As a gardener and food preservationist, summer is an interesting time for me. I find myself wanting to be outside every single moment, soaking up the summer sun and warmth and there has been lots and lots of that. My lightening hair from the sun’s bleach is a testament to just how much time is spent outside. However, at the same time, my thoughts are also drifting towards winter and all the prep work that is necessary to face that with as much homemade goodness as possible.
I don’t mind saying, that it’s a mighty good feeling when I can enjoy the moment while simultaneously prepare for the moments ahead. Over the weekend, we were able to spread some mulch around growing winter squash plants, pull some weeds, water, harvest some goodies, and water some more. We were also able to eat and enjoy those homegrown, hand-picked goodies, while also having more than enough to save some for winter.
We were able to blanch & freeze 4 pints of snow peas. There should be more of those later this week, too. We added a pint of homegrown strawberries (in addition to the 4 gallons of store-bought) to the freezer. The garlic scapes were combined with walnuts, olive oil, and parmesan cheese for a yummy pesto – about a half-pint’s worth was frozen into individual cubes. We like making and drinking cordials so I’m experimenting with a lemon verbena cordial. That’s what in the jar behind the colander – a jar of freshly picked lemon verbena leaves steeping in vodka. I’ll add some sugar syrup in a few weeks.
I’m curious, how are you preserving summer these days? If you’re in the southern hemisphere, how are you enjoying your summer preserves?
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A 3-cup container of raspberries went into the freezer this weekend…!
It’s definitely a busy time of year. I’ve been picking blueberries and freezing them while still enjoying large bowlfuls as snacks and with meals. The same held true for the strawberries and cherries earlier in the season. As the peaches and other stone-fruit come in, I am starting to can the fruit halves – something I was so happy to have last year in the middle of February! I’ve been dehydrating fruit for fruit leathers… portable goodies! Veg too is getting frozen: sugar snap peas, eggplant, zucchini, green beans, etc. Canned veg is not to my taste, so a lot of room in my deep freezer is devoted to veg.
One of the nice things about having a glut of all these fruits/veg is the creativity it inspires – figuring out what to do with the bounty in the present, and calculating how much needs to be preserved for the colder months ahead.
I’m just starting on preserving. Some raspberries and some pesto have made it in to the freezer, and I hope to go for blueberries and peaches soon. I foresee lots of tomatoes, beans and cukes being preserved in various ways, but they’re still in limited enough quantities I’m enjoying them fresh.
I tried drying some tomatoes last night and was pleased with the results..I’m waiting for some old fashioned lids to fit my old fashioned jars..I want to be able to use them again.I’m doing my canning as I go along..my garden didn’t do well at all especially since the deer got wind of it….Ginny
I froze many quarts of blueberries and strawberries earlier this month. Now I’m dehydrating apricots as fast as I can. The rest of our produce from our garden or from the farmers market is being eaten fresh. The Roma tomatoes will be ripening within the week so I’ll be making lots of tomato sauce and dried tomatoes.
How exciting! Our summer squash and zuch. have just kicked in so I will be shreading and freezing those. Snap peas are in the freezer, with our heat they are about done for the year.
Lettuce is still going strong yet it is getting on the bitter side, I will let it go and dehydrate it for the chickens this winter.
We are so very new to so much of this that I always feel a bit silly joining in, but this year, we’re actually getting to put things up for the winter! It’s exciting, and fun, and while the learning curve is terribly steep, we’re laughing and leaning on each other as we stumble up it.
Last week, we put up 21 pints of pickled okra (we do love our okra!) and seven pints of pickled cucumbers. This weekend, I put up eight pints of diced tomatoes, and seven pints of tomato sauce. This coming week, I hope to put up more pickled okra, and some cherries and blueberries.
It’s hot ‘n sticky, here in Northern Alabama. I can’t say I’m “enjoying” it, but I’m not rendered inert this year, so that’s progress. (We are originally from the High Desert, in the Southwest, so the acclimation to the moist Southern summers has been a slow, painful one – tempered mostly by our anticipation of joy when we first smell Fall!)
Dy