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Keeping It Fresh
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* TOMATOES do best at room
temperature- not in the fridge. To help a not-quite-ripe
tomato along, place it under a sheet of paper and it will
continue to ripen.
* WINTER SQUASH
will
keep well until spring if you gently wipe the outside clean
using a solution of about 1 teaspoon of bleach in a quart (four
cups) of water before storing in a cool place out of the sun.
Our Kabocha squash (the dark orange one that looks like a small
pumpkin) is an exception, and should be eaten more quickly.
* Extend the life of your POTATOES
simply by leaving them dirty and storing in a basket where they
can breathe, in a cool, dark place. We keep ours in the
garage in a bushel basket covered with an old comforter and have
enjoyed them well into March.
* APPLES keep best in the
coldest part of your refrigerator.
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Laura's Pantry
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I typically can about 60 quarts of tomatoes each year, which gets us through the year nicely. I don't do anything fancy, just skin them by dipping them in boiling water and then dropping into ice bath.
Then pack them into quart jars, smashing them as I go. Each quart is topped with a teaspoon of salt (not required) and then the rim is well cleaned before sealing the jar. Just a little hint, I line all the jars in a row before adding the salt and make my way down the line to reduce opportunities for mistakes. I process the jars with the water bath method. |
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We use these through the year in several ways- we like them in
Zicu Zicu, as a base for many soups and stews, and even just spooned onto a loaf of Italian bread (slice bread down the center lengthwise, drizzle olive oil and salt it before broiling, and then when it comes out from the broiler add the tomatoes.) Sam's dad always called this his "Specialty," and we refer to it the same way. :)
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Pickled beets are another thing I make every year- usually a couple dozen
pint jars. There are many variations on the recipe, but it is essentially a sweet pickle type juice, and I like to add a bit of cinnamon as well. These are simple to can in a water bath and make a great accompaniment to a roast or a barbecue.
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I try to make a few kinds of fruit syrup when the fruits are in season- choose whatever flavors please you the most. I absolutely love peach-raspberry. Pictured is peach syrup on a waffle. We don't usually put whipped cream on so I had to fight the kids off to take the pic. :) I had a little trouble with blackberry syrup this year because of the high pectin levels in our blackberries- you may need to watch this and thin it down a bit. Luckily I had some volunteers make a lot of toast to take care of the blackberry syrup that turned into jam...
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Berries right out of the freezer are great for smoothies, or just snacking on right out of the bowl. I usually freeze the raspberries and blackberries as is, in a baggie, and some of the strawberries the same way. The remainder of the strawberries I slice and mix with sugar, allow them to create some juice, and then bag and freeze them. |
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Pre-sweetened frozen berries make an excellent base for a fruit salad, just add whatever else looks good or a can of mandarin oranges, some pineapple, and maybe slice a banana or two. We never have a drop left over. Return
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In the last few years we've also started to dry some of our produce to be able to use it in the winter. The plum tomatoes (upper left) dried beautifully, as did the whole jalapeno peppers, (bottom right). I soften the tomatoes in boiling water before chopping into pink tomato sauces (like for vodka rigatoni) or grind them as part of a dry blend to use with olive oil for dipping bread. Sam is the only one of us that can handle the jalapenos, so I leave those for him!
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We had an abundance of rosemary this year and dried quite a bit of it. It packs a lot more flavor than the stuff in a bottle at the store. And so easy to dry! Just hang the branches out of direct light for a week or so until they are brittle, not pliable anymore, then strip the leaves and package into airtight containers. We like to parboil potatoes and then roll them in olive oil, sprinkle with salt and ground dried rosemary, and crisp them in the oven. Delicious! Return
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Preserving
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