Canning gets most of the attention, but for a lot of what comes out of the garden, it isn't the best way to put food up. In this episode, we're opening up the rest of the preserving toolbox: freezing, drying, fermenting, refrigerator pickles, and good old-fashioned cold storage.
We'll talk about why skipping the blanch (or cutting it short) costs you flavor and color in the freezer, which vegetables you can freeze raw, and why a full freezer rides out a power outage twice as long as a half-empty one. Then we'll get into drying in a humid climate, why vegetables need a blanch before the dehydrator, and what the research does and doesn't say about home freeze dryers.
We'll make a simple, safe batch of sauerkraut, cover the one rule for fridge pickles, and wrap up with the temperature and humidity each storage crop wants, from potatoes and onions to carrots, sweet potatoes, and apples. There's a crop-by-crop quick-reference chart to download, and a fantastic fermenting book to check out.
Let’s dig in!
References and Resources:
Larry's Coffee (affiliate): https://LarrysCoffee.com/JustGrow
Download the preserving guide: https://justgrowsomethingpodcast.com/preserve
Fermented Vegetables by Kristen and Christopher Shockey: https://amzn.to/4zjI2g4
Freezing
- National Center for Home Food Preservation — Blanching Vegetables: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze/freeze-general-information/blanching-vegetables/
- National Center for Home Food Preservation — Freezing Tomatoes: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze/vegetable/freezing-tomatoes/
- National Center for Home Food Preservation — Freezing Onions: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze/vegetable/freezing-onions/
- National Center for Home Food Preservation — Freezing Bell or Sweet Peppers: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze/vegetable/freezing-bell-or-sweet-peppers/
- National Center for Home Food Preservation — Freezing Hot Peppers: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze/vegetable/freezing-hot-peppers/
- National Center for Home Food Preservation — Foods That Do Not Freeze Well: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze/freeze-general-information/foods-that-do-not-freeze-well/
- North Dakota State University Extension — Freezing Vegetables (blanching times, freezer loading, storage time): https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/extension/publications/freezing-vegetables
- University of Minnesota Extension — How to Freeze Fruit Safely: https://extension.umn.edu/food/preparing/cooking-at-home/food-preservation/freezing/freezing-fruit
- NC State Extension, Guilford County — Put a Freeze on Foodborne Illness: https://guilford.ces.ncsu.edu/2020/10/put-a-freeze-on-foodborne-illness
- University of Illinois Extension — Power Outages: https://extension.illinois.edu/food-safety/power-outages
- Li, L., Pegg, R. B., Eitenmiller, R. R., Chun, J. Y., & Kerrihard, A. (2017). Selected nutrient analyses of fresh, fresh-stored, and frozen fruits and vegetables. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2017.02.002
- National Center for Home Food Preservation — Food Dehydrators: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/dry/drying-general/food-dehydrators/
- National Center for Home Food Preservation — Sun Drying: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/dry/drying-general/sun-drying/
- National Center for Home Food Preservation — Packaging and Storing Dried Foods: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/dry/drying-general/packaging-and-storing-dried-foods/
- Penn State Extension — Let's Preserve: Drying Fruits and Vegetables (Dehydration): https://extension.psu.edu/lets-preserve-drying-fruits-and-vegetables-dehydration
- Colorado State University Extension — Drying Vegetables, Fact Sheet 9.308: https://extension.colostate.edu/resource/drying-vegetables/
- University of Minnesota Extension — Preserving Herbs by Freezing or Drying: https://extension.umn.edu/preserving-and-preparing/preserving-herbs-freezing-or-drying
- South Dakota State University Extension — Preserving Herbs: https://extension.sdstate.edu/preserving-herbs
- Utah State University Extension — Buying a Home Freeze-Dryer: What to Know Before You Go: https://extension.usu.edu/preserve-the-harvest/research/buying-a-home-freeze-dryer-what-to-know-before-you-go
- Utah State University Extension — Can I Freeze-Dry That? A Practical Guide to Safe and Effective Freeze-Drying: https://extension.usu.edu/foodsafety/research/can-i-freeze-dry-that-a-practical-guide-to-safe-and-effective-freeze-drying
- North Dakota State University Extension — Sauerkraut: From Garden to Table: https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/extension/publications/sauerkraut-garden-table
- Penn State Extension — Tips for Making Sauerkraut: https://extension.psu.edu/tips-for-making-sauerkraut
- UConn Extension — Fermentation: Preservation with Benefits: https://extension.uconn.edu/?p=3394
- University of Florida IFAS Extension — Fermented Foods: Sauerkraut, FS474: https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FS474
- NC State Extension Food Safety — How to Make Quick Refrigerator Pickles: https://foodsafety.ces.ncsu.edu/news/how-to-make-quick-refrigerator-pickles/
- University of Missouri Extension — Home Storage of Fruits and Vegetables in Root Cellars, MP562: https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/mp562
- Iowa State University Extension and Outreach — Storing Winter Storage Vegetables: https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/storing-winter-storage-vegetables
- Iowa State University Extension and Outreach — Growing Carrots and Parsnips: https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/growing-carrots-and-parsnips
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