A few generations ago families relied on the practice known as “putting food by”, which is preserving food for future use. It meant having a well stocked pantry. The preserved meats, vegetables and fruit sustained them through the winter months into spring and early summer’s next harvest.
Today modern homesteaders are recapturing those traditional skills, ensuring that no bounty goes to waste. Canning, dehydrating, fermentation, and meat curing are time honored methods of preservation. Freezing food has been in place for a few generations, and we now have the added method of freeze drying.
With farmers’ markets providing an abundance of bulk produce, even those limited by garden space can dive into the world of food preservation.
You’ll find below 3 very easy preservation projects that even the most novice can master.
Preserve project # 1 Refrigerated Bread & butter pickles
Refrigerator pickles are a fantastic introduction to food preservation. Unlike traditional canning, they don’t require any special equipment or extensive time commitment. They can be made one jar at a time, so you don’t need a large quantity of cucumbers. Be sure to use cucumber varieties intended for pickling, and it’s better to use fresh-picked cucumbers or those from a farmer’s market. Grocery store cucumbers have a waxed skin that should be peeled before processing.
Here’s a basic recipe to get you started:
Tools:
- 1 Quart regular or wide-mouth mason jar and lid (wide-mouth is easier to fill)
- Knife (to cut off the blossom end of the cucumbers and slice them)
- Bowl (to hold the sliced cucumbers until ready to jar)
- Stainless Steel, Aluminum, or Glass Pan (for heating the pickling brine)
- Canning Funnel (to make pouring the brine into the jar easier)
- Ladle (to control the pouring of the brine into the jar)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups sliced cucumbers
- ½ cup thinly sliced onion (any type)
- ½ cup thinly sliced bell pepper (any color or combination)
- 2 cups white vinegar (more than 5% acidity—do not substitute with apple cider vinegar)
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon mustard seed
- 1½ teaspoons celery seed
- ¾ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 whole cloves
- 2 teaspoons salt
Steps:
- Wash the jar in hot soapy water and rinse in hot water. Let cool on the counter.
- Combine vinegar, sugar, spices, and salt in a saucepan. Over medium heat, bring the brine to a boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes.
- Put onions and peppers in a bowl and mix well.
- Using the canning funnel, layer the sliced cucumbers with the onion/pepper mixture until the jar is full. Mash down to pack tightly, leaving ½” headspace at the top.
- Fold a towel in thirds and place it under the jar.
- Using the ladle, pour the hot brine mixture into the jar, leaving ½” headspace. Insert a chopstick, skewer, or knife along the edge to release air bubbles.
- Wipe the rim of the jar and apply the lid and ring.
- Let the jar sit for 30 minutes to cool, then place in the refrigerator.
After 3 days, test a slice to see if it is to your liking. They can be ready any time from 3 days to 2 weeks. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 months (the flavor intensifies with time)—if you’ve not already eaten them all!
preserve project # 2 low sugar no pectin strawberry jam
Making your own jam or jelly is a delightful way to preserve fruits and enjoy their flavors year-round. Often homemade jams and jellies include the use of store-bought pectin, a thickening agent that helps the fruit achieve its thick, semi-solid consistency. Both lemons and apples contain unusually high amounts of pectin. They can be incorporated into jam recipes instead of store-bought pectin. This Low Sugar Strawberry Jam recipe uses natural pectin.
Tools:
- 8 oz jelly jars
- Canning lids and bands
- Knife (to remove hulls from strawberries and to slice them)
- Zester
- Large pot
- Water Bath Canner (available many places including Walmart and Amazon)
- Canning funnel (to aid in filling the jars)
- Ladle (to keep pouring into the jars more controlled)
- Jar lifter (invaluable when water bath canning)
- Towel (to place jars on)
- White Vinegar
- Kitchen towel
Ingredients:
- 8 cups Strawberries (preferably fresh, but frozen can be used; but will require longer cooking time due to the additional water in the frozen berries)
- 3 cups Sugar
- Lemon zest from 2 lemons
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- (or substitute 1 apple for the lemon)
Steps:
- Wash jars in hot soapy water, rinse, and keep warm.
- Fill water bath canner with water and put on medium heat.
- Rinse strawberries.
- Remove hulls from the strawberries. You can slice them to aid in mashing or just put the whole berries in the cooking pot. Mash with a potato masher if you prefer larger bits in your jam. Puree in a blender first for a smoother jam.
- Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar to the pot. Stir until well combined and sugar is completely dissolved. Bring to a boil, continually stirring to prevent scorching.
- Reduce to a low boil for approximately 20 minutes (time varies according to the water content of the berries) until the jam sets. Option 1: Candy Thermometer – Jam sets at 220 degrees. Option 2: Sheeting Test – Put a metal spoon in the freezer when you begin to make the jam. Take a spoonful of the jam mixture and watch how it drips off the spoon: Little individual drops – Not ready. Big gobs – Almost ready. It falls off the spoon in a sheet (or doesn’t move at all) – READY! Immediately take off the heat.
- Place warm jars on towel on the counter surface.
- Using the canning funnel and ladle, fill the jars until there is 1/4” headspace (from the top of the jar to the top of the jam).
- Moisten the kitchen towel with white vinegar. Wipe the rims of the jars. Place the lids and bands on the jars and tighten the bands “finger tight.”
- Using the jar lifter, place the jars in the canning rack that is in the water bath canner. The water should cover the jars by 1-2 inches. Place the lid.
- Bring the water bath canner to a boil. Once boiling, set the timer to 10 minutes.
- When the time is up, turn off the heat. Wait 5 minutes.
- Lay a towel, folded in thirds, on a counter in a draft-free area. Using the jar lifter, carefully transfer the jars from the canner to the towel.
- Let the jars sit for at least 12 hours. Check the seals by pressing on the center of the lids. If the lid gives, place the jar in the refrigerator to eat first. If the lid is sealed, wipe the jar and lid with a kitchen towel moistened with white vinegar and store in a dark area for up to a year.
Added note: When you prepare to use a stored jar of jam, always test the seal to be sure it is held. If it hasn’t, do not use.
preserve project # 3 fermented carrot sticks
Fermentation is an ancient method to preserve food. It enhances food’s nutritional value by providing probiotics for gut health. The process is simple—all you need is salt, liquid, and time! Any vegetable is a candidate for fermentation, and there are endless combinations to try.
How it works: Good bacteria—lactobacillus—is present on fresh vegetables. When immersed in a salty brine, the salt prevents bad bacteria from growing while allowing the good bacteria to proliferate. It keeps the vegetables crispy as a side benefit.
Fermented carrots are a great addition to any meal and provide a crunchy snack throughout the day. You can make a large batch or start with a single jar.
Tools:
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Large bowl to hold cut carrots
- ½ gallon wide-mouth jar
- Fermentation weight (can be a glass weight, a folded cabbage leaf, or a rock in a sealed ziplock bag; glass weights are available on Amazon)
- Cover (can be a fermenting lid, a loose-fitting canning lid, or a tea towel held in place with a rubber band)
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. carrots
- ½ gallon filtered water
- 4 tablespoons mineral salt (such as sea salt, Celtic salt, Himalayan salt; do not use table salt)
Steps:
- Prepare the brine: bring 2 cups filtered water to a light simmer, remove from heat, and add salt. Pour into a ½ gallon glass canning jar. Add remaining filtered water until the jar is full.
- Peel the carrots and slice lengthwise into strips.
- Pack the strips into the ½ gallon canning jar, leaving 1-2” headspace.
- Pour the brine into the jar, leaving the 1-2” headspace.
- Place the weight on top of the carrots/brine.
- Place cover and set where it will not be disturbed for 2-10 days. Length of time depends upon the temperature and your taste preference. You can test each day for flavor and texture. Once you are happy with it, replace the cover with a lid and band screwed tightly, and place in refrigerator. They will last 3-5 months.
Added note: the carrots will have their own carrot flavor plus a salty, tangy/sour kick. You can adjust flavor by adding pickling spices, such as garlic or onion, or dill.
Well, there you have it! Three great ways to start your food preservation journey. You will find there is an almost limitless list of preserving recipes you can try. The important thing is to embrace the joy of preserving your food and the sense of self relance it brings.