My husband and I have had a garden every summer for years. I used to think of it only as a way to get great fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, and other vegetables during the summer. But in recent years my mind has turned to using what I grow, or purchase locally, year-round, as much as possible.
No, I don’t have a greenhouse. However, I do have a collection of books that provide instruction on how to can, freeze, or dry foods to enjoy even in the depths of winter. And—praise computers—I have the Internet, that modern oracle of enlightenment to which so many of us frequently turn for information on just about anything.
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| Cucumbers and summer squash—these are from Applefield Farm in Stow—can be canned. (Photo by Barbara Kemp) |
Armed with resources for everything I need to know, I’ve embarked on a yearly campaign to fill my pantry with locally grown foods in order to provide healthier choices for my family and save money. I still have in my pantry from last year relish, pickled jalapeño peppers, ketchup, dilly beans, and zucchini pickles. So far this year I’ve added black raspberry jam and black raspberry syrup; dried herbs—parsley, oregano, basil, sage, rosemary, peppermint, and chamomile; and a March harvest of maple syrup. My freezer is filled with the bumper crops of blueberries and black raspberries that came our way after the rains of this soggy summer.
However, the potatoes and acorn squash we stored in our cellar last year are long since gone, as is the garlic we stored in the kitchen. We didn’t know how to gauge just how many potatoes or how much garlic we’d need for a whole year, and the squash turned moldy from being stored in too damp an area. And as can be seen by the preponderance of condiments and flavorings that make up the cache in my pantry, I don’t have much stored that could actually serve as the centerpiece of a meal. I still have a lot to learn.
For years I’ve depended on my freezer to store ready-made meals, soups, and stews, but as many of us learned during last December’s ice storm, a freezer full of meals won’t go far when the lights go out. Another option for preserving some of these things is pressure canning, or even dehydration. Canned and dehydrated foods can be stored on the pantry shelf and will keep whether the power is on or not (making them less expensive than frozen foods). Canned foods do need to be heated before being used, which could still be a problem without electricity, unless you’re lucky enough to have a wood stove. Dehydrated foods can be eaten right out of the package if appropriate (not sure anyone would want to munch on dried onions), or can be reconstituted with heated water or broth to star in “instant” soup.
Canning is a relatively simple way to preserve foods. There are two canning methods: water-bath canning and pressure canning. Main dish-type foods and low-acid fruits and vegetables can be canned only by using the pressure-canning method since this is the only method that will prevent the growth of bacteria in foods that are low in acid.
My forays into canning have been limited to what I can do with a water-bath canner. Jars of foods that have a high acid content—pickles, relishes, tomatoes, and many fruits, jams, and jellies—can be processed in a hot-water bath, which, combined with the acid in the food, will kill bacteria. I plan to venture into pressure canning before fall fades this year—to “put up” things like chicken stock, soups, stews, and maybe even some corn, green beans, or beets.
Although canning is fairly easy, it is also extremely important to do it the right way to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. Excellent resources for canning instruction include the Ball Blue Book of Preserving, and the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, by Judi Kingry and Lauren Devine. Ball is a well-known manufacturer of canning jars, and recipes and methods in these books have been tested at the company. An excellent online resource is http://foodsafety.psu.edu/canningguide.html, which features the USDA’s “Complete Guide to Home Canning.”
Water-bath canners can be purchased at most hardware and department stores for $30 to $60, depending on size. Pressure canners, also available at these stores, cost from $70 to $270, depending on size.
Dehydrating, or drying, is another way to preserve foods other than condiments, although it may not result in a pleasing texture or flavor when used with some foods. This method is good for preserving herbs and for making meat jerky and other snack foods, such as dried fruits or fruit leathers. It’s a convenient way to preserve vegetables that might be used in soups.
Successful dehydration involves heating the food to a temperature high enough to dissipate the moisture that could lead to bacterial growth—but not so high that the food will cook—and maintaining dry air around the food as it dehydrates. There are several ways to accomplish this: with an electric dehydrator, in an oven, or in the sun.
Using an electric dehydrator takes most of the guesswork out of drying foods, and is the method I use. However, my experience has been limited to drying herbs and making apple rings for snacks. This year I plan to take on those soup starters and maybe even some beef jerky.
Information on dehydrating foods using solar power can be found at
www.thefarm.org/charities/i4at/surv/soldehyd.htm and
www.subsistencepatternfoodgarden.blogspot.com/2009/08/our-solar-food-dehydrator.html.
Electric dehydrators can be purchased for $40 to $70 at a number of department stores and websites.
An excellent resource for information on all preservation methods is Preserving Summer’s Bounty, published by the Rodale Food Center.
This year, thanks to the summer’s nearly unending rains, late-season tomato blight, slugs, cabbage moths, and other forms of pestilence, I won’t have as much from my garden to preserve as I’d like. But there are plenty of farm stands around, and there’s always the Harvard Farmers’ Market. Local foods waiting to be preserved still abound.