Growing your own fruit and veg is a great way to not only be eco-friendlier and teach your children about food, but also help you to save money! From reminding you about sterilizing jars in the microwave to giving you top tips we’ll show you how to preserve your summer harvest ready for the winter months!
Top 4 ways to preserve your summer harvest for winter
Here are 4 ways you can preserve your summer fruits and veggies ready for the winter months.
- Freeze it! This is the most obvious, quickest and easiest way to preserve your summer fruits and vegetables. To make sure they don’t freeze together, consider freezing them individually on a tray first, before transferring to a freezer safe bag and keeping them for use another day.
- Pickle it! The acidity of vinegar means that harmful bacteria cannot survive, which makes pickling an ideal option if you want to save your vegetables or fruit for later. Don’t forget about sterilising jars in the microwave before using them to store your pickled food.
- Salt it! Salt is a great way to dehydrate things and will stop organisms which could grow on your fruit and vegetables being able to do so. Simply submerge your veggies in water and add salt until you see it begin to deposit on the surface. Pop them in the fridge for around a week before draining and leaving to dry in a cool, dry place.
- Dry it! Removing all the moisture from your summer harvest means that you remove an essential element bacterium needs to survive – water! Using a dehydrator is the easiest method but be aware that drying out fruit and veg will change not just the look but also the taste and texture of the food.
3 ways to turn your summer harvest into products to keep for later
There are a few super easy ways to save your fruit for later; by turning them into something new! Here are our 3 top ideas:
- Make a jam. Cherries, raspberries and strawberries all make a delicious jam which is an ideal way to preserve these fruits. Recipes vary but ultimately you want to slowly heat sugar and fruit together; and once made you can keep it for a long while sealed and consume within 2 months once opened!
- Mix up your favourite tipple. Fruity gin and vodka are lush, and so easy to make, so why not turn your strawberries, or plums, into drink to enjoy and warm the cockles during the cold winter months?
- Cook up some crisps. Vegetable crisps are not only simple to make, but also a super healthy alternative to traditional potato crisps you might pick up at the supermarket.