Preserve the Season

When it comes to preserving a North Carolina harvest, it is never too soon to start.  Late winter's greens lead to asparagus, sugar snap peas and strawberries, followed by bountiful summer crops, like tomatoes, peppers, squash, okra, beans, corn and eggplants and early Autumn's cooler temps signal it's time to bring in winter squash, potatoes and peanuts.  As moons cycle though months, gardeners can almost always find something to cut, pick or dig.  Kitchens are Ground Zero madness with canning, freezing, pickling, drying and storing and exhausted preservationists seldom have time to admire the bounty until winter, when pantry shelves and freezers hold delicious preserved harvests. 
 

Preserved harvest, 2015: It's a start

Preserving food is a great way to save ingredients that work well with fresh harvests from other seasons.  For example, cilantro is a cool weather crop and when tomatoes ripen in western NC, cilantro has long since bolted, bloomed and gone to seed.  San Marzano, Amish Paste, Japanese Plum and other paste tomato varieties are easy to can and when cilantro thrives, in late fall or early spring, canned tomatoes are perfect for salsas that highlight the fresh herb flavor.  

Our family loves oyster stew and several years ago, I developed a recipe for soup base that uses summer squash.  Since squash plants are long gone when oyster season arrives, I can the soup base and add a small amount of cream and fresh oysters when I serve it.  It is a delicious way to preserve a lot of squash and the soup is also good without oysters. For the recipe and instructions to make this soup, visit Seedtales
 

Canned squash soup base is healthy and delicious

Blueberries are now in season and between the air (birds) and ground (deer, squirrels and insects) assaults currently being waged at my home, I am fortunate to claim any for my kitchen.  Aside from jam and herbed vinegar, I preserve blueberries by freezing them.  To enjoy blueberry flavor throughout the entire year, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place berries in a single layer on the paper.  Pop in the freezer until berries are frozen and feel like marbles.  Store in freezer bags and use the frozen berries for pies, breads or cakes, top hot or cold cereals or just eat from the bag.  

Blueberries are easy to freeze

Happy Preserving!