Summer Giveaway Week: Win a 4-Tray Excalibur Dehydrator from Cultures for Health ($129.99 value)
The timing couldn’t be better for this giveaway!
With abundant summer produce just around the corner, whether it’s from your backyard garden or the farmer’s market, now is the time to think about how you’ll preserve the season’s bounty.
I own a 9-tray Excalibur Dehydrator myself and it is a favorite kitchen tool of mine. I use my dehydator for:
- “sun-dried” tomatoes
- drying veggies like beans, zucchini, etc.
- fruit leathers
- dried fruits (plums, banana chips, apples, berries– anything that sounds good!)
- dry herbs for cooking
- drying greens, like kale, chard, spinach, etc. (last year I made my own green powder for smoothies)
- making yogurt (remove the trays and put the jars right inside)
- rising bread (very helpful in the winter, when the kitchen is cool)
- making crispy nuts and seeds (after soaking overnight)
- drying sprouted grains to make sprouted flour
I’m probably forgetting something, but you get the point! A dehydrator is an incredibly useful tool in the real food kitchen, particularly for those who want to save money by preserving as much of their own food as possible.
Why the Excalibur in particular?
When I was saving up several years ago to buy a new dehydrator, I did a lot of looking around. After reading umpteen reviews and comparing features, I was convinced that if I was going to spend the money, the Excalibur was the way to go.
After using it for the past 3 years, I’m still convinced. I would buy another Excalibur in a heartbeat, except that I don’t anticipate needing to anytime soon because mine is still in such great condition.
They are excellent quality, have a wide range of temperature settings, the large trays are square not round for better spacing, and you can remove and rearrange trays as desired. My only complaint is that it is a bit loud, but honestly, all dehydrators are loud. There isn’t much getting around the noise. If it bothers you, use it somewhere like your laundry room instead of the kitchen.
What is Cultures for Health?
Aside from offering high-quality kitchen tools like Excalibur dehydrators, various yogurt makers, grain mills, and fermentation crocks, Cultures for Health is also my number one recommendation for purchasing starter cultures. Here’s what they offer:
- Yogurt starters
- Kefir grains (both dairy and water kefir)
- Sourdough starters
- Kombucha starter
- Buttermilk starter
- Soy cultures
- Other cultures (like sour cream, creme fraiche, vegetable starter, and the Body Ecology starter)
Making your own cultured and fermented foods is far easier than you might think, and you can save a tremendous amount of money on these healthful foods when you make them yourself.
Something I have not tried my hand at yet, but would like to try, is making cheese! They offer a cheese starter kit and a wide variety of cheese starter cultures as well (both hard and soft).
In other words, Cultures for Health is a valuable resource for anyone desiring to make delicious, cultured, bursting-with-enzymes-and-nutrition real foods!
But back to the giveaway…
Would you like to be entered to win a 4-tray Excalibur Dehydrator ($129.99 value) from Cultures for Health?
Unlike the other giveaways this week, we’re not using Rafflecopter for the dehydrator. Instead, it’s a very quick and simple process of entering your name and email to sign up for the Cultures for Health newsletter, which will then enter you in the contest.
Once subscribed, you have you the option to unsubscribe at any time, although you probably won’t want to, since the newsletter offers helpful tips and recipes for making cultured foods, and even special sales and discounts each month!
Click here to enter to win the dehydrator!
Note: Although you are welcome to leave a comment, the only way to enter the giveaway is by clicking on the above link.
Giveaway ends Monday, June 18th, 2012 at 3pm PST.
What if I was already signed up for the newsletter? Also, thanks for the opportunity!
how many times can you enter?
and thank you! 🙂
What a great opportunity! Thanks for hosting!
I’d love to make fruit leathers for my kids!
This is a wonderful give away. I’ve been needing an excalibur for a while now!
Thank you for the opportunity!
Candice
Subscribed! I love the Cultures for Health website! I didn’t know they had a newsletter, so this is doubly awesome! Thanks!
I love cultures for health! I have been making water kefir and have been tempted to buy so many of their products. One thing at a time with a newborn baby around. 🙂
Thanks for the giveaway!
Hi there! Just stumbled upon your lovely blog and was greeted with this awesome giveaway! I’ve been really wanting to invest in a dehydrator for the past couple of years but never got the chance to make the purchase. Thanks for the opportunity to win this! 🙂 Take care, Heba
I have been wanting a new dehydrator. I planted some elderberry bushes and would love to dry the berries so I can use them throughout the year.
Thanks for offering such a helpful machine!
Thanks for offering such a helpful machine!
Chelsea 🙂
So excited about this giveaway! thanks!
Great give away….thank you!
What a wonderful giveaway.
So excited!
I subscribed. Have been wanting one for years! TY!
Oooh, we just finished planting a huge garden. Wouldn’t this be a great win to help store all those goodies! Thanks!
HI there – just found you courtesy of HEAV (Home Educators of Virginia) e-newsletter and the 31 ways to use a mason jar (we keep pens and sharpies in ours in the schoolroom). Looking forward to learning how to be healthier!
Hi there – just found your wonderful blog courtesy of the HEAV (Home Educators of Virginia) e-newsletter and 31 ways to use a mason jar! Looking forward to learning more about healthy living!
So confused. How do I enter?
Subscribed! What a great site! I love the sprouting seeds and yogurt starter
You’re right. This is one of those items you really save up for. And well worth it, I’m sure!
Yipppee! I’ve been wanting a dehydrator! 🙂
I have been wanting a dehydrator for a long time this would be wonderful.:)
fingers crossed! I’ve had my eye on one of these for months, but haven’t pulled the trigger yet because of the dollars (or a shortage thereof).
I have an Excalibur and LOVE LOVE LOVE it….my brother really wants one now, so I’m hoping to win to give it to him as a surprise!!! :0)
great giveaway!!!
There is an empty spot on my counter just waiting to be filled
Thanka for the chance.
I love my excalibur dehydrator! I started with a 4 tray version and upgraded to a 9 tray version! Just this week I discovered that pattypan squash doesn’t can very well, but it dehydrates beautifully! I dehydrated some plain and then dehydrated some with olive oil and salt on it… Now if only I can get my family to stop eating it so that we’ll have some left this winter!!!