Preserving Your Own Food

Whether you grow your own food or buy from nearby farms and farmers' markets, chances are that at some point you'll have too much of something to eat before it spoils. It is a seasonal joy to have plenty of fresh produce and really enjoy it in its prime. I'll eat tomatoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner when the tomatoes are in season. When I was young and lived out in the country and had a big garden, I remember dinners filled with sweet corn, cantaloupe, and tomatoes. What a treat!

But when you're really overloaded, you'll want to think about how to save some of it for later. There are a few basic ways to preserve food and each has some advantages as well as disadvantages.

Using Your Freezer

Freezing is definitely less labor-intensive than canning, for the most part. However, you are dependent on electricity to keep that freezer running. If you have a power outage, you could lose all your hard work! Plus, you might need to figure out the cost of keeping an extra freezer running year-round. Newer freezers are much more efficient, of course, but can require a big investment right up front. Some fruits and vegetables can be frozen raw; others will need to be blanched first.

A few thoughts to keep in mind.

First, label everything! What seems obvious as you're packing is not so crystal clear a few months later when you're trying to figure out what's in that container.
Square and rectangular containers will waste less space in your freezer (as they do in your pantry). Freezer bags are quite easy to use and affordable, but the quality of the cheap ones can be questionable.
If you want to use freezer bags for liquids, fill the bags then lay them down flat on a cookie sheet while freezing. Later, you can stand them up in a rectangular container and "flip" through them to find what you want.
Organize your freezer shelves in some fashion that makes sense to you. You might have cooked sauces and vegetables on one shelf, frozen fruits on another, and meats on a different one.

Canning

Canning is more labor intensive up front, but when you're done, you can line the shelves of your pantry with your efforts and not worry about the power going out. I have to say that I love looking at the rows of glass jars filled with food! When I was young, we had a funny little room in our house that was really nothing but a long hall lined on each side with shelves. I loved being sent out after dinner to "pick some canned fruit for dessert." The rows of gleaming jars filled with applesauce, pears, peaches, apricots, tomatoes, pickles and various jams was a sight to behold!

Food Drying and Dehydrating

Drying your own food is easy and efficient. You don't need much equipment at all. In general, start with the best fruits and vegetables. Look for ones without any blemishes and choose ones that are ripe but not overly ripe. Try to keep the pieces all about the same size so they will dry in about the same amount of time.

To dry vegetables, you'll generally need to steam blanch them first, to deactivate the enzymes that can cause foods to spoil. Here's a handy chart to see how long to blanch each vegetable. You can get even more information on the Clemson Extension site. You can air dry outside on screens, purchase a food dehydrator, or use your oven. One of the most unusual things I ever dried in my dehydrator was watermelon. It was like candy and the kids couldn't get enough of it! Tomatoes and apples are the most common things for me to dry.

Drying herbs is much easier than fruits and vegetables. Try to harvest your herbs right before they flower or bolt (when they would form seeds), after the dew has evaporated but before the sun is at its peak. Tie together small bunches of them at the stems and hang them with the leaves pointing down. I do this in my garage--makes it smell heavenly! When they are completely dry, remove the leaves and store in a glass container in a dark cupboard or in a dark glass container.

More Information

Contact your local extension office for information about classes and equipment they might offer in your area. Here are a few off-site resources for more information on canning, drying, and freezing your food:

North Dakota State University Extension Services
Clemson University Freezer Basics
Clemson University on Drying Vegetables
The DMOZ directory on canning and freezing

Here are a few good books to learn even more: