A simple guide to preserving and storing vegetables

For many at-home farmers, preserving and canning produce can reap culinary benefits for many months. Know ahead of time how, when, and where your harvest will be preserved and stored.

During the long winter months after the hustling and bustling of the holiday season, gardeners can be found studying a mountain of seed catalogues and thinking ahead to preserving and storing when planning a vegetable garden. From the beginning of time, it has been important to store away plentiful food for times of scarcity.

• Often it was simply hanging or spreading out meats, root, berries, and other fruits to evaporate most of the moisture and leave an easily stored product. The main issue then would be to keep the varmints away from the veritable buffet.
• Modern day methods of drying food include drying units that operate on electricity.
• Place foods on trays and stack them in the unit for specified times.
• Place the dried foods in safe containers to avoid critters filling up on them.

Similar methods such as canning or bottling foods are simply heating foods in liquid and placing it in sterilized and sealed jars.

• Depending upon what is being conserved, high pressure or just hot water bath would be sufficient to seal the containers.
• If freezers are readily available, follow directions for the specific food to be frozen and use that method of safeguarding the harvest.
• Some foods will require blanching, or dipping in boiling water, for a few seconds to kill possible bacteria before containerising the food and freezing. Label properly for efficiency.

Often outside storage methods can be utilized for root vegetables and winter squash.

• The number of ways this can be achieved are numerous. A favourite is simply leaving root veggies in place in the ground and after very cold weather arrives, placing hay bales in top of them. Simply lift the bales and dig what you need. Replace the bales.

Pickling a variety of foods is another easy way to keep spoilage to a minimum.

• Growing specialized pickling cucumbers will give options of bread and butter pickle slices or chunks, and dill pickles. Each have their own method of preserving.
• When the cupboards are full, the outside storage methods secure, and there is still produce left over, sharing with others will warm your heart as well as keep other family's tummies full throughout winter gales.

Now you know how to take that great vegetable garden you have in the summer season and make sure your labour will provide you with food for the winter months. Enjoy!