate. If you reconstitute it however, it won't be pure orange juice. Beth, you could use a Foodsaver to store it, but, you should include O2 absorbers in the package - and mylar would be a longer term storage solution. You can also use mason jars (if you have a jar vacuum attachment) but again, include an O2 absorber. My chamber vac can seal mylar (can't be done well with a Foodsaver) but you can also use a flat (or round if you are careful) hair straightener/curler or an iron to seal a wide strip across the top after vacuuming with your Foodsaver. Mylar is difficult to vacuum with a regular Foodsaver type machine however because the bags are completely smooth - it can be done by inserting a piece of a textured bag into the top but may not be worth the effort if you are doing many bags.

Welcome to the forum, Mike. And thank you for that comprehensive list of things you have experimenting with drying. I look forward to you being able to post pictures, as I am sure most here do. I hope to purchase a Harvest Right drier soon myself - and therefore also thank you for what you have contributed to its development/improvement. Questions (for the next time you can post - I'm new too so I understand the limitation there): Have you tried doing fish and shellfish? And do you have pictures as well as your personal taste opinion about most or all of the items you have successfully dried once reconstituted?

I am still trying to complete my move back from western North Carolina (Asheville area) to Canada - still have some kitchen stuff and furniture down there and a house to sell. I have also lived in Texas, Ontario (eastern, Ottawa mostly, but spent my childhood in Toronto), British Columbia, the Yukon (and the eastern arctic - Iqualuit - for a winter), Alberta, and I was born in the UK. Long story as to how I ended up in this neck of the woods (I have no relatives or old friends here), however possibly some of that story had to do with Peter the Eater's posts about Nova Scotia on eGullet years ago which planted the seed. Like you, I really should NOT get a freeze drier - but now they are available for 'home use', I know I will. I have been buying freeze dried ingredients for years in cans - and would love to make my own and experiment as you are doing. That is 'fun' for me - and what is life without 'fun'? Perhaps you can talk to me sometime about the customs/shipping costs to get yours. (Is there a way to pm here about that sort of stuff because it doesn't really apply to most here on the boards?).

Thank you Kerry for starting this fascinating topic! And thank you for all your 'experiments' and the pics that accompany them. I hope you will show us reconstituted results too when you can. To the discussion at hand, about freeze dried 'dinners' ... you can freeze dry the individual ingredients then reconstitute and combine just as you would for your favorite recipe. For example, you can freeze dry hamburger, fresh or canned tomatoes, herbs, chiles, other vegetables, even cooked spaghetti, rice, noodles or potatoes. Or you can freeze dry the sauce once you have made it on the stove and add the starch (either freshly cooked or freeze dried separately) at the last minute. No freezer or fridge space required. Even kids can get dinner ready if they can boil water. When dinner is finished, if it were me and I had left overs, I would no doubt try to 're-freeze-dry' the result. Home made freeze dried dinners are much healthier for you than the preservative laden ones you can buy (from Mountain House and other companies). Although you could package the ingredients together, keeping them stored separately gives you much more flexibility for different 'recipes' you may want to prepare from day to day.

Hello. I have been reading eGullet for at least 10 years, daily. I am an older female who joined eGullet years ago but never posted and lost my registration information so I have re-joined today. I recently moved to the northeast tip of Nova Scotia, am a kitchen gadget afficionado (a bad habit that has been fed greatly by reading so many posts here about 'new things to try'), love to cook but have no one left to cook for any more (save my old Siberian husky who thrives on at least one roast chicken daily), and I currently am lusting after a freeze drier (thanks, Kerry!). I relate to, and am in awe of, so many of the amazing food 'personalities' who post here on eGullet. Thank you for educating and delighting me so much over the years. In the past, I have taken on fun challenges like catering a wedding for 200 by myself, a thousand miles from where I lived and out of a hotel room, cold smoking salmon straight from the Yukon River, hunting/butchering/living on moose, canning and/or dehydrating just about anything in sight, and trying my hand at 'modernist' techniques. My kitchen is filled with just about every 'gadget' except that freeze drier! I WILL figure out a way for one of those to find me here at the 'end of the world' soon! I appreciate and enjoy good food of all types and ethnicities (the ingredients for which are difficult to source in this neck of the woods unfortunately - with the exception of lobster). I love to experiment with food and preservation techniques. Eclectic is probably the best word to describe me.