Preserving the Harvest 

(Heather Shobe, Eden Tree Farm and Gardening)

Freezing 

• Blanch vegetables to preserve colour and nutritional value by quickly submersing in boiling water
• Lay out small or sliced fruits, or blanched vegetables, on cookie sheets. Place them in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer into plastic bags or glass jars. 
• It is easy to pit fruit once it has been frozen. Just thaw out the fruit and separate the pits from the mush. 

Drying 

• Experiment! 
• Use a standard dehydrator, lay out items in the sun between window screens, build a solar dryer, place racks by your wood stove, or hang herbs from your ceiling.
• Have a hot vehicle sitting outside? You can put sliced trays of fruit in your back seat to dry them out. 
• You can dry purees on parchment paper to create fruit leather. You can add yogurt, nuts, seeds, and spices! 
• Make sure you dry your fruit in a space with a high enough temperature to prevent the growth of organisms that can spoil your food. 

Fermenting 

• Don’t worry fermenting is safe to do. The lactic acid bacteria created during the process kills off other organisms that are harmful. 
• You can make yogurt, apple cider vinegar, and wine 

Canning 

• Jams, jellies and more!
• Two methods you can use are pressure cooking or a boiling-water bath to can your food
• Make sure you use good quality produce and find instructions on how to can from a friend, in a book, or online. 

For the full article about preserving food by Heather Shobe go to page 16 of the 2017 growers guide.