How to Preserve Fruits and Vegetables

Canning, Drying, Pickling & Making Jams and Jellies from Your Garden Harvest

By Marie Iannotti

When you’re lucky enough to have an abundant harvest or to live close enough to farms to take advantage of farmer’s markets, you’ll want to put every last tomato and peach to good use. Preserving the harvest can let you enjoy the fruits of your labor for months to come. There are several methods for preserving your fruits, vegetables and herbs. Which method you choose will depend on the type of fruit or vegetable you are preserving and your ambition level.

The National Center for Home Food Preservation has an excellent, up-to-date web site with information on all types of food preservation. Specific links are listed below, along with some general tips and recipe suggestions. We may live in the age of supermarkets, but you’re still going to need some help finding uses for all those end of the season green tomatoes.

Storing

Storing is the easiest method for keeping your harvest, but most vegetables don’t have a long shelf life. There is an excellent listing here of vegetables from beets to winter squash and th best methods and duration for storage. Root vegetables and vegetables that can be cured, like onions and winter squash, will last the longest.

Some basic tips for storing fruits & vegetables:

• Only store fully mature, healthy vegetables. Any bruised or immature vegetables should be eaten fresh or preserved by other means.

• Clean of soil and allow the outside of vegetables to dry before freezing.

• Keep a few inches on stem on winter squash and also cut the green tops of root crops to an inch or so.

Freezing

Many vegetables keep well in the freezer. When blanched and frozen soon after harvesting, this can be the best method for retaining nutrients, as well as color, texture and flavor. Most vegetables can last 8 - 12 weeks in the freezer.

Some basic tips for freezing fruits & vegetables:

Freeze food immediately after packaging.

Keep freezer temperature at 0 degrees F. Or lower. You can set your freezer control for -10 degrees F. the day before freezing, to speed the process.

Don’t try to pack your freezer with unfrozen produce. This will only lower the temperature in the freezer and lengthen the time needed for the produce to chill.

Recipes for freezing fruits & vegetables:

• Blanching and packing vegetables for the freezer

• Freezing Herbs - Preserving Herbs by Freezing

Canning

Canning is a great method for preserving fruits and vegetables with a high water content, like tomatoes, mushrooms, beans and peaches, but it is essential you follow canning guidelines to the letter.

Some basic tips for canning fruits & vegetables:

• Choose only disease free fruits or vegetables and wash them well before processing

• Use clean jars and new seal lids

• Process in boiling water or a pressure canner for the specified amount of time

Recipes for canning fruits & vegetables:

• Green Tomato Chow-Chow

• Canning Apricots

• Spiced Apple Rings