When Autumn temperatures start to climb below freezing, I immediately think of all the beautiful kale still growing in the garden. Sure, I've eaten my fill over the spring and summer, but it feels horrible to imagine those abundant beds of kale turning into mush in freezing temperatures. It's time to get serious and preserve some kale. Luckily, there several ways to preserve kale, and here I'll share my favorites! Overwinter Kale The easiest way to preserve kale is to keep it growing in the garden! Although most northern latitudes will not have adequate sunlight for the kale to put on new growth in the winter months, many kale varieties will survive temperatures into the low 20’s F … [Read more...]
How to Blanche and Freeze Fresh Green Beans
One of the simplest ways to store food is in the freezer. You can freeze just about anything - fruits, veggies, herbs, meat, jelly, baked goods - with little equipment save a freezer and some plastic bags or other containers. This week I had the opportunity to buy 20# of fresh green beans from a local farmer. While I saved some for fresh eating, and made a small batch of lactofermented dilly beans, the rest of the green beans were frozen. This post will show you how to blanche and freeze green beans so you can enjoy them all winter long! Should I Blanche Green Beans Before Freezing? Almost all vegetables should be blanched before freezing. Blanching stops enzymatic activity which can … [Read more...]
Canning Equipment for Beginners – Your No-Frills Equipment Checklist!
If you are new to canning, this beginner's canning equipment guide from Jenny at The Domestic Wildflower will help you get started canning in a way that is easy, fun, and safe! Jenny is going to walk you through her essential list of canning equipment and supplies so you can finish out the harvest season with a collection of home-preserved goods! (But don't worry - you don't have to spend a fortune - many of these items can be found at thrift stores or yard sales!). Welcome, Jenny! Your homestead is likely producing all kinds of bounty, and preserving that harvest is such a satisfying, fun, and important step. I’m Jenny and I teach beginners how to can over on my blog, The … [Read more...]
The BEST Fire-Roasted Jalapeño Fermented Hot Sauce Recipe
Tantalize your taste buds with this smoky fermented hot sauce recipe. This easy homemade hot sauce will be a table staple and makes for a creative food gift! One of our favorite ways to preserve hot peppers is to turn them into a lacto-fermented hot sauce. This condiment graces our table every night, and while I’m not the type to add hot sauce to my pasta and meatballs like my husband Brian, I appreciate a bit of spicy tang on my pork tacos and egg burritos! This year we decided to shake up our usual homemade hot sauce recipe and fire-roast the jalapeños before fermenting for a bit of smoky flavor. The results: Ah-mazing! Here is our fermented hot sauce recipe to make and to … [Read more...]
How to Preserve Beet Greens
With a hard freeze on the horizon, I spent much of the weekend preparing the garden for the cold and harvesting vegetables for the root cellar. Although my beets may have survived the freeze, I opted to lift them out of the ground - after all, the sooner I prepare my garden for winter, the sooner I can move on to my favorite winter activity: knitting. When you pull 70 or so beets out of the ground, you end up with a LOT of beet greens. I have written previously about vegetable storage in a root cellar, and intend to store my beets with these methods. This blog post will show you how to preserve beet greens for winter eating. How to Preserve Beet Greens The first step in preserving beet … [Read more...]
How to Grow, Harvest, Cure, and Store Sweet Potatoes
In this post, I'll share not only how to grow sweet potatoes, but also how to harvest, cure and store them to enjoy all winter long! Over the past few years, my gardening efforts have shifted from growing a bit of everything to growing what does best in my climate and what actually fills the bellies of my family. That has meant fewer melons and more potatoes; only one trellis of cucumbers and three beds of winter squash. And because they are incredibly easy to grow in our zone 5b garden, lots and lots of sweet potatoes. In this post, I'll share how to grow sweet potatoes and how to harvest, cure and store them all winter long! How to Grow Sweet Potatoes from Slips Sweet … [Read more...]
Four Ways to Preserve Green Beans
Even as summer draws to a close, our late season crops continue to produce amazing harvests. After a few soaking rains, I simply can't keep up with my pole beans! We plant the variety Blue Lake Pole Bean and use a cattle panel trellis to support the growth. Because we love fresh green beans (our favorite recipe is a simple sauté with sesame oil, soy sauce, and sesame seeds) we eat most of our harvest fresh from the garden. However, we try to preserve green beans for winter enjoyment with at least one of the following methods: canning, freezing, dehydrating, or fermenting. Four Ways to Preserve Green Beans Harvest Festival: Preserving Tomatoes, Green Beans, & Peppers Preserving … [Read more...]
How to Hang Onions for Storage
Many years ago, a friend taught me her method of hanging onions for storage. I tried it right away, and was hooked! This is one of the easiest and quickest ways to hang onions, because it only uses a rope, and the onions themselves. What I love most about this method is that you can easily see each and every onion, so you can keep track of any that are rotting. That is much more difficult when your onions are stored several layers deep in a basket! Before hanging, you'll want to make sure your onions are fully cured - I like to lay mine out in a shaded, covered, but well-ventilated location for two weeks or so, until the outer skins are papery and the stalks are fully dry. When you're … [Read more...]
How to Make Sauerkraut
One of the easiest fermented foods to make at home is sauerkraut. With only two ingredients - salt and cabbage - it's hard to get wrong, and the results are so delicious that you'll want to make it again and again. Check out this tutorial on how to make sauerkraut, and once you've mastered the basic recipe, try adding new vegetables, spices or herbs to make a more sassy flavored kraut. How to Make Lacto-Fermented Sauerkraut 1) Start with the freshest cabbage you can find. Green or red head cabbage is perfect, but you can also use Napa cabbage. 2) Slice, grate, or food process your cabbage of choice. I like my sauerkraut on the chunkier side, so I use a knife to coarsely … [Read more...]
