With fall fast approaching, now’s the time to stock up (if you haven’t already).
Head over to your local farmer’s market or farmstand and grab the last of the fruit, peppers, and herbs.
Fresh fruit can be sliced and frozen.
Peppers can be dried – hang them in a cool, dark, dry, humidity-free place (like your cellar) or oven-dry them on cookie sheets on the lowest setting or in a dehydrator.
Herbs can be air dried by tying them in bunches with string and hanging them upside down, then crumbled and stored in airtight containers.
Slice, blanch and freeze vegetables you’re gonna miss over winter. To blanch, you’ll need a large pot of boiling water and a large bowl of ice water. Drop your cut veggies into the pot of boiling water for no more than 3 minutes – a metal strainer works best for this. Remove and immediately plunge into the bowl of ice water. Drain well, place in freezer safe containers or bags, and freeze.
Tomatoes – slice tomatoes and/or make tomato sauce ahead and can or freeze it.
Freezer tip: Your freezer can only freeze so many room temp or cold items at a time. Start with no more than 5 bags and wait a couple of hours before adding more bags.
For more information on canning and preserving, click here.
