The main growing season is coming to an end and we are frantically picking the last of our harvest. One of the hardest parts of growing vegetables is what to do with it all, if like me, you have once again over estimated what you can eat on a weekly basis. Each year varies with what is the most abundant. This year broccoli, spaghetti squash and swiss chard have taken the prize. I also have plenty of potatoes, tomatoes and green beans.
Store your stash
Potatoes, garlic, onions and winter squash (spaghetti squash, pumpkins, acorn squash, butternut squash) need very little processing to get them ready for storage. The main thing is to ensure they are dry on the exterior. Brush off excess soil but don’t wash them. Lay them out to dry for a week or two in a single layer for potatoes and squash or in small bunches for onion and garlic.
Potatoes
I like to use pizza boxes (empty out crumbs and don’t use if there is a lot of grease in the box). This allows me to lay out the potatoes in a single layer and then stack the boxes. This doesn’t work for very large potatoes but most of my potatoes can be stored in this way. I then cover the stack of boxes with a cloth or bag to keep the light out and put them somewhere cool. There needs to be some airflow and it shouldn’t be too dry.
Having the boxes stored this way makes it easy to check for bad potatoes that need to be removed and if a potato does go bad, it only affects the one box. I bring in the boxes one at a time to use the potatoes and then recycle the pizza box.
It does of course mean you have to order take out pizza from time to time but sacrifices must be made…
Winter Squash
Wipe over the skin with a damp cloth before storing them on a shelf in a pantry, cupboard or vegetable basket. Check them from time to time for soft spots which indicate they need to be used right away or discarded in the compost.
That’s right, I couldn’t resist showing off George the Giant Pumpkin again!
Garlic & onions
Brush off excess soil and lay them in a single layer to allow the outside skin to dry. Then either tie up in bunch plait them together or trim off the stems and store them in a vegetable basket somewhere cool and dry.
Don’t store onions close to potatoes. They will cause the potatoes to sprout.
Carrots
Carrots require a bit more moisture to be stored without getting dry and wrinkly. It’s possible to store them in damp sand. I haven’t tried this myself, so if you do, let me know.
Preserving the perishable
Some vegetables can’t be stored without some sort of processing to preserve them. Peppers, tomatoes, summer squash (zucchini, marrow, pattypan etc.) beans, broccoli, cabbage, carrots all require something extra to ensure they last.
Canning
Many people think canning is all about jam and chutney but it can be more simple than that. I like to cook and sieve tomatoes to make a passata style sauce that can be used for pasta sauces, chili, stews soups or casseroles. Many vegetables can be canned simply for use at a later date.
Canning is an extensive subject but a few basic rules are essential to follow.
- Make sure you get the canning instructions from a qualified source. The companies that produce canning equipment often produce comprehensive guides or try looking for a canning association or guidelines from a government food agency.
- Stick to the recipe. There is a reason for the amount of sugar, salt, vinegar etc. in a canning recipe beyond flavour. These items also help ensure that microbes don’t grow in the food.
- Always ensure your canning equipment, jars and lids are cleaned and sterilised before use and pay particular attention to food hygiene.
Freezing
This is the method of preserving I use the most. It’s great for peas, hot peppers, broccoli and green beans plus raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries.
Peas are easy. Shell them straight into a freezer bag and pop them into the freezer. Hot peppers? Rinse, pat dry and drop in a freezer bag. I like to chop hot peppers while they are still frozen as it reduces how much juice I get on my hands.
Broccoli and green beans need to be blanched first:
- Wash the broccoli and green beans in cold water to remove dirt and bugs.
- Bring a large pan of water to a rolling boil.
- Next to the stove, have a large bowl with an ice bath.
- Small amounts at a time, drop the vegetables into the boiling water for approximately 1 minute.
- Immediately remove with a slotted spoon and drop into ice bath.
- Drain completely, and place on a freezer proof tray (metal baking tray is ideal) lined with wax paper.
- Place in freezer for an hour or two. Once the pieces are frozen, you can take them off the tray and put them into a freezer bag together.
Drying
This method is perfect for herbs, vegetables you will use for soups and casseroles, tomatoes, some fruits and beans.
Herbs can be air dried by hanging bunches from a place where air can freely circulate around. For everything else you want a dehydrator (unless you live in a country with very hot, sunny days and little humidity).
Vegetables that you are drying should be near perfect with little or no blemishes. Follow the instructions for your particular dehydrator. It’s important not to crowd the dehydrator as this can prevent proper drying.
If you are washing your vegetables first, dry them thoroughly to remove excess water before placing in the dehydrator.
Be prepared for changes. Commercially produced dried fruit and vegetables often have chemicals added to keep them close to the original “raw colour” as they dry – think apricots. Your fruit and vegetables will likely darken or change colour completely as they dry. This is OK and completely natural.
Flavours will also slightly change. Fruits generally become sweeter and vegetable flavours get more intense.
Beans can be left on the plant to dry while the weather is good then brought inside to finish drying before shelling. I like to keep my beans in relatively small batches so that if there is a bug in one batch, as can sometimes happen, only a few beans are lost.
Food Banks
If, after all of the above work, you still have leftovers, consider contacting your local food bank to see if they can make use of the vegetables by donating to families in need. Soup kitchens may also be able to utilise your produce if you have a large enough quantity.
It is important that you have agreement from the food bank or soup kitchen before you show up with the produce, otherwise the food may go to waste and disposing of it will just add to the workload of the already busy staff and volunteers.
Give Thanks
Now that your harvest is safely stored away, take a moment to rest and appreciate everything you’ve grown in the past year before cleaning up the garden and planning for next year!
We find you can also freeze green beans without blanching. Jus wash, top and tail then leave to dry. Once dry put in freezer bag and freeze.
Good to know!
Good article, lots of useful info.