As an avid home preserver I highly recommend considering preserving. You don’t have to preserve everything, but choose something that your family eats a lot of and that you have the time to preserve.

 

There’s nothing better than homegrown and home-canned produce. Of course, it isn’t practical to grow everything, or maybe you don’t have enough from the garden for a batch to preserve. I recommend checking out the Turlock Farmers Market or your local fresh produce stand!

Before You Start

When considering preserving, the first thing is to decide how you would use the end product. One thing I learned a couple of summers ago was that I love pesto so I made some from my abundant basil plants and froze it in 8-ounce jars. Well come to find out my family doesn’t love pesto as I do, so now I need to freeze it in ice cube trays, so it is portioned just for me.

In the previous few years, I have made lots of plain tomato sauce and canned it so I can make my own sauces. This is especially helpful during the cooler months when I cook a lot.  Since my son is now in school, I don’t have as much time to cook, so I need to prepare the sauces I normally would make and can now.

What Should I Preserve?

Think about how you prefer the fruits or vegetables to taste and how much work/time/materials you must use. I love canned corn much better than frozen. For some reason, I am very sensitive to the tastes of frozen foods, so I can it. Unless it is pickled, corn needs to be pressured canned, which means more time and a pressure canner to buy. So I did, but that is my preference.

Do Your Research

I recommend determining what you want to preserve, then researching how to preserve it and deciding how you want to. Make sure to use reputable sources for preserving, especially canning, directions, and recipes.

Preserving isn’t hard, but attention to detail is required. I recommend the Ball Blue Book of Preserving, available now at The Greenery, and any canning supplies you need! Have more questions? Drop by the nursery and ask for me, Adria or follow us on Pinterest!

So what do you want or plan on preserving? Leave your answers in the comment section, I’d love to hear them!

Happy Harvesting and Preserving!

-Adria

P.S. Here is my favorite online resource for preserving the National Center for Home Food Preservation

 

Follow The Greenery Nursery and Garden Shop’s board Preserving on Pinterest.