Saving money on groceries is only a small part of the reason I like to put summer food up for winter meals. Why not take advantage of the local fresh produce while it’s at its peak?  It offers the best flavor and nutritional benefits at a reasonable price.  Plus you are eating foods grown in the region you live which is good for the body, for the environment and for the local economy.

We were gone a lot this summer visiting kids and grand kids but even with all the travelling and garden negligence we managed to get some food put away for winter.  In addition to the following preserved goodies from our garden, we dry and freeze the great variety of fresh fruit grown in our area. When I’m particularly industrious, we freeze them in whole  pies (see 10 Peach Pies in the Freezer It’s Easier Than You Think!) .

Last year I dried 16 cups of mixed greens from our garden and mixed them with green peppers, onions and parsley that we dried as well. It was ground all together and used in sauces, soups, potatoes, on pasta and eggs.  That is worth repeating with using chard and kale. It’s a great way to add greens into our food – especially for our grand kids!  Trying to get some peaches in before grand baby #6 was born, we managed to can several quarts before making the trek down to meet her.  The fall harvest will hopefully add some apples and squash to this list

Our system for preserving is always morphing.  I’d love to hear your favorite ways to preserve the harvest.

Until next time,

Amy