Squirreling Away for Winter
It’s been a busy week and weekend. My evenings are filled with harvesting and preserving. The apples, tomatoes, beans, and peppers are coming in like mad. Green beans are blanched and frozen, peppers are chopped and frozen. Both things are frozen on cookie sheets and put into freezer bags to be scooped out in quantities needed.
The tomatoes are being put up in a few different ways. ‘Principe Borghese’ are dried in the sun dried tomato fashion. Some tomatoes are canned crushed for winter cooking, others are turned into conserve. Right now I’ve only finished up a batch of crushed tomatoes. Stay tuned for various posts this week about all the other things I’m making with all the garden bounty (including recipes for a few tried and true favorites). While this season seems a bit frantic, it will all be worth it in the dead of winter. When snow is deep on the garden, we can enjoy chili made with homegrown poblanos, tomatoes, and onions. There’s nothing better (and saves more money) than shopping in your freezer and pantry!
What are you preserving from your garden?
Filed under Around the Garden, Canning, Freezing, harvest, Harvest Keepers Challenge | Comments (3)
Susy, I’ve finally acted on the intention of making sauerkraut. I have made three heads into one glass jar of kraut with enough cabbage to make maybe two more. If it turns out good I’ll be planting more cabbage next year. Being of German decent kraut makes sense to preserve for me. It’s so easy to make that I’m not sure why I didn’t do it sooner. And the best part is that there’s no heating up the kitchen. As long as the kraut stays under the juice it’s good without any other processing. I’m definitely looking into doing more fermenting of vegetables.
Have a great day preserving the harvest. It’s what gardeners have been waiting all season for.
to Nebraska Dave's comment
Last night I made crabapple jelly with fruit from my mom and dad’s crabapple tree. Also made blackberry syrup (delicious in iced tea) from their bushes. Next up are canned peaches from the orchard and canned tomatoes from my garden. I also roast my cherry tomatoes (a la Food in Jars) and freeze them.
to Kristen's comment
How are you freezing your peppers? We had success last year with our bell peppers, just coring and seeding them and then plopping them (whole and unblanched) into freezer bags. This year we have a bumper crop of jalapenos and I’d like to do something similar, but their smaller size makes me unsure as to how I can pull out their innards. I’d appreciate any tips.
to Julia at Home on 129 Acres's comment