Garden Preservation

 

Mid-August: my garden has reached its peak. We have enjoyed the fruits of its abundance: crisp salads, tasty sauces, and grilled produce. Now, it is time to store up for the cool fall and cold winter months ahead.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have blanched and frozen excess green beans and freezer-bagged beautiful blueberries.

I cooked up a large pot of pasta sauce, its ingredients gleaned from my raised beds: four types of tomatoes, garlic, onions, basil, oregano, and parsley. We feasted on a portion, and I placed the remainder in the freezer.

Last weekend, I tackled the start of the root vegetable harvest. I began by pulling up the four rows of carrots: two of Nantes carrots, the other two mixed color. Four large buckets of carrot greens topped off my rotating compost bins.

I packed the carrots, layered in fine pine sawdust, into wire bins lined with burlap. They will overwinter in our unheated basement.

The red and white onions were prolific, yielding dozens of plump bulbs. After extrication, they are curing in plant trays under the shelter of our carport. This article details how to harvest, cure, and store onions.

Once the skins are papery dry, I will place them in bamboo stackable bins, seated on a rolling platform.

The garlic didn't do as well, but we’ll enjoy its pungent flavor.

Fortunately, we are not dependent on the beet harvest for survival. This small selection will be cleaned and pickled. Here is a recipe for Quick Pickled Beets.

Do you can or preserve your garden vegetables or farmer market treasures?

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