By Valerie Reinhardt, Horticulture Manager

One of the fortuitous side effects of the 2020 pandemic has been the upsurge in gardening. With everyone staying at home (and many with time on their hands), home gardening hit new highs. Many who have never grown vegetables, fruits or herbs now are admiring their new green thumbs and enjoying the fruits of their labor. 

Now that fall is here and the garden is producing in abundance, you may be wondering what to do with your produce and how to go about enjoying your harvest once the growing season is done. It may be time to look to the past and try out age-old methods of food storage. Numerous methods are available for preserving produce; the best one for you depends on what you are preserving and personal taste.

We can start with the simplest and most ancient method—drying. At some point, someone noticed that foods left out in the sun dried and did not spoil but still retained most of their flavor and nutrition. Dried foods took up less storage space and kept for a long time. Then they could be eaten dried or rehydrated in soups or other dishes. Drying vegetables and herbs is easy. Some foods lend themselves to drying by default, like beans. To dry beans you will want to harvest bean pods when they are leathery. Lay the pods in an area that gets good air circulation until hulls are dry. Shell and then store dry beans in sealed containers. For herbs, gather them in bunches and hang them upside down in a dark airy location or you can use a warm oven or a food dehydrator if you have one. A food dehydrator makes it easy to dry vegetables like peppers and tomatoes to add to your winter dishes too. Dehydrated fruits make excellent snacks. Citric acid is often added to prevent browning of certain fruits like apples and peaches. Once dried, store dried goods in a closed container to keep them from reabsorbing moisture that could lead to spoilage. Dried fruits and vegetables can be stored up to a year.

Not all vegetables lend themselves to drying, so another popular method to try is fermenting and/or pickling. Pickling and/or fermentation is the process of preserving or extending the shelf life of food by either anaerobic fermentation in brine or immersion in vinegar. Over time, the natural bacteria present converts the carbs and sugars into acid that suppresses the growth of other microbes. Sauerkraut is a good example of fermentation. With pickling you might automatically think of cucumbers or beets, but you can pickle just about any of your garden vegetables, from asparagus to zucchini. Just like fermenting, the acid in the vinegar preserves the vegetables and prevents spoilage. Both fermenting and pickling will change the texture and flavor of the vegetables (they will take on a sour taste). Refrigerator pickles do not need canning but have a limited shelf life while being stored in the refrigerator. Hot bath canning is needed for long-term storage.

Canning has been a staple method of food preservation for fruits, vegetables and meats for the past 200 years. To successfully can your items you must know what method will work best. Hot water canning is used for high-acid fruits, pickles and preserves and involves completely submerging sealed jars in boiling water. Pressure canning, on the other hand, is used for low-acid vegetables, meats, poultry and dairy and involves placing sealed jars in a pressure cooker to heat the food to a higher temperature than is possible with boiling water. Foods with a pH higher than 4.6 need to be pressure canned. Tomatoes are borderline and should have acid added to ensure safety for hot bath canning. Canning jars with lids that seal can be found in most grocery stores.

The invention of the freezer opened the door to another way of preserving summers goodness. Some vegetables freeze very well and keep their summer-fresh taste like green beans, peas, and corn. Blanching is necessary prior to freezing for almost all vegetables to stop enzyme actions that will cause loss of flavor, texture and color. Blanching entails immersing prepared vegetables in boiling water or steam for a set amount of time, then quickly cooling them in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process prior to freezing. The immersion time depends on the vegetables being preserved. To prevent freezer burn, remove as much air as possible from storage bags prior to freezing or use a vacuum sealer storage system.

Storing your harvest is a great way to enjoy your garden when the snow starts to fly here in Northeast Ohio. Preserved foods also make wonderful gifts to share with friends and family. Choose your method and follow the proper guidelines when preserving your harvest and enjoy the fruits of your garden all year long.