With an over-abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, home gardeners are often confronted with a common question: "How to preserve excess produce?"
An array of preservation methods exist, each having advantages and disadvantages.
Canning
Most home gardeners are familiar with canning. This method is popular for jams, jellies, preserves, sauces, pickles, and some vegetables. Canning is inexpensive to implement but requires considerable skill. Improperly canned foods can be hazardous.
Pickling
Pickling is a good short-term solution for many items. Popular foods include saurkraut (cabbage) Kim Chi (spiced mixed vegetables), and others.
Freezing
Freezing is the easiest and most common way of storing fresh fruits and vegetables. Most foods freeze well initially but have a limited freezer life. Frozen foods consume energy while stored.
Drying
Drying is another popular technique for storing food. Drying can be accomplished by simple sun drying, dehydrating, low temp baking, freeze drying, or other methods. Dried fruits and vegetables are sometimes stored in refrigerators or freezers.
Smoking
One of the world's oldest methods for preserving food, smoking can be an option with some foods. Smoking is most commonly done with meats but works well with other low moisture foods.
Related Information
Things To Do with Excess Fruits and Vegetables
