As far as preserving goes, I’ve been off my game this past season. My garden’s are lush and green but I’ve had a lot of trouble with bunnies. They’ve already taken out my spring carrots, beets, and chard, and now, going into the fall growing season, have demolished my green beans. It’s frustrating to say the least.
What I need to do is put up some temporary fencing around some of my garden beds but I really didn’t want to do that in the front yard. Oh well… I think I’m surrendering to the bunnies this year and in my crop rotation next year, will make sure to sow my root vegetables in a bed that’s higher off the ground. Hopefully that will keep the sneaky little bunnies away.
However, now that it’s September, my hot summer vegetables are in full producing mode so it’s usually in this month that I spend the most of my time making quite a few batches of pickles and preserving for the winter to come. That’s right, September is not just back-to-school month but preserving-the-harvest month as well.
Also, if you’ve had bunny troubles of your own or don’t garden, it’s not too late to start picking up extra vegetables at the farmers market to preserve. It’s during this time of the year that your farmers have a bounty so you can even think about asking them if you can buy a bulk purchase of tomatoes, cucumbers, peaches, zucchini, okra, corn, beans, etc..
Today, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite simple foods to preserve before it’s too late!
Simple Foods to Preserve Before It’s Too Late!
1. Roasted Red Peppers in Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2. A Simple Recipe for Homemade, Fermented Pickles
3. Canned Peaches and Nectarines in Honey
4. Canned Salsa Recipe and Lacto Fermented Salsa Recipe
5. Blanching Vegetables to Freeze
7. Lacto-Fermented Cortido (Sauerkraut)
10. Naturally Sweetened Jam and Jelly
These are the preserves that I make nearly every year. Some new preserves that I plan on sharing with you this month are zucchini relish, tomatillo/green tomato salsa verde, hot green pepper salsa, and fermented hot sauce. It’s going to be a busy September for sure!
Marinara sauce, pizza sauce (same sauce but thicker), stewed tomato juice, stewed tomato sauce, green beans, pear sauce, pear juice, and peaches. Pickles, sweet and dill. Chopped tomatoes, salsa, ketchup, BBQ sauce, potatoes, black beans (I grew some this year!) and applesauce. I also can chicken broth.
I have been canning with my pressure canner a lot – beef, chicken, beans and salmon. Of course, I have also been canning fruit juice, jellies and whole fruits, along with salsa and sauces. I also throw my tomatoes in the freezer and then can them in the winter when I have more time and the house isn’t so hot!
A note about bunnies, they do not like wood ash. Spread around perimeter of garden. I also picked up a couple of gopher chasers at local home improvement center. Bunnies don’t like the sound they make.
Great tips, Anette! Thank you!!
Sometimes I think the question should be what I *don’t* like to preserve. I have a problem!
This year, I would consider my simple preserves to be fermented dill pickles, fermented salsa, fermented dilly beans (these are SO good), raw packed tomatoes, and canned nectarines. I found out you don’t need to peel nectarines to can, so that saved so much time it was ridiculous. Otherwise, I have done lots of other preserving: jalapeno garlic sauerkraut, rhubarb jam, peach jam, apricots, pickled peppers, tomato sauce, and so much fruit/veggie freezing. I am ready for winter to eat it all!