Preserving your summer harvest: Keeping tomatoes, peaches, berries and more all year long

One of my favorite childhood memories is the attention I got from my mom when I wasn’t feeling well. She’d keep me home from school and feed me comfort food. This included her chicken soup and buttered toast, followed by preserved peaches. That fruit went down so smoothly that any ache was immediately soothed, and all but guaranteed a speedy recovery.

Memories of her canning efforts are etched on the front burner of my brain: her stern scooting of me and my older sister out of the kitchen so we weren’t harmed by hot jars and sticky stuff. She stored the canned goods on a long, rough-hewn shelf in the basement next to assorted garden tools and seed-starting containers. I still dream about the perfectly aligned, incandescent jars of canned peaches, tomatoes, pickles and, in some years, sweet cherries from the Flathead Valley in northwest Montana. — Betty Cahill

A preserving primer

Preserving home-grown food never goes out of style. There’s “renewed interest in preserving since so many people took up gardening in 2020,” according to Laura Griffin, county extension specialist for Colorado State University in Pueblo. Plus, with the closeness of grocery stores, farmers markets and seasonal farm stands, you don’t have to travel far to find home-grown produce to preserve without the effort of growing it yourself. The hardest decision to make is what vegetable and fruit you wish to preserve and the best method within your time and budget to preserve them.

Griffin’s advice is to “follow tested recipes explicitly for the highest quality and safe outcome.” (Check out CSU’s website Preserve Smart for methods to preserve many kinds of food.)

Another great resource is Ball Corp., a longtime go-to for food preservation information. Staffers there recommend using Ball’s canning books published in 2016 and beyond for the newest and latest safety and home-preservation methods and recipes, or go online for up-to-date information.

The best results in preserving come when fruits, herbs and vegetables are harvested at their peak. Toss or compost any that are damaged, bruised or over- or under-ripe. If the fruit or vegetable doesn’t taste good after harvest, the flavor won’t improve after the preservation process.

Preservation methods

Besides canning (water bath and pressure), common ways to preserve food include freezing, fermenting, drying, pickling and making them into jam or jelly.

Freezing vegetables is an easy preservation method. The general rule is to blanch them first, which means to immerse washed vegetables briefly in boiling water. Blanching helps prevent loss of color, texture and flavor. Times vary per vegetable. Once blanched, plunge them into cold water to immediately stop the blanching process, drain and place in labeled freezer bags.

Vegetables that can be blanched and frozen include beans (green, snap, wax, lima, butter, pinto), cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, peas, carrots, kohlrabi, rhubarb, summer squash, sweet corn, tomatoes and peppers. Be sure to fully cook beets, pumpkins, winter squash and sweet potatoes before freezing.

When I don’t have time to use the water bath canning method for my home-grown tomatoes, I blanch and freeze them in heavy-duty, gallon-sized plastic bags.

For fresh fruits: Wash, stem, dry and freeze on cookie sheets first, then store in freezer bags. Try blueberries, blackberries, huckleberries, elderberries, gooseberries, strawberries, raspberries, currants and rhubarb.

Drying or dehydrating removes moisture from food so bacteria, yeast and mold won’t grow. Food dehydration equipment and ovens are most often used. The short list of foods that dry well include apples, peaches, pears, tomatoes, grapes, plums and herbs.

Fermentation is where fruits or vegetables are cured in salt or brine for a week or longer to help the food produce lactic acid, which preserves the food and serves as a probiotic.

Canning. Water bath canners are made of either aluminum or porcelain-covered steel and are used directly on stove-top burners. The newest canners on the market are free-standing, electric stainless steel with built-in heat sensors. Either works well, so choose which canner suits you.

The preserving process of water-bath canning is to force air out of the jar and create an environment to keep out microorganisms that cause food spoilage. It is recommended for high-acid foods including tomatoes, pickles, sauerkraut, peaches, pears, apricots, plums, lemons, gooseberries and blackberries.

New canning research indicates some foods are less acidic so additional acidic ingredients should be added (lemon juice or white vinegar; see individual recipes). Laura Griffin points out that “white-flesh peaches, because of their lower acid level compared to yellow-flesh peaches, should be frozen for safe preservation instead of water bath canned.”

Pressure canning uses a heavy metal kettle with a lockable lid. The canners are used to process low-acid foods to destroy harmful bacterial spores that are present. Low-acid foods include okra, carrots, beets, turnips, green beans, asparagus, lima beans, peas, corn, meat and fish. Weighted gauge and dial gauge pressure canners are the only pressure canning equipment recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dial gauge pressure canners need to be tested for accuracy every year.

Pickling. Home canning to make pickled foods has been a traditional way to preserve food for thousands of years. Pickling is a broad term for many types of fruits, vegetables and meat that are preserved by immersing them in a solution made of water, vinegar, salt and spices. This pickling brine solution creates an acidic environment that prevents the growth of bacteria, which makes the food stay fresh and tasty for a longer time. Commonly pickled foods include cucumbers, peppers, green beans, onions, eggs, okra and radish. Watermelon, peaches, nectarines, chutneys and relishes can also be pickled.

Pickling cucumbers using a hot-water canner is good to try when preserving for the first time. My nephew Joe, who lives in Montana, was interested in pickling his own cucumbers after trying his grandmother’s pickles. “Nothing compares to home-grown flavor, and it is not too complicated,” he said. Recipes for the brine can vary, but he always adds fresh dill, cloves, white onion and pepper corns. (See one recipe from Ball below.)

Grow your own pickling cucumbers, which have a thin skin so the brine is better absorbed. Or find a farm stand or farmer’s market with pickling cukes, which should be refrigerated when purchased to keep them fresh until processed. Popular pickler varieties are Excelsior, Bush, Calypso and H-19 Little Leaf.

———————————————————————-

RECIPES

Savory Corn Pudding

In the past, as I planned my Thanksgiving menu, I’ve often lamented not freezing any of that Olathe sweet corn from the summer for my favorite corn pudding recipe.

But this year, I’m ready. Using the guidelines from “Keeping the Harvest,” by Nancy Chioffi and Gretchen Mead (Storey Books), I shucked and blanched fresh Olathe corn ears for 11 minutes in boiling water, then cooled them immediately in cold water. After draining well, I cut the kernels from the ears, packed them into plastic bags, then labeled and froze them. Come on, November. — Barbara Ellis

Serves 12. Source: Southern Living magazine.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons kosher salt

6 large eggs

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup salted butter, melted and cooled

2 tablespoons canola oil

6 cups fresh corn kernels (from 8 ears, see note)

1/2 cup chopped sweet onion

2 tablespoons (or less) fresh thyme, divided

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a small bowl until blended. Whisk together eggs, cream and melted butter in a medium bowl until blended.
2. Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add corn and onion, and cook, stirring often, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon thyme.
3. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir flour mixture and corn mixture into egg mixture. Spoon into a 13-by-9 (3 quart) baking dish, and bake in preheated oven until set and golden brown, about 40 minutes or more.
4. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon (or less) thyme.
5. Note: You can use kernels that you froze from fresh ears during the summer, frozen shoepeg corn from the freezer aisle, or petite white canned corn (but use higher quality if that’s the only option). This can be made ahead. Bake as directed, let cool, and then cover and chill up to two days. Reheat covered with foil.

Hays House Peach Pie

This is my go-to summer pie, one that my book club pals and friends clamor for each August, when peaches start to come in from Palisade. I’ve also made it in the winter, using peaches that I’ve canned. The color isn’t as vibrant, but it’s still amazing. (We’ve run this recipe before, but it’s worth telling you about it again. It’s that good.) Serve with fresh whipped cream or Cool Whip. — Barbara Ellis

Ingredients

For the crust:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

For the filling:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup dry peach gelatin

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 cup liquid (peach juice plus water)

1 or 2 drops almond flavoring, if desired

7 or 8 peaches

Directions

1. Mix dry ingredients together. Add melted butter.
2. Press into 9-inch pie plate and up sides, but not onto rim.
3. Bake crust 15-17 minutes at 350 until toasty brown. Remove and cool.
4. Peel and slice the peaches.
5. In a medium saucepan, mix sugar, gelatin and cornstarch. Add the liquid (peach juice and water). Boil 3-5 minutes.
6. Mix the liquid with sliced peaches and put into pie shell. Chill.
7. Top with whipped cream.

Kosher Dill Pickle Spears

When canning pickles, the whole process of sterilizing the jars, cleaning the two-piece caps, cutting the cucumbers, heating the pickle mix and water bath canner took less than two hours. Loading the cucumbers and the liquid into the jars took a few minutes more. Be sure to use a clean, damp paper towel to wipe off any liquid from the jar rim and threads before capping. Check the lids the next day for a good seal (the center of the lid won’t flex at all). If they are not properly sealed, eat the pickles right away, and refrigerate spears not eaten and use within a few days. There are many brining spice mix recipes out there; my nephew Joe always uses fresh dill, cloves, white onion and peppercorns. — Betty Cahill

This recipe is for “a classic pickle with big flavor and plenty of crunch,” according to Ball. Source: Ball Mason Jars. Yield: about 4 pint jars.

Ingredients

2½ pounds 3- to 4-inch pickling cucumbers

2½ cups water

2 cups white vinegar (5% acidity)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup pickling salt

Ball Pickle Crisp (available at most supermarkets and WalMart)

4 cloves garlic

4 small bay leaves

12 dill sprigs

2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds

4 small hot peppers (optional)

Directions

1. Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready to use, but do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set aside with bands.
2. Wash cucumbers and hot peppers in cold water. Slice 1/16 of an inch off the blossom end of each cucumber; trim stem ends so cucumbers measure about 3 inches. Cut cucumbers into quarters lengthwise.
3. Combine water, vinegar, sugar and salt in a small stainless saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower heat to simmer.
4. Place 1 garlic clove, 3 dill sprigs, ½ teaspoon mustard seed, 1 bay leaf, 1 red pepper, and Ball Pickle Crisp (if desired) into a hot jar. Pack cucumber spears into jar, leaving a ½ inch headspace. Trim any cucumbers that are too tall.
5. Ladle hot brine into a hot jar leaving a ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim. Center lid on jar and apply band, adjust to fingertip tight. Place jar in boiling-water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.
6. Water must cover jars by 1 inch. Adjust heat to medium-high, cover canner, and bring water to a rolling boil. Process pint jars 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat and remove cover. Let jars cool 5 minutes. Remove jars from canner; do not retighten bands if loose. Cool 12-24 hours. Check lids for seal, they should not flex when center is pressed.
7. Tips: Pickling cucumbers are small, crisp, unwaxed, and needn’t be peeled. Wide-mouth jars aren’t essential for pickles, but they do make for easier packing.

Blackberry Pie

I’ve been growing blackberries for years. Even though the yield isn’t what it used to be, I still manage to freeze a couple of quart bags of berries each summer to use in this pie (or for blackberry jam; see recipe at kraftheinz.com). I got this pie recipe from neighbor Joyce, who loved it so much that it became part of the cookbook compiled by her large Iowa family. You can use your own crust recipe, but this one from Betty Crocker is the bomb. — Barbara Ellis

Ingredients

For the crust:

2 2/3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 stick butter-flavored Crisco shortening

7-8 tablespoons cold water

For the filling:

4 cups blackberries (frozen OK)

3/4 cups sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons cornstarch (or more if thawed berries are too watery)

3 pats butter

Vanilla or berry ice cream for serving (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Defrost 4 cups frozen berries in the microwave, 50% power for 4-6 minutes (adjust for your microwave).
3. In a medium bowl, mix sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch. Add berries, partially frozen. Set aside.
4. Make the crust: Mix flour and salt, then cut in Crisco. Add cold water 2 tablespoons at a time. Roll out bottom crust into 9-inch pie plate. Add berries and top with pats of butter. Roll out top crust, cover and seal edges. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 30 minutes. Cover crust with foil to prevent burning and bake for 10 more minutes.

Grape Jelly

Concord grape vines meander along the south side of my Congress Park home. LOTS of grape vines. Even after the squirrels have had their way with them, there are still enough berries left to make several batches of grape jelly.

I use a stovetop juice steamer to get the liquid out of those sweet little gems. Many grape jelly recipes call for adding water when using store-bought grape juice, but with fresh grapes it’s not necessary. We’re using the traditional water bath canning procedure here. (Be careful not to burn yourself with that scalding jelly.)

After it sets, store the jars in a cool place. Best if used within a year. Or fancy up a few of the little darlin’s and put ’em in a cute basket. Voila! Christmas gifts for the neighbors. — Barbara Ellis

Makes about 8 half-pint jars. Source: Sure-Jell and food.com. (Find lots of recipes for fruit jams and jellies using Sure-Jell at kraftheinz.com.)

Ingredients

5 cups grape juice (from about 3 1/2 pounds of ripe Concord grapes)

1 (1 3/4 ounce) box of Sure-Jell pectin

1/2 teaspoon butter or margarine

7 cups sugar, measured and set aside

Directions

1. Make the grape juice using clean washed grapes (pick out leaves and stems before juicing). If not using a juice steamer, slip skins from 3 1/2 pounds of grapes. Mix grape pulp and 1 cup cup water in saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 5 minutes. Press through sieve to remove seeds.
2. In large pan, bring 5 cups of grape juice, fruit pectin and butter or margarine (to reduce foaming) to a full rolling boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
3. Stir in sugar all at once, and bring back to a full rolling boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
4. Remove from heat. Skim off foam with metal spoon.
5. Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 minuites or longer. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely.
6. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)
7. Label and store in a cool place for up to 18 months.