I measure my level of domesticity by the very high bar set by my grandmother. As I head off to bed with two sinks full of dirty dishes, I silently say ‘Grandma would have never done this.’ When I hire someone to wash our windows, and I don’t take the time to wash every set of curtains while he is washing the windows, I feel like I am missing the mark. My ‘Eat More,’ a macaroni and hamburger dish (named because everyone was supposed to eat a lot due to the fact it was inexpensive to make) will never taste nearly as good as my grandmother’s. I aspire to live up the standards set by this very hard working woman. Canning is probably the only area in which I excel. In large part because she would never let me can with her due to the fact that she was always afraid I would get hurt by the pressure cooker. Each summer I am bound and determined to prove her wrong.
Canning and preserving fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs has numerous benefits. Food that you process yourself is often of a higher quality and more nutritious than food purchased in the grocery store. Canning is also less expensive and allows you to be more self-sufficient. When preserving food, you can choose the food that you tend to eat or would like to eat while making sure you have enough on hand to last throughout the winter. If you have the time and inclination, consider preserving some food this summer.
The most common ways of preserving food is through drying, freezing and canning. “The Busy Person’s Guide to Preserving Food” is my go to reference on which option gives you the best finished product. Below is a list of some of the fruits and vegetables and how they may be successfully preserved. For the exact recipes or step by step guides, please refer the book I mentioned above or check out ‘Ball Blue Book; Guide to Home Canning, Freezing and Dehydration’.
Basil – Dehydrate it in the oven. Place fresh cut leaves on a cookie sheet. Turn the oven to 110 degrees and leave in the oven for approximately 10 hours. Store in an airtight container.
Broccoli – Wash it, blanch it (put in boiling water for just a few minutes and then in ice water) and place in ziploc bags. Lay the bags flat on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer. After the bags are frozen, remove from the cookie sheet and store in freezer until needed.
Strawberries and Blueberries – Wash them, pat them dry and place in Ziploc bags. Place the Ziploc bags on the cookie sheet and place in freezer. This is a super easy and great way to enjoy delicious fruit throughout the winter.
Sweet Corn – Husk, blanch corn on the cob, cut the corn off the cub(we use an angel food pan by standing the corn in the hole in the middle and letting the pan catch the kernels). Put in a Ziploc bag and place bags in the freezer.
Mushrooms – Rinse, cut off the end of the stem, slice and put on a cookie sheet in oven at 120 degrees for about 15 hours. Store in an airtight container.
Tomatoes – Wash and remove the cores of tomatoes. Set on a cookie sheet and put in the freezer. After tomatoes are frozen, put in Ziploc bags.
Chives – Cut chives with scissors just prior to flower forming. Wash and pat dry. Put in Ziploc bags in the freezer.
Green Peppers – Wash, remove seeds and cut in either strips or in half. Pat dry and put in Ziploc bags. Store in the freezer.
Zucchini – Wash and grate. Drain excess liquid and pack in Ziploc bags. Store in the freezer. This is perfect for use in breads in muffins.
Mint – Harvest in early summer. Leave outdoors on cookie sheets for approximately 10 hours to dry. Pack into an airtight container for easy storage.
Cherries – Whole cherries can be dried on cookie sheets in the sun for 4 to 5 days. Be sure to take them inside at night. Pack them in an airtight container for storage.
The fruits and vegetables I have had the most success canning are green beans, beets, cucumbers/pickles, peaches, apples and pears. Strawberry, blueberry, and peach jams have become family favorites.
Are there any family favorites in your family? Please consider contacting me if you have any tips or tricks you have regarding preserving food. I would love to be able to share, through this column, any ideas, suggestions or recipes.
Happy Preserving!
Kathleen Carr is the owner of The Growing Scene, Inc., a landscaping company. She can be reached by calling 815-923-7322 or emailing her at Kathleen@thegrowingscene.com. Have a gardening question? Please contact her. She may address it in an upcoming column.
