Make your own: Dried Hedgerow Hearts
Make your own dried Hedgerow Turkey Hearts, these are really easy to make and your dog or cat will absolutely love you for it!
You will need …a pack of Turkey Hearts and some sprinkles, for this recipe, we used dried nettles and rosehip shells.
Nettle is a great herb for both cats and dogs and can help with seasonal allergies, plus it has quite a few vitamins and minerals. Rosehip shells, not only look nice, they also contain a lot of Vitamin C.
Step 1.
Turkey Hearts are quite a good size when you get them out of the pack cut away most of the fat and the windpipes, also if you can, remove the film which covers the heart.
You can save these bits and give it to your dog or cat – they will love to help and eating is the perfect job!
It is best to slice the heart when still slightly frozen, this will allow you to slice it thin, try length ways – remember dehydrating shrinks the meat so you need slices, not tiny bits.
Use a very sharp knife.
If you slice thin, say 5mm thick, then the drying will go faster, the thicker the pieces the longer it will take.
Step 2.
Pop the slices on a tray and put this over your sink or tray to let the blood drip away, then dab the bits with a bit of kitchen paper.
If you use a tray; there is no need to throw away the blood, you can save it for the dog or cat’s dinner time.
Step 3.
Sprinkle the nettles and rosehip shells, this easiest done with a few pinches of the fingers.
You don’t need loads.
Step 4.
Pop the tray in the dehydrator set it for 7hrs at 70ºC and go do something fun!
If you are using an oven keep the door slightly ajar, you need air circulation for the drying process.
Do note that you don’t allow for any dogs or cats near the oven or dehydrator otherwise your treats might mysteriously disappear!
Step 5.
Check every now and then.. You can choose whether you want them crispy or jerky like.. If you want crispy you will need to allow for more time.
Optional…
To kill off any bacteria you can pop the treats in a hot oven for 10 minutes at 150ºC.
Finally …
… the most important step!
After you have allowed it to cool thoroughly, let the canine or feline friends TEST, a few times…
Storing
Keep in an air-tight bag or container you can keep the treats frozen or they should be kept, air-tight in a fridge for a week.
