Preserving Your Harvest

[WthrLady]

Now that said, you can firm it up a tad by draining it and frying it up a tad to drive out the moisture...oh and burritos/enchiladas and mac and cheese, shepherd's pie, pot pie lol

 

[Vicktoria Giuergia]

We have a garden that had produced very well this year. In fact, it's our best garden in 6 years and two homes. I have a real passion for growing food we can eat. It's always great to have a salad fresh picked form the garden or cook a meal with fruit and vegetables, and even meat, harvested right from our backyard. Over the years we found ourselves faced with small abundance that we sometimes gave away. With our first garden I started making homemade pickled cucumbers and zucchini and canning them. Then two years ago we got a killer deal on flats and boxes of berries and grapes at a local store, so I ventured into making jams and jellies and canned those. Now that our garden is producing incredibly well this year, we have (or "have had" in some case) abundance of peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, kale, radishes, potatoes, onions, garlic, peaches (less abundant, but still too many to eat within a few days) and herbs such as parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, cilantro/coriander and dill. We also expect to have a decent harvest of corn, brussel sprouts, and Jerusalem artichokes/sunchokes, dried corn, dry beans as well as a few sunflower heads. I might even plant a lot crop of peas and radishes. We have so much harvest this year, we had to find ways to preserve the fruits of our labor. We began canning homemade salsa, pickled peppers, pickled cucumbers (whole, halves, spears, chips and relish), and I'm preparing to make pepper jelly for the first time ever. We also have hung onions and garlic to cure for dry storage for the first time ever. There's so much more food coming out of the garden still though. What to do with all this harvest? Certainly we could just give it away, but we want to keep as much as possible for those months when we cannot garden (we are in zone 5). So preserving has become our focus.

How do you preserve your harvest?

I want recipes, pics, ideas, etc. Whatever you have, tell me all about it!

Have you thought about drying some of it? I know when you dry fruit it makes for a good snack for the kids. HAPPY EASTER!!!!!

 

[Vicktoria Giuergia]

View attachment 2783516View attachment 2783518

I just made pepper jelly/jam for the first time. Supposedly it is a delicious snack or hors d'oeuvre with crackers and cream cheese and can be used as a glaze for meat or vegetables. At the least, I found it to be very tasty. I left the peppers in it and they are finely chopped (used a for processer). More life a jam I guess (I usually call it jam if it has pieces of fruit in it and jelly if it's strained). Also, this recipe is not very spicy even though I used jalapeños hot enough to make my ear burn for a half hour because I itches it after cutting and deseeding the peppers. If you want hotter jam, take out a portion of the sweet peppers and replace with equal amount of jalapeños or use a hotter pepper in place of the jalapeños.

Ingredients:
4 cups banana peppers, seeded and finely chopped (can substitute with any sweet pepper)
1 cup jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped (can substitute any hot pepper)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
5 cups sugar
1.75 oz pectin

Canning supplies
6 half pint jars
Canner (used a waterbath for this recipe)
Canning funnel, tongs and lid magnet wand

Bring the waterbath to a boil. Submerge washed jars in the waterbath to sterilize. Place lids in waterbath to sterilize also.

In a large pot on high heat combine all ingredients and bring to a boil stirring constantly. Once there's a rolling boil remove from heat. Skim off and discard any foam and jelly skin. Ladel into jars using canning funnel (keeps the outside and lid contact surface clean). Leave 1/2 inch head space. Apply lids using magnetic wand and follow up with rings. Process in waterbath for 10 minutes. Let cool and check lids for seal.

Note: If a few seeds make their way into the jam, don't freak out. It just proves its handmade.

Great information! My husbands family does all the canning. We have a wonderful supply of jams & sauces like pesto & chutney. HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Sueby]

Just your PSA - follow safe canning guidelines!

https://www.yahoo.com/news/man-likely-died-botulism-washington-182930523.html

 

[WthrLady]

I agree.
But it would have been nice if the article would have said what his error was.
Usually it's doing it the way grandma did, which now would be considered Russian roulette, or doing it completely wrong, like steam canning meat, or water canning beans or potatoes.

 

[TooCheep]

I agree.
But it would have been nice if the article would have said what his error was.
Usually it's doing it the way grandma did, which now would be considered Russian roulette, or doing it completely wrong, like steam canning meat, or water canning beans or potatoes.

Or ignoring a bulging can or the gas rushing out when opened. Both are indicators of likely botulism contamination.

 

[WthrLady]

or poor exterior cleanliness or storage.

 

[Sueby]

I agree, details would have been great.

 

[Lor]

I did not read all 89 pages...
Last year we had to buy a new stove top and all that was sold were the glass top ones. I'm afraid to use my heavy canner (All American) on it.
Anyone pressure can on a glass top?
The All American is heavy empty, LOL... Is there a lighter weight one you use?

 

[Sueby]

I did not read all 89 pages...
Last year we had to buy a new stove top and all that was sold were the glass top ones. I'm afraid to use my heavy canner (All American) on it.
Anyone pressure can on a glass top?
The All American is heavy empty, LOL... Is there a lighter weight one you use?

I have a glass top stove & ended up getting an electric canner because I wasn't comfortable taking the risk. Some people buy an electric burner to use their canners on, but I heard from a couple people that they tried it & they don't work that well for canning.