August 10
What to Do NOW to Enjoy Summer Produce this Winter!
Food for Thought
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It’s a common gardening conundrum: What do you do with the excess produce from your garden harvest? Give away as much as you can to friends and neighbors? Fill a box marked FREE and set it out on the curb? Try to sneak another zucchini into dinner for the 40th time? You don’t have to waste excess food from the garden! Here are some suggestions to put that produce to use NOW and enjoy later!
1. Canning
Canning is a method of preserving food by sealing it in sterile, air-tight glass mason jars. Foods can be pre-cooked or raw, simple or elaborate when canned, but many canning methods do employ the use of heat to sterilize and seal the jars, so some cooking may occur.
2. Drying
Drying or dehydrating foods is one of the oldest methods of food preservation. Many fruits and herbs can be safely sun-dried, or dried outdoors due to their high sugar and acid content that deters spoilage. However, vegetables should always be dried in a dehydrator. Additionally, humid climates, or climates with great temperature fluctuations between day and night, are not ideal for drying outdoors.
3. Pickling/Fermenting
Pickling or fermenting food both reduces spoilage by increasing either the vinegar or the natural alcohol content of foods, making it inhospitable to unfriendly molds and bacteria, and increases the good probiotic content. Fermented foods have recently had a lot of press since the lactic acid created during fermentation is a fantastic digestive aid, and making them at home can be simple and fun.
4. Freezing
While not a long-term method of preservation, freezing your harvest can keep fruits, vegetables and herbs fresh for up to a year. However, not all foods do well in a freezer, so be sure to investigate or ask us before using this method.
5. Oil Pack
Preserving foods in oil gives the double benefit of storing food and creating a delicious flavor-infused oil. This method is fantastic for herbs, as well as tomatoes, olives, onions, garlic, peppers, eggplant, squash and many other vegetables. Oil prevents the spread of harmful spoilage by reducing the oxidation of the contents, which maintains the integrity of the food, but can also establish anaerobic conditions which actually favor the growth of some harmful types of bacteria. This can be combated by adding an acid, such as vinegar, at a ratio of three to one (the weight of vegetables to the weight of the vinegar). While this method can result in delectable foods, it is the most fickle of these methods, so caution and care should always be used.
Mrs. Dornberg
About the author
Cheryl Dornberg is the founder, CEO, and operator of Mrs. Dornberg’s Culinary Experience based in Highland, IN. She is a Culinary Nutrition Expert and believes that a healthy lifestyle begins in the kitchen, and every meal that you prepare yourself from fresh, whole ingredients is a step towards a vibrant, energy-filled life.
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cooking, cooking tips, dornberg, dry, freeze, happy kitchen, healthy, herbs, highland cooking, highland cooking class, home cooking, how to cook, lunch and learn, Mrs. Dornberg, northwest indiana, nwi, Open Content, pantry, preserve, produce, sun dry, tips, vegetables
The picture used with this article is Cheryl’s Oven Roasted tomatoes. Personally I don’t grow tomatoes, but I have purchased them at the grocery store and farm stands specifically to make this recipe at home. They are almost magical, they are so versatile and have such a flavor punch and once roasted can be stored in the freezer for use during the Fall and Winter. I highly recommend all of Cheryl’s classes and this recipe is one of my favorites.
Thanks, Donna! It is one of my favorite recipes, too! This year we do not have our own tomatoes, but I have already purchased plum style at the farmstand and am stocking these gems in the freezer! I especially LOVE them on pizza!