The Best Simple Ways to Preserve the Harvest
In this blog post, I thought it would be fun to share with you some of my favorite, simple ways to preserve the abundance of vegetables in our gardens this time of year.
I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love all of the fresh produce this time of year. Our local farmer’s market is bursting with tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, melons, and so much more.
Fresh vegetables and fruit make summer meals so simple. I will often just fix a meat or sandwich like BBQ pulled pork sandwiches and then serve some watermelon or creamy cucumber salad and you have an easy and delicious meal in no time.
While I love eating all the fresh produce, I also like to preserve as much as I can for the winter. While we do garden a little bit, it is so hot and dry where we live in Kansas that it is hard to grow much. I end up relying on my local farmer’s market for extra produce to preserve.
This is my very favorite book for all canning and preserving questions and recipes. It’s definitely worth the investment and something I turn to again and agin all season long.
Preserving zucchini
Zucchini is one of those things that always grows well and everyone has it in abundance this time of year. Unfortunately, zucchini does not can super well because it becomes mushy and there is a greater potential for food borne bacteria to grow.
However, with a little creativity, there are still a few great ways to preserve zucchini for later use.
Roasted – Cube or slice zucchini, toss with olive oil, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and then roast or grill it until tender and slightly crisp at the edges. It’s amazing alone or with a combination of other garden vegetables for an easy summer side dish.
Shredding – My favorite way to preserve zucchini is to shred and freeze it for later. To freeze, you’ll want to shred it and stuff it into freezer safe quart sized bags. I always grate mine by hand (this is a wonderful job for your kiddos to help with!), but I would love to have an attachment for my kitchen aid to make it go faster.
Most recipes that call for shredded zucchini require about 2-3 cups of shredded zucchini. Freezing it in portion sizes makes it super simple to just pull out one bag and use it in recipes. Keep in mind that shredded, frozen, and thawed zucchini will have a very hight water content, so you’ll want to let it thaw and then drain out as much water as possible before using.
Muffins – These are my favorite zucchini muffins. They are chalk full of zucchini and warm spices making them a delicious and nutritious breakfast or snack. Add a few scoops of protein powder for even more nutrition. You could also turn it into zucchini bread for another delicious and easy breakfast option.
Egg bakes – I love to use shredded zucchini in egg bakes. You can use both fresh grated zucchini or frozen. This zucchini frittata recipe is a summer favorite for all that extra squash.
Although it is generally not safe to can zucchini, this mustard pickle recipe is one zucchini recipe that is safe to can and it’s delicious on hotdogs, brats, and anywhere else you enjoy relish.
Preserving tomatoes
When it comes to tomatoes, the possibilities are endless. Unfortunately, where we live I really struggle to grow tomatoes as well, but I can usually snag some extra at our local farmers markets to use for my favorite tomato products, my favorite which is salsa.
Salsa – Salsa is so easy because you can do a traditional salsa and can it to use all winter long or make smaller batches of fermented salsa which lasts for months in the refrigerator. If you’ve not tried fermented salsa, let this be your sign. It is so good.
Salads – A fresh tomato and cucumber salad drizzled with italian dressing is a super simple side salad and goes perfectly with any summer meal.
Bruschetta – A classic bruschetta is another delicious way to use fresh garden tomatoes. For a more hearty main dish, try this chicken bruschetta.
Preserving peppers
To be honest, I don’t do a ton of preserving peppers, but we do love them for fresh eating.
The simplest way I have found to preserve peppers is to slice or chop them up and freeze them in freezer safe bags. They will retain some water, but if you are cooking them it won’t make a difference. I love to do this and use them in soups, fajitas, omelets, etc.
Fresh peppers can also be used in salsa and bread and butter pickles.
Preserving Cucumbers
Cucumbers are another vegetable garden favorite and often become abundant in later summer. Here’s a few simple ways to serve and preserve cucumbers.
Creamy salad – When you’re tired of eating them sliced with ranch, make them into a creamy cucumber dill salad.
Refrigerator pickles – Bread and butter and pickles are a favorite in our family and there is no canning required, making it a super simple recipe to whip up and perfect for those small batches of cucumbers coming in.
Dill pickles – If dill pickles are more your thing, use this recipe for either refrigerator or canned dill pickles.
Fermented pickles – Another fun and delicious way to preserve cucumbers is by making fermented pickles. Really, any vegetable can be fermented and is so delicious, plus full of nutritional benefits.
Sauces – Cucumbers are also delicious in tzatziki sauce and serve with Mediterranean dishes like gyros.
Preserving herbs
For fresh herbs, there are a few ways that you can preserve them for later.
Drying – Lay your herbs out on a drying back and stick them in a dehydrator for about 12 hours or until they are completely dried and crumbly. Crumble up with your hands and stick in an airtight jar and the herbs will last six months.
Olive oil – Another simple way to preserve herbs is to place them in an ice cube tray and cover with olive oil and freeze. Once frozen, pop out the ice cubes and place them in a freezer safe quart size bag. When ready to use, pull out as many as you need and thaw or toss directly into soups or sauces.
This works, especially well for things like oregano, basil, rosemary, and thyme. Most recipes you use those things in such as pizza and pasta, sauces or soups also use olive oil and this is a perfect way to preserve and use these herbs.
Fresh – If you’re looking to use your herbs fresh you can always sprinkle them into salads or pasta dishes with fresh chopped herbs for a delightful splash of color and also burst of flavor.
Try this basil pesto recipe for another fresh eating. It’s delicious on crackers, sourdough bread, or accompanying pizza or pasta.
Eggs and squash
Although it’s not produce, our chickens are also laying an abundance of eggs right how and I have also been working to preserve our eggs for the winter. You can read this blog post all about my favorite methods to preserve eggs.
Pumpkins are delightfully easy to preserve and there are so many delicious things you can make with pumpkin. You can read this blog post all about how I roast and make my own pumpkin puree.
Conclusion
I hope you’ve enjoyed some of these simple ways to preserve all of the summer produce coming in and maybe founds something new to try. I’d love to know, what are your favorite ways to preserve, eat, and use summer produce?
