The Art of Food Preservation

It's getting to be that time of year again! If you're green thumb is paying off, you might be running into more produce than you can consume.  Preserving your own food is a key skill for any gardener to have. By preserving your food, you can enjoy your garden year round. And if you don't have a garden, or can eat everything you grow fresh, consider finding some bulk produce at the farmer's market and using that to stock your pantry for the winter.  There are many ways to preserve your fruits and veggies, so I will highlight a few of the main methods.

Canning is the art of preserving food in sterilized jars by cooking it to kill bacteria. People can everything, from tomatoes to meat.  When canning vegetables or fruits, first consider the acidity of what you are canning. Non-acidic foods include most garden vegetables. These require pickling first, or the use of a pressure cooker. Acidic foods, like tomatoes or strawberries, can be done by hot-water bath methods. Jams and jellies can be canned this way as well, since the sugar acts as a preservative. Cleanliness is key to healthy canning. Sterilizing jars, ladles, funnels, lids, and anything else you'll be using is a vital step. Use vinegar to wipe down counters and keep a fresh stock of clean linens handy.  Mother Earth News has a very comprehensive guide to home canning. Or check out a book from the library. Canning is a long and hot process, so be prepared to spend the day in the kitchen.
Mother Earth News Canning Guide

Pickling uses acid to lower the pH of foods, thus killing harmful bacteria.  Other than the obvious pickled cucumber, you can pickle just about anything from boiled eggs to green beans. Pickled beets and pickled brussel sprouts are two of my personal favorites. Serious Eats has some unique pickling recipes that I personally plan on trying this summer. My grandma's refrigerator pickles are super easy and delicious. They will also stay good in the fridge, no canning required, for months. Give it a try!
8 cups cucumbers, sliced into rounds
1 cup onion
2 cups sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1 t celery seed
1 t mustard seed
Sprinkle the salt on cukes and let sit overnight. The next day, warm up the vinegar. Add sugar, celery seed, and mustard seed. Stir until dissolved. Pour over cucumbers and refrigerate.
 Serious Eats Pickling Recipes

Drying, or dehydrating foods, is a fun alternative to canning or freezing foods. Dehydrated foods can be stored in the cupboard and take up less space than canned foods. There's also no concern about botulism. Dried foods are also great for camping or backpacking trips.  Store bought foods meant for this purpose are expensive, so doing it yourself saves a bunch of money.  Basically, you just need a food dehydrator. Some people just use their oven for this purpose. Or do it the old fashioned way: use the sun!   Check out these recipes from the Backpacking Chef.
Backpacking Chef Recipes

Freezing is one of the simplest, easiest ways to preserve your food. If you have a chest freezer, this is the way to go for a lot of fruits and veggies. Since there's no cooking involved, all of the nutrients in the food are preserved. I like to freeze tomatoes, berries, and bell peppers.  I've also frozen some herbs from my garden.  Herbs like rosemary and thyme can be frozen still on the sprig, while herbs like basil and parsley are best chopped and frozen into ice cubes with a little bit of water. When I freeze berries, I first set them on trays, and then bag them once they are frozen. This prevents them from becoming one big chunk of strawberries. With tomatoes, I blanch them first to remove the skin. Colorado Extension has a good paper on freezing vegetables. Freezing Veggies