If you had a garden this summer, it was probably thriving due to the gorgeous summer we had.
Not sure how to preserve all of those extra fruits and veggies you grew? Here are a few tips!

Canning

Canning is one of the most popular ways to preserve your vegetables for the long winter. It tends to make vegetables soft, so make sure to remember this when choosing which veggies you’d like to can. You can always use them in soups which is perfect for the winter!

Some of the best vegetables to can are tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, carrots, potatoes, peppers and corn. Did you have apple and peach trees this summer? Try canning applesauce, apple butter, peach salsa, or apple pie filling! Berries work well too!

Pickling

Our summer garden was thriving with cucumbers, so all summer long we looked for things to make involving them. This included pickling them and turning them into pickles! Start by making a brine of vinegar & water – add in fresh herbs, garlic, peppercorns, and our favorite red pepper flakes to give it an extra bite!

Check out this article on pickling any vegetable.

Freezing 

Having a peach tree in the backyard is amazing during the summer, it was wonderful being able to add fresh peach to a smoothie every morning. Freezing fruit is one of the easiest things and you’ll have fruit all year round! Make sure to use a zip-close freezer bag or even vaccum seal your bags in portion sizes.

Did you know you can freeze spinach, kale and chard too? Onions & peppers can also be frozen. Make sure you blanch your vegetables before freezing them, this helps preserve the color, texture and slows down the enzyme activity which helps them last and stay fresh!

Dehydrate

Dehydrating veggies and fruits is one of the most fun ways to preserve your produce! Dehydrated produce can last 8-10 years if sealed properly. Dehydrating also work wonderful for soups, trying onions, carrots, bell peppers, celery and kale!

You can dehydrate meat to make your own jerky, turn bananas and apples into chips, make fruit leather, or make vegetable crisps!

Check out the many ways to dehydrate food.

Jams and Jellies

Jams and jellies make a wonderful gift for the holiday! Here’s a few recipes to check out!

and an absolute favorite Hot pepper Jelly

Freeze herbs in ice trays

This is one of the easiest ways to preserve your herbs. Preserving hers in oil can sometimes reduce freezer burn and browning.

Grab an ice tray, put your chopped or whole herbs in, fill it with water and put it in the freezer. Transfer to a zip lock freezer bag. Easy Peasy! Frozen herbs can last up to 12 months.

Here is a nice tip on freezing basil