JUST CAN'T BE BEAT

I have a strong nervousness about using food that comes directly from China.  I'm sure you've read the news reports and understand why.  But there's one item from China I can't seem to avoid: powdered garlic. So I went on a quest to see if I could find a way.

To make your own powdered garlic sounds like an exciting prospect.  Just imagine the freshness, along with the happiness of having something you made yourself.  Empowerment!  Healthiness! Improved taste! I am super excited about this idea.

I never would have gotten around to it except that I saw pre-peeled garlic at Sams' Club for an incredibly cheap price.  What a fantastic opportunity.

So I sliced it thin and popped it into the oven to dehydrate.  Unfortunately, mine took hours longer (i.e., 48 hours) instead of the 2 hours that I was told.  (This may have been due to my oven and its specialized dehydrating instructions, which included having the oven door slightly open)

The end product is wonderful.  And a sadly depressing small amount, given the labor.

Here's the funny thing, though.  At the end, I realized I had never asked myself where the garlic came from.  And....you guessed it:  the inexpensive peeled garlic came from China!!