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It’s that time of year when the garden is busy producing
bushels of beans, pecks of peppers and baskets full of tomatoes. It’s also the
time when farmers markets are ripe with fresh fruits and vegetables being sold
at their lowest prices. So, how can you stock up on this abundance of produce
and preserve it to last until next season? By freezing, canning and
dehydrating, that’s how.
Freezing Fruits and Vegetables
There are lots of fruits and vegetables that can be frozen
after a quick blanching. Blanching is the simple process of adding fruits and
vegetables to boiling water for a few minutes at a time and then plunging them
into a bath of iced water to stop the cooking process. After patting them dry, simply place in freezer bags
or containers, label with the date and name of contents and pop into the
freezer. This method of preservation keeps fruits and vegetables good for about
8 – 12 months.
Canning Fruits and Vegetables
Canning and preserving fruits and vegetables from the
garden is a classic way to preserve the garden’s harvest. With a few pieces of
canning equipment, the right spices and a step by step recipe, you can
preserve and store pickles, jams, whole fruits and vegetables, sauces and more
for up to a year or more.
There are lots of great books on canning and preserving,
my favorite being Blue Ribbon Preserves, and lots of free canning
recipes online. Whether you’re a beginner or not, you’re sure to find lots of
timeless and new recipes to try.
Dehydrating Fruits and Vegetables
Dehydrating fruits and
vegetables is yet another way to preserve your harvest. This method of
preservation can be done in 8 - 10 hours in a food dehydrator or oven. The
produce dries instead of baking because it cooks at a low temperature.
Dehydrated foods can last up to a year when stored properly.
You can use one or all 3 ways
to preserve your garden’s harvest. Personally, I use the freezing and canning
methods each year, though this year, I’m going to try dehydrating some peaches
and pears from my fruit trees. Which methods of preservation would you like to
try?
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