For many folks, the summer herb garden is in a period of transition. Cool-weather herbs like cilantro and dill are going to seed, while the heat-loving herbs like basil and oregano are getting big and taking over. You worked hard to put those plants in the ground and have been reaping the benefits for many weeks now, but it’s becoming harder to keep up, and you’re frustrated to think of so much going to waste. What can be done?
Your freezer can hold summer’s harvest for months, but only if you prep your vegetables the right way. One quick step makes the difference between vibrant, flavorful vegetables in January and a bag of mush you push to the back of the freezer.
Imagine your kitchen shelves lined with colorful mason jars filled with dehydrated fruits, vegetables, herbs, and powders. Some jars hold snacks, while others contain ingredients for soups and casseroles or ready-to-eat meals that require just hot water. You might even have jars of dehydrated sourdough starter or powdered greens for adding a nutritional boost to your meals.
If fearmongering were an Olympic sport, the news media would earn the gold medal. Regularly, we hear horror stories stressing the supposed dangers of home-grown, home-processed, and home-preserved foods, as if they were inherently more harmful than their industrial counterparts.
Sometimes, all we need is a little nudge from a friendly neighbor or trustworthy mentor.
As gardeners and homesteaders, we can get overwhelmed by trying to learn all the things. We cope by sticking with what we know and developing a routine, to the exclusion of other very practical and worthy skills. That’s how it was with Carlee.
If you’re someone who enjoys growing loads of food and preserving your bounty, or can’t resist a fantastic sale on seasonal produce, you’ve probably found yourself in a pickle at least once before. Maybe it was the middle of June, and you were standing in your kitchen with 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of green beans, wondering whether to can them, freeze them, or do some combination of the two.
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