Hello there!
Fall has finally arrived. This is my favorite time of year to get connected with nature. The change of the seasons is something not all are able to experience like we do in the upper Midwest. I find it quite refreshing and have many lasting memories of the first days of each season.
Now, let’s talk about the fall harvest. We know that eating super fresh produce off the farm is great for the mind and body. But what about when the days get shorter, and our plants will not grow anymore? It is time to preserve what is left for a taste of the farm in the upcoming winter months. We will go over three of the most common preservation methods: canning, freezing and dehydrating.
Canning is one of the most rewarding methods to add to your skill list. At times difficult and challenging, this method is one of the best ways to capture the harvest. Passed down through generations or learned, canning has many different recipes to follow for a successful offseason filled with flavors from the farm. Salsas, sauces, root vegetables, mushrooms and even meats can be canned. This eliminates the need for refrigeration and there is a sweet satisfaction to looking at a shelf full of colorful canned goodies. All the resources you need are available at your local supermarket or hardware store.
Freezing is the quickest way to capture the harvest. All you need is some freezer bags, a stove, pot, large bowl, ice and water. Most vegetables should be blanched before freezing. Blanching is when you submerge your chosen crops into boiling water for a quick dip. Each vegetable requires a different recommended time in the boiling bath, so use information gathered from the web to be successful on the first try.
Once blanched, use a bowl of ice to chill the vegetables quickly. Next, simply place the desired serving amount in a bag, remove the air by either squeezing, rolling or even with a straw. Seal up the bag and place in the freezer. These will last up to a year. My family’s favorite crop to freeze is sweet corn. We blanch the ears whole, cool and cut off the kernels. The flavor lasts for months. Sweet corn grown by yourself and eaten in February is something special I hope you all get to experience.
The last preservation method is dehydration. This is by far the easiest way to preserve crops from the garden. Dehydrators can be homemade, using the power of the sun, or electric. Food like tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms and most varieties of fruits can all be dried for long term storage. Eaten as is or rehydrated and lasting up to a year or more, these delightful morsels go fantastic in a huge variety of recipes. My family’s favorite crop to dehydrate is peppers; hot peppers to be exact. Dried jalapeno rings are delicious tossed on top of a salad, burger or just about anything you want to add a kick to. We also mix up multiple varieties of peppers and grind into a powder. Add a little salt, and you have a fantastic spice that will make you jump out of your seat when added to most dishes. We call it “Salt and Peppers.”
I hope you all enjoyed this and that this fall brings you as much joy as it does for me. I hope you are inspired to try a little bit of your own food preservation as part of this bountiful season. We’ve included our favorite preservation recipes below to get you started! We’d love to see your completed efforts on social media by tagging us (@kidsfoodbasket)!
Happy Harvest!
Farmer J and the Grow Team
