Raw Adventure Update

“High Raw” is definitely something like hiking in the jungle, visiting a strange land, and meeting strange people. lol.

I’ve always done a little raw in my eating plans, but this represents a big departure from the norm. Because I am eating mostly all raw, stuff like beans (unless they are something like mung bean sprouts), tofu, etc are all off the menu.  Honestly? I feel better.  I’m using up the last of my soy milk for nutritional shakes. I’ve discovered there are some foods raw that are just nasty, like eggplant! Don’t get me started. I saw these great recipes online for “rawvioli” that entailed making the pasta part out of egglpant. I did everything I was supposed to do, salted it, let it sit for an hour, etc, and it was still bitter and nasty. eh… I’ll stick with marinated eggplant on the grill, thank you.

My beloved 35-year-old-new-in-box-30-dolla Jack’s Dehydrator arrived yesterday.  I snagged it on ebay while no one was looking, tee hee.  There was an auction for one that ended up going for over $70; lots of people bid, but no one caught the $30 one in the “stores” “buy it now” section of their site, so it was MINE. ha!!   If you did not know about this amazing dehydrator, let me tell you — you cannot buy one at the store. These are no longer made.  You’ll have to wait until you find one at an old second hand store or garage sale.  Mine came “new in box mint condition” it had never been used or put together! And I’ll bet with the rising popularity of this dehydrator you will start seeing them go for a lot more than $70.

What is so special about Jack’s Dehydrator? Jack’s is the quintessential “essene oven.”  Meaning that with all its drawers closed it reaches the same temperature as the hot rocks in the middle eastern desert the Essenes used to make their original raw sprouted breads, 185 F.  The lower drawers are the ones that can reach that temp. It made the most insanely good essene bread today, wow.

Temperature seems to be a real controversial thing with raw people, understandably so.  Some say 105 F, some say 118 F, some say 130F some say 160F.  I think can tell you with a lot of certainty that the stones the Essenes used to put out in the sun in the desert were not 118F.  The Essenes were not using ovens to “cook their bread;” but I think we can say that the original “raw” people, the Essenes,  were using temps that were higher that what most of the standard commercial dehydrators will handle.   I think the Jack’s Dehydrator does a nice job of replicating that environment without “cooking.”

Here’s the other goodie about Jack’s:  It’s made entirely of metal, aluminum and stainless steel. The only plastic part, on it are the cord, feet and the drawer pulls. You can’t find a consumer level dehydrator that isn’t plastic these days. This has always been the thing that has stopped me from going whole hog with raw for a long time — plastic dehydrators.  And, I do not care if Company XYZ says “our plastic dehydrators are safe and don’t off-gass!”  Sorry! I don’t believe that plastic at any temp is healthy and I make an effort to avoid it, but especially higher temperature objects made of plastic.  But YMMV, of course!

Wow so excited now to try raw pizza in the dehydrator!