Having an abundance of fresh vegetables and fruit is a blessing, but sometimes it can be overwhelming to find ways to use it or store it. Here is all the information you need to prolong your garden harvest and get the most out of it.
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Planting a garden in the spring is so exciting. Watching it grow, beginning to see the fruits of your labor, and the anticipation of harvest to come. But what do you do with all that produce when you have it? Last year was our first year in this garden, we didn’t hold back, we planted everything we could and had so many fresh vegetables at the end of the summer. We were scrambling to find ways to preserve it so we didn’t waste any food. An abundance of fresh vegetables is what you want, waste it not. In a world where food is not easy to come by for everyone, being aware of food waste is a must.
It’s a blessing to have a garden that gives an abundance of fresh foods, I mean that’s the goal, right? But it can be overwhelming when the veggies just keep coming. Good thing is, there are many ways to use your garden harvest that will prolong its life so you can enjoy it later and share it with your community.
store it right
Find the best way to store your fruits and vegetables. Some last longer when chilled and some go bad faster if chilled so it is important to know the best for each. Now, that can be a lot to remember, so when deciding if it goes in the fridge it’s usually good to keep the veggies in the refrigerator, and fruits (including tomatoes) on the counter, with just a few exceptions.
Fridge
Vegetables like peppers, squash, green beans, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms (in a paper bag), brussel sprouts, celery, carrots, corn (husks on), peas, asparagus, and zucchini should be stored in the refrigerator. Herbs can be stored in the fridge also, but put a damp paper towel over the bottom to extend its life and store lettuce in an airtight bag.
Counter
Fruits like melons, bananas, citrus, eggplant, and tomatoes should be stored on the counter. There are a couple of vegetables that do better on the counter like cucumbers, garlic, onion, and potatoes. Store potatoes and onion away from each other as they will cause each other to spoil faster.
Start on the counter, move to the fridge
Okay, just to throw another layer on this, there are a few things that can start on the counter and move to the fridge to extend the life. Berries can be stored on the counter, but they will spoil faster, so store them on the counter for a couple of days to enjoy at room temperature and then pop them in the fridge. Other produce that can start on the counter and move to the refrigerator are apples, mangos, pears, and, avocados.
Eat Fresh
This may seem obvious, but many times we have good intentions to eat our fresh produce and then we find it mushy in the fridge. Harvest only when you are ready to eat it and plan your weekly meals around what is ready to harvest.
One of my favorite things about having a garden is being able to pluck off a fresh poblano pepper for stuffed peppers or snapping some asparagus for fresh asparagus puree. Think fresh with every meal, how can you add some fresh vegetables into your meals? Having ramen for lunch? Add fresh onion, broccoli, or peas. Having pasta? Make it out of zucchini instead.
great fresh recipes
SWEET AND TANGY BROCCOLI SALAD
sage to silver
HEIRLOOM TOMATO SALAD WITH BURRATA AND HERB PESTO
tastemaker
LEMONY KALE, WHITE BEAN, & AVOCADO DETOX SALAD
local milk
BEET AND BURRATA SALAD WITH FRIED BREAD
pinch of yum
Drying and Dehydrating
Drying and dehydrating is a very easy way to preserve your garden harvest. It’s easy to dry herbs by loosely tieing them in bunches and hanging them in a cool, dark place for 4 – 6 weeks until crispy. Crumble the dried herbs into small pieces and store them in spice jars.
Dehydrating is not only a great preserving method, but it is kind of fun! You can dehydrate in the oven or purchase an inexpensive dehydrator to make all sorts of dehydrated treats. Try banana, beets, pineapple, apricots, apples, and mango.
Okay, to all my Friends lovers out there, do you remember Eddie? Chandler’s really creepy roommate? Well, as much as he was creepy, I can relate to his excitement about dehydrating – “I’m a dehydrating maniac!” Me too, Eddie!
Freezing
Freezing is a great option to prolong the shelf life of your harvest and you can pretty much freeze anything. A lot of fruits and vegetables can be frozen raw, but some do better blanching first. Blanching helps to slow the enzyme actions that create a loss of flavor and color.
Quickly blanch vegetables like green beans, corn, asparagus, and peas. Plunge them in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Place in freezer bags getting as much air out as possible and place in the freeze. I usually use two freezer bags or you can wrap the bag in freezer paper to extend the storage life. Most fruits and vegetables will last a year in the freezer, you can continue to freeze after that but the quality will lessen.
Another great way to use your vegetables to freeze is to make a big batch of broth or soup, store it in freezer containers, and place it in the freezer.
Canning and Pickling
Canning is one of my favorite ways to preserve our garden harvest. There are so many amazing canning recipes that you can try. Salsa is something we can every year, it uses a lot of vegetables and you can enjoy it all year long. Once you get started with canning, it is relatively inexpensive.
One thing you should get before canning anything is a book on canning and preserving. The all new Ball book of canning and preserving or the Ball the Blue Book. After that, you just need a little bit of equipment, jars, and lids and you can start canning.
For non-acidic veggies, a pressure cooker is needed to ensure you kill the botulism bacteria (very important!) but salsa, jams, and some pickled recipes do not need a pressure cooker, and can just be canned with a hot water bather.
Canning is great, but it often takes time and easily can take up your entire day. Pickling is an option that doesn’t have to take a lot of time. Although you can water bath can pickled recipes, there are a lot of refrigerator pickling recipes that can be put together in under 30 minutes and will last in the fridge for a couple of months. This refrigerator pickle recipe from The Kitchen Girl is one I often use and it is so good!
CANNING AND PICKLING RECIPES
GREEN CHILI SALSA
sage to silver
REFRIGERATOR DILL PICKLES
the kitchen girl
APPLE BUTTER
sage to silver
PICKLED BEETS
root and bloom
Donating
Last but certainly not least. When we have an abundance of fresh vegetables it is a blessing and it is also a blessing to be able to share with our neighbors and community. There are many food pantries that will gladly take fresh produce, some local schools will take fresh produce and food shares are a great option as well. Ample Harvest has a great tool to help find food pantries in your area.
Sources: Farmer’s Almanac, Chopra
