How to preserve the summer harvest - easy ways to freeze, dry and store summer produce.

This is starting to be the high time that all the gardeners have been waiting for all winter - when the fruits of their labour start to pour in and the summer time harvest comes full force. 

A few questions come up though - Can you eat enough? Do you have enough people to share your huge zucchinis with? Do you have enough space in your fridge for everything coming? 

Let's say you aren't able to eat everything at once, or you run out of people to give zucchini’s too. Or your fridge has enough going on with it in its day to day life. Here are a few easy ways that you can preserve the loot from your garden or just the deals that go on during the harvest season from your local growers and stores. 

But first - why preserve food at all?

Nutrient Density.

When we harvest food when it's ripe, its enzymes, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients are at their peaks. So when we preserve (or eat) food during this time we are able to capture that dense nutrition profile and are able to enjoy it throughout the winter months. 

Reducing waste, saving money and time. 

It's no stretch of the imagination that preserving food that you have grown reduces food waste and will save you money and time in the long run. When we are able to use all of the food that we grow, not only do we cut back on food waste, but in the preserving process you typically preserve in smaller sizes. So even in the long run you are more likely to have less food waste when you utilize it in the future. Being able to go to your fridge, freezer or pantry to grab food that you need will also save you money and time from going out to the grocery store to get everything as well. 

Eating sustainably.

When we eat food that we grow (whether it is frozen or fresh) you cut down on packaging, transport emissions and also the energy used in larger scale farming operations. On the flip side to that when you are growing food in your back yard you are also supporting pollinators, diversity in plant life and given the proper techniques also enriching the soil as you grow each season.

Simple ways to preserve foods: Drying herbs 

Drying herbs is one of the oldest and simplest preserving methods. Drying herbs not only encapsulates everything that is said above but also helps to add more flavour to dishes. Since the water content is dried out of the herbs the flavours are more potent.

How To:

Bundle herbs with twine or string and hang upside down in a warm, dry place, with airflow away from sunlight. Let dry for 2 weeks.

Another way you can dry herbs if you have the space for it, is to use old screens from windows balanced on the side and place your herbs on those. Let dey for 2 weeks.

Store in clean glass jars or recycled spice jars. Label and date them!

Simple ways to preserve foods: Freezing Herbs

Another way that you can preserve your herbs, without drying them, is to freeze them. These are great to use in winter soups, stews, stir-fries, or sauces. you can add in garlic or lemon zest to the cubes to give them more flavour when cooking with them.

How To:

Chop herbs finely and add to ice cube trays. Cover with olive oil or vegetable broth. Freeze overnight, then pop cubes into a freezer bag.

Freezing Summer Produce

Here is a list of veggies that you can cut up into the sizes that you want, just wash, chop and freeze raw in containers, no need for blanching, and great to use later on for stews, soups and sauces. 

Bell peppers (chopped or sliced)

Hot peppers (whole or chopped)

Tomatoes (chopped, whole, or pureed)

Zucchini (grated or spiralized; okay for baking or soups)

Onions (chopped or sliced)

Garlic (peeled cloves or minced)

Green onions / scallions

Leeks (sliced — better if used in cooked dishes)

Herbs (frozen in oil/broth or plain in bags)

Mushrooms (sliced or chopped; best used for cooking, not raw dishes)

Berries (Rinsed, pat dry, and freeze in a single layer before bagging)

Blanching and freezing summer produce

What is blanching?

Blanching is the process of quickly cooking food in boiling water for a few minutes and then plunging them into an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

Why would you want to blanche?

When we are blanching veggies in regards to preserving food, this actually helps to to store them long term. It helps to protect against loss of flavour, colour, texture and nutrients while frozen.

How to blanche:

You want all of your veggies to be uniform in size.

Add water to a pot (large enough that the veggies can be fully submerged) and turn the heat up until it boils, add salt. 

While the water is getting up to temperature, get a large bowl and fill it up with freezing cold water and ice (not too much). You also want this big enough that you can fully submerge the veggies.

Have a dish towel or paper towel next to the ice bath bowl - this is where you will put your veggies afterwards  

Once your water is boiling, add your vegetables into the water for 2-4 minutes. You want the veggies to be tender but not soft. Remove veggies from the boiling water and add them into the ice bath. You will want to keep them in the ice bath for about as long as they were in boiling water. 

(If you have a lot to blanche it may be best to blanche in small batches to help with the consistency of the water temperature in both boiling and ice baths). 

Use a paper towel or a clean dishcloth to help remove moisture from the veggies. Once they are dry, you can put them into containers or vacuum seal them, date and label them and freeze them! 

Veggies to Blanche and Freeze

Green beans

Peas (garden peas, snow peas, snap peas)

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Carrots (sliced or diced)

Corn (on the cob or kernels)

Asparagus

Spinach

Swiss Chard

Kale

Collard greens

Brussels sprouts

Turnips (diced or sliced)

Beets (cook fully first, then freeze peeled + sliced/cubed)

Rutabaga (peeled and cubed)