You can freeze just about anything, but there are just some things that won’t taste good pickled or turned into a jam. That’s why there are so many different methods of food preservation when you’re a gardener. In the articles below, we cover lots of food preservation basics and the specifics of preserving various fruits, herbs, and vegetables.
Unfortunately, there are just as many ways to improperly store and spoil your vegetables as there are ways to preserve them.
For example, did you know you should not store white or sweet potatoes in the fridge? The cold can injure them. You also shouldn’t store them with fruit. Gas from the fruit makes potatoes sprout. And unless you’re cooking, keep your potatoes away from onions; the two in close proximity will make the potatoes sprout.
Or how about storing corn? Once the ear leaves the stalk, the corn starts converting its sugar to starch. The longer you wait to cook and eat it, the more it will taste like grocery store corn rather than fresh-picked. If you store it in the refrigerator, you have about a week.
And did you realize that berries need moisture to stay crisp? If you pick a few bushels of strawberries or blueberries, it’s a good idea to rinse them before storing them because the moisture will keep them plump longer. Blueberries can last over a month in a device like a berry box, which allows you to rinse the blueberries and keep them in a strainer inside an air-tight box, which keeps the berries crisp without sitting in water.
And we haven’t even gotten to our posts on canning, freezing, making jams, and all the ways you can preserve vegetables for the much longer-term so you don’t have to risk storage spoilage.
In the articles below, you’ll learn about everything from canning apples to freezing squash, storing potatoes, and drying herbs. We welcome you to also read our Recipes from Your Garden freebie. Enjoy!
There’s something special about growing pounds and pounds of your favorite vegetables. It makes every meal feel like a celebration when you have heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, crunchy cucumbers, and sweet peppers on your plate. As much as I love to cook, however, there are only so many veggies I can eat or share before they go bad.
I get it. You worked hard on preserving those fresh garden veggies, and you’re looking forward to enjoying them on a cold, dark winter evening. You pull a glass jar from your pantry, and you notice the signs of food spoilage. It’s disappointing. If the spoilage isn’t too evident, you might even be tempted to […]
When trying something new or revisiting an old hobby, we oftentimes turn to the all-knowing internet for guidance. But sometimes the internet is a little overwhelming. This is true in the niche world of food preservation, especially if you’ve ever looked up pressure canning safety. Everyone has a blog, or message board post, or public comment about the best way to use a pressure canner or other canning methods. And if you stick around long enough, debates will break out about safety. Grab the popcorn, because the comments can get juicy!
There’s a true joy in going to the garden and picking some ripe eggplant, tomatoes, and herbs for a late summer dinner. I love walking friends through my garden in the spring and handing them a ripe zucchini or two. Since I live in New England, though, there’s no chance I’m going to step outside […]
I’ll be the first to admit that I love potatoes. They’re so versatile in the kitchen; you can roast them, mash them, bake them, make chips, potato salad, potato pancakes, home fries for breakfast… I could go on. But you didn’t come here for potato recipes (yet). You probably have a number of your own favorites, which is why you want to know how to store potatoes over the winter.
When it comes to preserving your homegrown herbs, drying them is one of the simplest and most effective ways to maintain their flavors and aromas for months to come. Dried herbs add a delightful depth to teas, elevate culinary recipes, and make excellent spice blends. However, while learning how to dry herbs may seem as […]
Thanks to partner planting and some easy homemade fertilizer, my tomato plants tend to take off each season and I always end up with more than I know what to do with. If you’re like me, you enjoy garden tomatoes in your favorite recipes or even just snacking on a fresh tomato with a dash of salt. If there’s still an abundance of tomatoes sitting on your counter, canning may be a good preservation option.
Thankfully, several simple methods can extend the life of your products while preserving as much of their nutritional value as possible. 1. Cool It Cold storage, such as refrigeration, is ideal for certain fruits and vegetables because it slows down enzyme activity that causes ripening and spoilage. Leafy greens, broccoli, mushrooms and berries thrive in […]
I’ll be the first to say that I love looking in my pantry and seeing jar after jar of canned garden vegetables. Like many gardeners, I enjoy sharing the abundance of nature with friends and neighbors. I also appreciate being able to open a jar of homegrown green beans in February when temperatures are well […]
When it comes to buying or picking apples, I always end up with way more than I actually need. The giant basket of apples taunts me from my countertop, knowing that I will never get through them fast enough before they start to go bad. Freezing fresh apples is one way of keeping them from going bad, but I also love pressure canning apples and storing them in my pantry for later use in pies, breads, apple butter, and apple sauce.
