Preserving and Storing Food That We Grow

“Preserving and storing garden produce extends the harvest season, reducing food waste, cutting grocery costs, and ensuring access to nutritious, homegrown food – bridging the gap between growing seasons (what our pioneer ancestors call ‘the hungry months’.  
It builds your level of self-reliance, providing food security against shortages, and enhancing emergency preparedness.  

APPROPRIATE preserving methods retain more nutrients than many store-bought options, while allowing you to control ingredients, minimizing additives, preservatives and extra sugar.  
APPROPRIATE storage methods will allow your family to enjoy seasonal fruits and vegetables throughout the winter.  

Below, we’ll discuss discuss 6 different ways of preserving food and best storage methods suited to each food you grow in your backyard. We’ll also take a few cautionary side trips to ensure food safety.”   – Cindy Suelzle

What is the Hungry Gap?

The hungry months (‘hungry gap’ or ‘hungry season’) refer to the time, usually between March and May, when stored supplies from the previous year’s harvest have run out, and before the new season’s crops are ready to be harvested.  Historically, this was a time of food scarcity, with families being forced to rely on limited rations, forage for wild food, and eat nutrient-poor diets. Proper food preservation and storage aim to reduce or eliminate the hungry gap.

Right off the bat, let’s dispel a few common misconceptions that I observe over and over.

Myth 1:
Harvest is at the end of summer.
Sometimes new gardeners have the idea that gardening is like a sandwich. They expect to plant in the spring and harvest in the fall.
Truth:
If you’ve gardened for awhile, you know the truth is very different. Aside from the near daily attention of watering and weeding, you can begin eating out of your garden within the first few weeks after planting (in garden talk that’s almost immediately), and throughout the growing season. Harvest is an ongoing process all-season-long. That means you’re picking and eating of course, but also picking and freezing, picking and canning, picking and pickling or fermenting, and picking and dehydrating all that is not consumed right away.

Yes, there will be things you’ll be harvesting at summer’s end – like winter squash, root vegetables, apples, plums and grapes, but that doesn’t take into consideration all the other fruits and vegetables (especially garden greens) that you’ll miss if you wait.

Myth 2:
Fresh food from the grocery store is the BEST option nutritionally.
Truth:
The word “fresh” has been stretched and misused to define all sorts of things. The produce in the grocery stores should best be defined as ‘perishable’ instead of ‘fresh’. To be clear, I am not dissing perishable fruits and vegetables in the produce department of our favourite grocery stores. In Alberta, this is the only way we’re ever gonna enjoy pineapple or bananas, or mangoes or citrus fruits, or let’s face it – many other things. All I’m saying is – be reasonable about your nutritional expectations. Don’t expect a mango we buy at the grocery store to be everything it was in the hour it is harvested.

In many cases, it often takes a week or more after harvest before produce arrives on our grocery store shelves, and this, after being picked before it’s ripe. Since all produce begins deteriorating within the hour it’s harvested, having it be two weeks from harvest before we even see it is a problem. Sometimes, preserved food might actually be more nutritious than the older perishable food in the produce department.
Open your mind to some new considerations.

Myth 3:
Storing food will make it last indefinitely.
Truth:
Nothing STOPS food spoilage, it’s food! It’s not indestructible, but certain methods of preserving slow spoilage down. That is the best we can hope for. No matter what you hear, no stored food lasts indefinitely. Be reasonable.
Nutrition is optimum the fresher it is, of course, and it is best used within a certain time frame. All storage methods have limits that are shorter than we might assume.

Generally this is what you can expect with preserving:

1. Canned food – commercially canned or home-bottled food has a recommended shelf life of 18 months to 2 years. Two years is the time frame I try to work within. Nutritional value is approximately 40% of whatever that food was when it went into the bottle. That nutritional value decreases as it ages, so yes, we may all know someone who has bottled peaches from 2018 on their shelf, but just because it’s there, doesn’t mean it should be eaten. The nutritional value is so poor . . . . Just EAT the doggone thing or give it to the chickens!
   Get it over with! What are you waiting for?
2. Frozen fruits and vegetables if prepared properly have a recommended shelf life of 4 months to a year. For me, I use a year as my benchmark. Nutritional value is approximately 60% of whatever the food was the hour it went into the freezer. The key is to have it in the freezer as close to harvest time as possible. Don’t forget about it in there.
3. Dehydrated foods have a Potential Shelf Life of – 1 year for fruits, 6 months for vegetables, 1-2 months for meat (6 months if vacuum sealed. I say potential because there are so many factors to consider when dehydrating at home. How long between picking time and the dehydrator? Did you remove all the moisture? Are you certain? How are you storing it? Best practise is to store in coolish room temperatures (no less than 40 F / 5 C and no higher than 70 F / 20 C), out of direct light. Nutritional value is approximately 80%; again the key is prompt processing.
4. Freeze dried foods has the potential for a 25 year shelf life IF done properly, IF packaged properly, and IF stored properly. Freeze drying is a gentler process preserving and protecting food value. Nutritional value could be over 90%, with a lotta variables in the shelf life. How you package your freeze dried food will influence its long term stability. A sealed oxygen-free can or jar has the longest storage potential. A high quality mylar bag – provides a top 5-8 year shelf life.

It is impossible to achieve the coveted 25 year shelf life in a typical home kitchen – no matter how expensive your freeze-drier is. So stop having unreasonable expectations, and agree to live with the way things are. Freeze drying is a good way to preserve, but if you have to buy the food you’re going to freeze-dry, you’re already behind the 8 ball.
And if you don’t store it properly , it will not last as long as you think it will.

The key to success for all preserved food – is ROTATION.
Rotation means you USE it! 1st in – 1st out. Commit to using the food you preserve.

Community

One of your greatest resources when learning how to preserve the food you grow (or acquire) is other people. Everyone has an idea you’ve never tried (or even heard about) before. Don’t be stuck in the way you’ve always done things, just because that’s how you always have. But just because your girlfriend’s mom did things a certain way, doesn’t mean that’s best either. Be open-minded and willing to LEARN, willing to try new things. Be wise and pay attention to details. And then share your successes and failures with others so everyone can get better.

get a good book you can trust

I am not saying this is the book you must have (in fact, it’s out of print), but there are other excellent resources available with important details that will be invaluable to you in your food-preserving journey. Look around, do some research and FIND a GOOD BOOK that will not only give you great suggestions and recipes, but more importantly – tell you how to can, and the times to boil your jars, what times and pressure to use when you’re pressure canning, suggested steaming or blanching times when you’re canning etc. These are very important details.

These things have been (and continue to be) studied in test kitchens for decades. What temperatures and times are needed to safely preserve food? What temperatures kill the toxins that cause botulism? Don’t depend on your memory, don’t depend on what Aunt Martha has always done, and if you use google, be very cautious about where you take your information.

before we go on, we must take an important cautionary side trip . . . . . don’t skip this part below, it could save your life

Botulism! is nothing to trifle with.

What is it?
Botulism is a rare but serious condition caused by a toxin that attacks the body’s nervous system. It can cause life-threatening symptoms.  All forms of botulism can be fatal and are considered medical emergencies, but for our purposes here, we’re only talking about Foodborne Botulism. 

Harmful bacteria can thrive and produce toxins in low-oxygen, and low-acid environments. The bacterium responsible for botulism grows best in these conditions which is why improperly processed home-canned or bottled foods pose a higher risk. Freezing does not destroy the bacteria or it’s spores. While boiling can destroy the toxin itself, it does not kill the spores, which can survive and later produce more toxin under the right conditions.

Strict adherence to cleanliness, and ensuring that proper canning methods are used when home preserving is more important than we might suspect. Fruits and vegetables should be washed thoroughly before using. Glass jars should be cleaned with hot soapy water, rinsed with hot water and kept clean till used. It is not necessary to sterilize jars if they will be processed in a hot water bath for at least 10 minutes.

Only high acid foods like some fruits and in some cases pickled vegetables, should be canned in a hot water bath canner.
Why? A boiling water bath (212°F) is only safe for high-acid foods (fruits, pickles, jams) because the acid prevents the botulism spores from germinating, even though the heat does not kill them.

Low acid foods: vegetables, legumes, soups, sauces, meat and fish should be processed in a pressure canner under recommended pressure. Don’t guess about the what pressure to use, or the timing, always use a reputable guide.
Why pressure? Because botulism spores are highly resistant to heat and can survive boiling water, but they are destroyed at temperatures of 240°F and above.¹ which are only achievable in a pressure canner. 

Key Facts About Pressure Canning and Botulism Safety:

Temperature Requirement: To destroy botulism spores, food must be processed at 240°F (116°C) or higher, using 10-15 pounds per square inch (PSI) of pressure.

EATING “IN THE SEASON”

Years ago (for nutritional reasons), I decided to focus our eating IN THE SEASON, preserving the EXCESS of what we could use immediately. Consequently, we eat primarily out of our garden from the beginning of May through the end of September. Other than the watermelon we buy constantly throughout the summer, 90% of our fresh produce comes from the garden. Like everyone else, I still like summer fruits we cannot grow in our climate: peaches, nectarines, citrus, and blackberries – when all those fruits are at their best. Lucky for me, I live in a place where I have the best of both worlds.

Every growing season will be different; not every vegetable will do great every year. Some years are going to be great tomato years, some will be better green crop years. It is important to diversify what we grow to give us the best variety and chances for success. For instance, our growing season – summer of 2024 – was the perfect lesson for why diversification is a good idea.

It threw some unexpected curve balls at us: April was cold, May was cold and excessively windy, even June was cold and very windy. ² I was still planting my garden in the middle of June – a full month later than than I ever have before. But then the weather was perfect for weeks at a time. By mid July most things had caught up. Who knew? April, May and June of 2024 was perfect spinach weather, but unfortunately for me, and uncharacteristically, I hadn’t planted any spinach. Booooo me.

MAY

What is typically ready in my yard (and probably your yard too) in May?
* Early greens like spinach if you got it planted early enough (April, or even the previous August is a good time).
* Volunteer Greens: Lambs Quarters – a common garden edible weed that is very much like spinach in many ways. Dandelion leaves – open your mind – when they’re very young, (young dandelion greens are nice added to a salad). Giant hyssop is an edible native plant that comes up early. Chickweed (yes, another common garden edible weed) that springs to life as soon as the ground warms up.
* Sorrel, one of the earliest garden greens.
* Rhubarb is at its best at the beginning of the season.
* Chives, Garlic Chives and Welsh Onions are up and big enough to start picking for meals.

JUNE

What is ready in my yard (and probably your yard too) in June?
* All your herbs.
* More early greens, including lettuces.
* Early strawberries.
* Haskaps are the first fruits of the season – usually ready before the middle of the month.
* Rhubarb is full on and at its best in June.

JULY

By the first of July, you should be eating something from your garden every day.
Peas, beans, more greens including Asian greens, kale, the first cucumbers, every kind of herb, and the first tomatoes, zucchini and onions, black currants and more strawberries.

AUGUST

Very soon the excitement of first ripening turns into mass ripeness – all ready to harvest at the same time. Zucchini that gets so big you can use it for a piece of furniture, or it sits on the counter for several days before you use it; kale that grows bigger by the hour; more salad than anyone can enjoy, and more basil-wrapped-tomatoes than you can put on any table. Who has time to do take-out in the summer? And why would you?
There is so much to eat every day right in your garden.

Part of the beauty of summer is the healthful benefits of eating in-the-season. Shop for dinner every day from your garden. There’s nothing like fresh sour cherries or plums from the tree, or those first crisp apples!
But don’t miss the more subtle offerings:
parsley that is ready fresh all summer long – with plenty to be dehydrated for use all winter,
kale that we can literally pick every day and it never stops producing, with lots left to freeze or dehydrate.
Gardeners, we have carefully tended our food plants since the weather warmed up, so be open to all the ways they want to give back to us. In some cases, the more we pick, the more will keep coming. When we let vegetables like peas, beans, cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes stay on the plant longer than needful, they start to over-ripen in an effort to produce viable seed, signalling the plant that producing time is over. They’ll stop producing more fruit, and focus on going to seed.

We sabotage our garden’s quality and quantity by not constantly harvesting throughout the entire growing season.

Picking cucumbers every few days as they ripen will keep the plant producing. You’ll have some to enjoy today, some to give away, and some to put up for winter for several weeks.
Same with tomatoes:
freshly sliced on toasted sourdough bread,
in your garden salad of course,
fresh bruschetta on fresh sourdough,
fresh salsa,
roasted pasta sauce,
– enough to eat fresh, enough to share and enough to put up for winter.

STORE WHAT YOU EAT AND EAT WHAT YOU STORE

Preserving means NO WASTE, and extending the season – but never at the expense of eating IN the season. We really can have plenty of both, ironically by picking more. And there are several different ways to preserve, some more suitable than others, each with it’s own advantages, disadvantages and optimum shelf life. Not all methods are suitable for all produce. Be open-minded and employ a variety of methods to take advantage of the best options. When you eat what you store, you will have greater success in keeping your food properly rotated. This is what is meant by Food ROTATION.

When harvesting, be GENTLE. All fruits and vegetables are easily bruised and damaged; that damage will affect how long they’ll last. Use injured produce immediately, and the less severely injured ones as soon as possible. Go through your stored vegetables frequently, discarding all that are showing signs of spoilage.

1. COLD STORAGE
   Choose the coolest area in your house or garage that is clean with no risk of freezing. Do everything you can to keep it cool: lowest level if you’ve got a basement, no windows, outside walls if possible, no carpet, no heating vents, and dark. Vegetables like potatoes and onions will last for months, beets for a couple weeks at best. If you have a very cold room, you may even be able to keep carrots packed in CLEAN sand for an additional month or two, and possibly even cabbage short-term if it’s cool enough. COLD STORAGE is a temporary short-term storage method, extending the season another month or two or three – the key being to EAT it, don’t leave it there for months. Rotation is important.
   Most modern homes are not built for cold storage.

2. REFRIGERATION
Room is always an issue in any fridge and over packing your fridge reduces its effectiveness to keep everything at a consistently cold enough but not too cold temperature. Additional fridges have additional costs involved in running them. It is an excellent, though temporary, short term storage method. Count your time in weeks at best. Eat your food storage to keep it rotated.

Refrigeration and Freezing are 100% dependent on electricity. For this reason, I don’t consider anything in either one part of my food storage. They are for convenience only, and let’s face it – freezers are mighty convenient. But if you lose power, you’ve lost a LOTTA food. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket – in the fridge or freezer basket.

3. FREEZING
Again room is an issue, and leaving foods too long in the freezer is a common problem. Rotate your frozen food, 1st-in 1st-out. Short to medium short-term storage when properly prepared, packed and labelled.
Freezing retains approximately 60% nutrition IF prepared properly and frozen quickly after harvesting.
Recommended shelf life of frozen food is 4 months to 1 year, depending on what it is. And yes, I know your mom has food in her freezer from 3 years ago. Again, the recommended shelf life is 4 months to 1 year.

4. CANNING
Two methods of canning:
using a hot water bath with boiling water reaching 212 degrees F,
and a pressure canner, which uses steam and pressure to reach up to 250 degrees F.
Hot Water Bath canning is for high acid fruits. I always add lemon juice or vinegar – depending on the flavour it’s going to give the fruit. For instance, to a quart jar its recommended to add 2 Tablespoons lemon juice or double that for vinegar.

5. JAMS, JELLIES AND SYRUPS
I always process these lovelies in a hot water canner. It is possible to freeze jams but I choose not to. Freezing always seems to require more sugar, and freezer space is a premium in my house. ³
for directions on how to make your own jam click HERE

5. DEHYDRATING
is one of the oldest ways to preserve foods, keeping them safe to eat and maintaining reasonable nutrition. Estimates are that up to 80% of original food value is preserved. Times to dehydrate range from 1-2 hours to 24+ hours, depending on what you’re drying. Pay particular attention to ensure there is no remaining moisture in individual pieces.

Do NOT dehydrate high fat foods such as avocados, olives or nut butters, or dairy as the risk of food poisoning is too high. I personally do not dehydrate any kind of protein either.

For optimum storage keep in a cool, dry, dark place at temperatures below 60 degrees F or 15 degrees C. Dried foods should be good for up to 12 months depending on storage conditions. Vacuum sealing dehydrated fruits, vegetables and herbs will extend the shelf life for up to 10 years. The vacuum seal prevents oxygen from entering.

6. PICKLING OR FERMENTING
While I have pickled various vegetables over the year: cucumbers, beets and carrots, it seems our family are not big pickle fans so I haven’t kept it up.

We are however, big SAUERKRAUT fans. I like to make a batch of sauerkraut in the late fall – November for the winter.

7. FREEZE DRYING
Freeze drying is a relatively new option in home preserving. Commercially, its been on the market for 40+ years, but quality was a little hard to find. Since the year 2000 it became increasingly more available for purchase, but as with most things, the quality varied greatly.

The process is two step:
Step 1 is to FREEZE, and step 2 is to remove all remaining moisture WITHOUT thawing. The key to the highest nutritional quality is – how fast can one get it from field to freezer? and how fast can one freeze it?
When freeze drying at home, you must have sufficient freezer space to freeze your food in a flat surface layer so that once frozen, the food can be transferred to the freeze dryer. Everything will take different times, but to give you an idea of what to expect, blueberries will take approximately 30-40 hours to completely dry. Because blueberries (and other berries like them) have a protective skin on them, each berry must be punctured. If you don’t do that, the outer skin will dry, sealing in the moisture – exactly what you don’t want! Once they’re completely finished it is imperative that you get them sealed in an oxygen free storage container as soon as possible because they will begin absorbing moisture from the air.

Commercially, the process is the same: Freeze, and remove all remaining moisture without thawing, through a vacuum like process called sublimation. There are many companies that freeze dry, and I have noticed that not all are the same in their commitment to quality. Again, like for home freeze drying, the key to quality is – how fast can one get it from field to freezer?
Over the years, I have tried many different brands of commercially freeze dried food, and finally settled on THRIVE LIFE as my brand of choice. There were several reasons for this – all of them relating to their unwavering commitment to quality. Sadly, in 2025 Thrive Life ceased selling to individual households. So the search for quality began again.

Last fall, I found WISE HARVEST Freeze dried food. Based in Utah, they process their own food, so they’re in charge of their own selection, quality and process. They are currently packaging in high quality mylar bags which allow for a shelf life of 5-8 years, and have about 20 items in their inventory. I have tried everything they sell and I am impressed with the quality. It is definitely a company I will be keeping track of as they grow and develop. Incidentally, they ship everything FREE once the order tops $100 – even into Canada. And their prices are both in American or Canadian dollars.

Do I freeze dry my own produce? Not at this time, but I am always considering it.

Why not?
I have reflected on doing so many times over the years, and have several friends who have taken the step into freeze-drying their own food. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been tempted to buy a freeze dryer, and looked a few times very seriously. After all, it is completely cohesive with the way I do things. But the thing that holds me back from this very expensive system, is the fact that I do not believe I can DO better or provide a better end product than what I can buy already freeze dried. In all other methods of preserving, I believe I provide a cleaner and more nutritious end product: canning, freezing and dehydrating. But not when it comes to freeze drying? Not yet. Not as long as there is a good, affordable source providing the quality and variety I cannot match.

Some hard facts to consider:
* Living in central Alberta, most produce available for purchase has travelled long distances and is several days from harvest by the time it reaches our grocery store shelves. This means tremendous loss of nutrition.
* Living in urban central Alberta, the variety and quantity of food I grow is restricted by my weather. Some of the food my family would like to eat freeze dried are things I cannot grow: bananas, mangoes, pineapple, etc. I feel that if I must buy the food I am going to freeze dry, I might as well buy it already freeze dried – in the end, I am looking for the highest quality.

Currently, of the variety and quantity of food I grow in central Alberta, that are suitable to be freeze-dried, I just don’t think I can justify the cost. One also needs to consider the additional cost of dedicated freezer space (the 1st step of the process). It’s a personal choice, and I totally understand those who go that route. It’s just not my route quite yet.

– Preserving your ABC’s –

Apples

A late summer favourite in our house, we look forward to the apples. Usually coinciding with the beginning of back-to-school time, our apples are ready, and we begin juicing. September smells like apple juice in our house. If the apples are nice then we make a few apple pies to eat and freeze, apple muffins, apple cookies, apples in our salads, apple sauce, apple fruit leather . . . there is no end to the versatility of apples. If your apples are more tart, its not necessary to add lemon juice, but if they’re more sweet, you might want to add 1 T to a pint (500 ml), 2 T to a quart (1 L).

Cold Storage: YES! the colder the better.
Refrigeration: YES. can be stored in the fridge for a month or two
Freezing: Yes! Also cut up as if for pie filling, apple sauce and juice
Canning: Yes! As apple wedges as if for pie filling, apple sauce and apple juice.
Dehydrating: Yes! Sliced reasonably thinly in wedges or rings.
Pickling or Fermenting: no
Juicing: Yes!
Freeze Drying: Yes

read more – September should smell like Apple Juice⁴

Asparagus is best eaten fresh.

Cold Storage: no
Refrigeration: short term
Freezing: Yes.
Canning: not really suitable
Pickling: yes
Dehydrating: No. Texture is not good.
Freeze Drying: yes

Beans – green or yellow or purple

Cold Storage: no
Refrigeration: yes, short term
Freezing: Yes. Freeze in whatever meal amount suits your family best. I blanch for two or three minutes then seal into small freezer bags, label and freeze. I find this better suited for our family so that those few of us who like them can enjoy without cooking up to much at a time.
Canning: Yes – under pressure. This is my sister’s family’s favourite winter vegetable; consequently she cans dozens of jars every summer. Cooked beans are not a favourite in our house, so I have never canned them.
Pickling: Yes. Several different types of pickled beans – open your mind and seek out recipes that appeal to you.
Dehydrating: No, not the best. Takes a while to rehydrate and the texture is not very nice.

Beets can be picked pretty much all July and August as you thin out your rows.

Thinning will allow more room for the beets to grow bigger, and they can be left in the garden till cold weather forces your hand.

Beets are best stored unwashed but with excess soil brushed away, in a ‘cold’ dark place – a cold room or the fridge. Unlike onions and potatoes they can be stored in large food grade plastic bags, but are not suitable to long term shelf life in a cold room. Best place is the fridge. For longer storage, either can, freeze or pickle.

Every year, I look forward to BORSCH, the traditional Eastern European later summer soup, and a national dish in Ukraine.⁵
click HERE to read my post on Borsch including recipe

Cold Storage: short term
Refrigeration: yes, in fact they should be stored in the fridge (short term again)
Freezing: yes
Beets can be frozen with good results. Cook them first.
I prefer roasting covered in a hot oven (400 degrees). Keep 1/2 inch or more of their bottom stem to minimize colour bleed, ensuring they stay to their beautiful deep colour. I use a roasting pan, or a casserole dish or even just tin foil – depending on how many you’re doing. Keep them covered. They’ll cook in their own moisture.
Or you can boil: cover with water allowing plenty of room in your pot so it doesn’t boil over (big mess).
Roasting or boiling, when tender to the fork remove from heat, cool and remove the peel – it will slip off easily in your hands.
Slice, cube or grate and package them into freezer bags or containers. Label and freeze. Plan to use before next season for best results.
Canning:
Can in pint or quart jars – because they are a low acid food they must be processed in a pressure canner. Don’t have a pressure canner? Consider pickling them. This you can process with a hot water bath canner. For maximum nutrition, plan to use within 18 months – 2 years.
Dehydrating: Don’t. You won’t like them. Not a good texture.
Pickling: yes
Freeze Drying: yes

Berries

Cold Storage: NO
Refrigeration: Yes
Freezing: Yes
Canning: No. The texture of berries is too delicate to withstand the heat and time of canning.
Dehydrating: No – with reservations. Depends on the berries. It’s helpful to puncture berries with a skin like blueberries, saskatoons, currants, haskaps. Personally, I don’t like any of these delicate berries dried. Strawberries are good dehydrated if they’re not sliced too thin. I don’t like raspberries dried. Too sour, and I don’t like the texture.
Jams: Yes
Vinegars: Yes

Cabbage

Cold Storage: no
Refrigeration: yes short term
Freezing: We often freeze cabbage in the original head, to break down the texture so as to be better/more pliable to make cabbage rolls.
Canning: I never have and have no comment
Dehydrating: doesn’t sound good to me
Fermenting Cabbage : Sauerkraut. A definite YES! ⁶ Once your sauerkraut is sufficiently fermented, store in the fridge.
Freeze Drying: ? maybe?

to read more about sauerkraut, including how to make it, click HERE

Carrots can be stored in a high humidity COLD storage room.

Gently wash and trim the tops to within a 1/2 inch, and thoroughly dry before storing. Store only whole, unblemished carrots; refrigeration is highly recommended. Place in large plastic, food grade bags with several breathing holes punched through. Line the bag with a layer of paper towel to absorb excess moisture. Check carrots every few weeks to ensure they’re not drying out, but are also not too wet (I know – sigh). If the paper towels get very wet, replace them.
Cold Storage: yes, packed in clean sand. Use withing a few months.
Refrigeration: yes, you can store them in the fridge for a few months
Freezing: no, don’t. Very rubbery. That’s all I have to say about that.
Canning: Carrots can be bottles and processed in a pressure canner. As with beets, if you don’t have one, consider pickling.
Dehydrating: Yes. Chop small. Best to use in a nice brothy soup to refresh. Don’t use too many, they’re pretty strong and will overpower a dish. Don’t do too many the first year – a little goes a long way. After the first year, you can judge for yourself.
Pickling : Yes
Freeze Drying: no

Cherries or Sour Cherries

Cold Storage: no
Refrigeration: yes for the short term
Freezing: yes. Pit first or you’ll wish you did.
Canning: Yes. I suggest adding 1 T lemon juice to a pint (500 ml) or 2 T to a quart (1 L).
Dehydrating: Yes. Pit and cut in half.
Freeze Dried: Yes. pit and cut in half, or pit and puncture with pin.
Jams: Yes
Juicing: Yes, and can combined with apple juice or on its own.
Vinegars: Yes

Corn

Corn is best eaten the day it is picked. If needed to pick in advantage, keep as cool as possible and make every effort to use as soon as possible. Suggestion: submerge cobs in ice water right after harvesting, drain and refrigerate with husks on. If the husks have been removed, store in plastic bags, for a few days in the fridge.

Cold Storage: no
Refrigeration: short-term
Freezing: My preferred way to store corn. Once the corn is cooked, (we prefer to grill it on the BBQ), we cut the kernels off with a sharp knife. I gather the kernels in a plastic tub. and gently tossed the corn with me hands. Then I pack in serving sized freezer bags. .
Canning: I have canned excess corn before, under pressure in the Pressure Canner.
Dehydrating: no, I don’t recommend it
Pickling: I’ve seen corn used in salsas which are canned, as well as relishes. Personally, I would pressure can these.  

Cucumbers

Cold Storage: no
Refrigeration: short-term
Freezing: nope
Canning: nope, not unless you’re canning your pickles
Dehydrating: doesn’t sound good
Freeze Drying: in small pieces the results are excellent. When home freeze drying I find they don’t stay crisp. It’s tempting to freeze dry in slices, but it seems to work a lot better in dices.

Pickling or Fermenting: A definite YES for pickling.

Garlic – as with onions, you can use garlic immediately from the garden,

but for long term storing, as with onions again, it should be cured. Remove all excess dirt and tie in bundles of about 10-12 heads, hang upside down out of the way and out of the sun. Must be cured – as with onions – it is ready to prep and store when it is dry, brown and crispy. Any remaining moisture will promote spoilage down the road.

With scissors cut off the stock, leaving about a 1 inch piece and also remove the root close to the surface. Small paper bags left open at top are perfectly suited for storing garlic in dry dark cold room.
Dehydrating:
I have never done it myself but I have several friends who do.
Slice and dehydrate in a dehydrator. If you don’t have a dehydrator you can dry on a cookie sheet in your oven at the lowest temperature. If you cannot get your oven below 150 degrees, use a wooden spoon to prop your oven oven slightly. Check often to prevent scorching.
Once it is thoroughly dry / crispy, powder in a food processer or coffee grinder. A blender will work but you’ll get a lot of powder. Let it settle before opening the lid.

Garlic Salt:
My cousin brought me some garlic salt she made herself and now I am a total convert. So doing this myself when I run out.
It’s a super simple process. You control the texture of your garlic salt, leave it chunky, coarse or fine – depends on your desired end use.

1 cup coarse kosher salt (non iodized – don’t use regular table salt)
12-15 cloves fresh garlic peeled.
Process in food processer until garlic is finely chopped.
Spread over parchment line baking sheet and bake 200 degrees till mixture completely dries out. Expect it to take 45-60 minutes.

Baking it makes it a little clumpy, so after its cooled, either crush it in a mortar and pestle or run through your food processer again, or throw it in your high powered blender if you want a finer texture.

to read more about Garlic, click HERE

Grapes

We’ve grown Valiant Grapes in our backyard for almost 20 years. They look and taste very similar to Concord Grapes that are grown in the Niagara region. They are delicious, nutritious, super easy to grow, and winter hardy – everything that is important to me. They have seeds in them and for that reason, some in my family prefer not to eat them ‘fresh’. That doesn’t bother me one little tiny bit. Grape seeds are so rich in nutrition, that I am highly motivated to ‘like’ them.

Cold Storage: no
Refrigeration: yes, short-term.
Freezing: Yes. We freeze them for smoothies all winter long.
Canning: no
Dehydrating: no because they contain pits that are too hard to remove. You won’t like them.
Juicing: yes, and then can the juice
Jamming: YES!!!

We make GRAPE PIE – as a traditional favourite dessert for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

They make a wonderful sauce to add to yogurt, serve over top ice cream or angel food cake, and they make the best jam in the history of the world!

Herbs

Most of the herbs I grow get dehydrated for winter use. The exceptions are dill weed and chives. Dill weed is too delicate to dry – it loses all that makes it wonderful. So I chop it and freeze it, scraping out of its container with a fork while it’s still frozen to use, then returning to the freezer immediately. Chives are also too delicate to dry – becoming ‘woody’ in my opinion, so I chop and freeze them too.

Small amounts of thin leafed herbs (basil, mint, oregano, parsley, tarragon, thyme) – dry on a clean towel on the table or counter.
Larger amounts or thick leaves I put in the dehydrator.

Basil – Pesto
Pesto is one of my favourite summer traditions. I used to think it was synonymous with basil and at one time it was, but this is a brave new world we’re living in, and pesto can also come from parsley, radish greens, carrot greens, nasturtiums or any combination thereof, or any other flavour you want to preserve. ⁷

to learn more about pesto, including recipes click HERE.
In the link are several different posts about different ways to make pesto using a variety of herbs. Be creative and have fun experimenting.

Dandelion roots – I wash, chop and dry roast them in the oven at 400F. Store in glass jar away from direct light. ⁸

Dill– I am generally interested in the green weed. I pick when they’re green and lush throughout mid summer, swish in cool water then put in a salad spinner to take excess water off. Chop with a sharp knife on board and scrape into a freezer container. Label and seal. Freeze. To use, I simple scrape the chopped weed out of its container with a fork while its still frozen and return to the freezer immediately. ⁹

Horseradish – you can make horseradish sauce or freeze it in clumps. It will lose some of its pungency, so plan to use in 6 months.
to read more about horse radish including recipes click HERE

Mint – for tea is foundational, probably the first herb most people dry and then use all winter long. Easy to dry. Easy to use.

Kale

Cold Storage – nope
Refrigeration – short term
Freezing – Yes. Wash and remove stems. Chop coarsely and blanch in boiling water for 1 minute. Immediately plunge into ice water to stop the cooking and to lock in colour. Once the mass is cooled, strain and let the leaves drain for a few minutes. Pat dry with a cloth, and put them in labelled clean freezer bags, removing as much air as possible. Blanching kale increases the shelf life to 6-9 monts, while raw kale frozen is best eaten within 1–2 months.
Canning: nope
Dehydrating: This is my personal preference. Easy to do and easy to use later. Two to three hours in the dehydrator depending on how full your racks are, and then pack away in a glass jar. Label, and keep out of direct sunlight.

These jars pictured are 2 quart size. You’d be amazed by how much dehydrated kale is in each of these jars. I use it throughout the winter in many dishes, just scooping out of the jar and adding it to soups, stews, chillies, and sauces of all kinds.
Pickling or Fermenting: nope
Freeze drying:
One of my favourite freeze-dried vegetables.

Onions can be used from the garden as needed all summer long

especially when the bulb starts to round out, but by late summer you’ll notice the tops begin to flop over, giving the signal that the plant has stopped growing. They’re ready to harvest. 

Cold Storage: Yes. They need a cool, dry, dark, and well-ventilated spot (a pantry will do) to stay firm for months.  

To dig, carefully loosen the soil around your onions with a garden fork, then gently pull them up by their tops. Best to keep the full stem intact until fully dry. If the weather is dry with no danger of frost overnight, lay the plants out in the garden for a day or two to dry out. If the weather is not in your favour, move them to a protected area – perhaps the floor of the garage or a covered porch.

Curing onions is the term used to prepare them for long term storage, and is absolutely necessary. The outer layers dry out, tightening around the bulbs to effectively protect them, keeping the onion firm longer. Its a simple process: make sure they have plenty of air space for circulation – ideally outside but protected from the sun. Either hang or lay out. That’s it. You do you, but take care not to bump or bruise them. And don’t rush this process, drying takes TIME, and properly curing onions means you can enjoy the harvest all winter long. Taking shortcuts will prevent proper curing, and the onion bulbs will turn soft and mushy. Curing onions allows them to be stored at room temperature, so even a kitchen pantry would be sufficient if it was nice and dark.

Onions are sufficiently cured when the necks are completely tight and dry, and the stems contain no moisture. Use scissors to trim the roots to about 1/2 inch, and the leaves to about 1 inch. Like potatoes, onions should be kept cool and dark – with good air circulation. The same kind of containers are suitable. If the onions are exposed to light for any long stretches, they may sprout new green leaves. Use any onions that have been bruised or damaged first, as they will not last as long.

It’s tempting to store onions with potatoes because their needs are similar, but potatoes release moisture as they age, which can encourage onions to develop soft spots, so keep a reasonable distance between them.

Refrigeration: No. The fridge is too damp, causing them to turn soft and moldy.
*note: if you only have a few onions and you think you’ll use them up in a few weeks, don’t worry about curing. Go ahead and put them in your fridge.

Not all onions are intended for long storage. Generally, the milder or (or sweeter) onions are intended for short term use. Stronger (or more pungent) flavoured onions may retain quality for up to a year if cured properly. These are things to consider when selecting the type of onion you want to grow in the spring.

Freezing: Yes, though they will lose their crunch. They are best suited for cooked dishes like soups, stews, sauces, and casseroles.  Properly stored, frozen onions last about 3-6 months.

Peel and chop, dice, or slice onions to the desired size. Spread out on a baking sheet and place flat in the freezer for about 2 hours. This prevents them from freezing into a solid clump. Pack into airtight bags or containers, removing as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn. Use directly from frozen in recipes; no need to thaw.

I’ve seen my dad put on goggles and chop tons of onions by hand for hours so that he could freeze them for ready use. That was enough for me to never want to do the same thing. Generally, I choose not to freeze.

You can also freeze onions precooked to save cooking time later.

Canning: No
Dehydrating: Yes, but you might want to take the dehydrator outside to do it. The smell lingering in the house for days is not appealing.
Pickling: Yes
Freeze drying: Yes!
I don’t freeze-dry onions myself – I prefer the quality of what I have purchased. They are super easy to use, and do not need to be refreshed. One can use them in fresh salsas, chicken or egg salads, or in any other way.

Parsnips – same as carrots.

Peas

Cold Storage: nope
Refrigeration: short-term
Freezing: Yes. To freeze fresh peas, shell and wash them, then blanch in boiling water for 1.5 to 2 minutes. Immediately plunge into ice water for 2 minutes to stop cooking, drain well, and dry completely. Freeze in a single layer on a tray (flash freeze) before storing in airtight freezer bags for up to 6–12 months
Canning: Yes, under pressure
Dehydrating: Yes, but . . . . I don’t like them.
Pickling: no
Freeze Drying: YES! They’re great to snack on, and when they’re refreshed, they taste just like fresh from the garden.

Peppers

Cold Storage: nope
Refrigeration: Yes short term.
Freezing: Yes. They can be frozen raw and chopped (sliced or diced, seeds removed), no blanching necessary. Freeze on a cookie shett to prevent clumping, then transfer to a labelled freezer bag.
Will keep a good 9 -12 months.
Canning: Yes, under pressure
Freezing: Yes.

Dehydrating: Yes
Freeze Drying: Yes

Potatoes

Cold Storage or Refrigeration:
Potatoes should never be stored in the fridge, as it converts starch into sugars, changing the texture to a sweet, gritty, unpleasant texture. Cool is good, COLD is not. A nice dark area is necessary as light turns potatoes green. Keep them in a breathable storage container like a cotton or burlap bag, paper bag, basket, or a cardboard or wooden box. Use injured potatoes first – those that may have been damaged with a shovel when harvesting, those with blemishes, those with splits or anything else not perfect. Those injury spots will begin to spoil, so use them first.
Continue to go through them from time to time, removing any that look like they are starting to rot.
Canning: Yes, under pressure
Dehydrating: Yes with reservations. I personally don’t dry them.
Freeze Drying: Yes . . . .though I’ve never done so myself. I do however, use commercially freeze-dried potatoes.

Pumpkins and other winter squash

Cold Storage or Refrigeration: Cool, NOT cold.
Handle gently, as dents and scrapes will introduce decay. Clean the surface by wiping with cool water in which a capful of bleach has been added. This kills bacteria that will quickly gain a foothold in any injury spots, including cuts when you carve a jack-o-lantern. After it’s been disinfected, dry it thoroughly with a soft cloth before storing it.
Keep your pumpkins cool, dry and dark and they’ll reward you by lasting several months. Slight freezing or even too cold will break down the tissue and make the pumpkin soft, but too warm is a problem too. Keep them out of direct sunlight. Best place is in your cold room or garage, as long as it doesn’t freeze.
Keep them OFF the cement floor with cardboard, a blanket, wood slats or on a shelf. And try to keep them from touching each other to allow them to breathe.

Freezing: Yes, but the texture gets watery. I don’t care for the final result
Canning: Yes, in chunks not puree – and always under pressure
Dehydrating: No.
Freeze Drying: Yes

Rhubarb – the best friend you never gave the time of day to

Cold Storage: No.
Refrigeration: Yes, short-term.
Freezing: Yes! Wash, chop, bag and freeze. I use the frozen rhubarb in smoothies for an especially refreshing drink.
Canning: Yes! I cold pack macerated rhubarb into pints, using the juice of the rhubarb and sugar as liquid. 10 minutes in a hot water bath. I don’t feel the need to add any lemon juice or vinegar, as it is acidic enough already.
We use this to flavour yogurt or to top oatmeal on winter mornings, or for baking.

Jam: Rhubarb is foundational in most of my red summer jams.
Dehydrating: Yes, but only as fruit leather. By itself or as a base with strawberries, raspberries, plums, and many other flavour companions. Be creative.
Yes you can dry rhubarb in small pieces, but it is not a nice texture or flavour and is hard to find uses for.
Freeze Drying: Yessss, although I don’t care for the texture. I guess it depends on what your goals are to use it.

To read more about Rhubarb including recipes, click HERE ¹⁰

Sorrel and other Greens such as Spinach, Swiss Chard and Amaranth

Cold Storage: No.
Refrigeration: Yes, short-term.
Freezing: Yes. Lightly blanch and pack into small freezer bags, label and freeze.
Canning; nope
Dehydrating: nope
Freeze Drying: YES

Tomatoes are why I garden

Cold Storage: No.
I leave whole tomatoes in my kitchen at room temperature while they’re ripening. I want them close at hand so I can keep an eye on them. We use them daily fresh, but sometimes they ripen a lot at once, so I need to be watching.
Refrigeration: No. Cold temperatures stop the ripening process, breaking down cell structure and creating a mealy texture, as well as reducing flavour. But sometimes, if your tomatoes are over ripe, you can refrigerate to buy your some extra time. Best to only use in cooking after they’ve been refrigerated.
Freezing: YES! Sometimes if I have too many ripening all at once, I’ll wash and dry them, then place in the freezer to buy me some time. I freeze loose, them pack them frozen in a freezer bag. This is a short term gig, and we’ll use the tomatoes as quickly as we can afterward. Only good for cooking.
Canning; YES! I always 2 T vinegar to a pint (500 ml) or up to 4 T to a quart (1 L).
Whole, ripe tomatoes are best stored on the counter, but can be refrigerated for 1-2 weeks to prevent spoiling. Cold temperatures (under 55°F/13°C) stop the ripening process, breaking down cell structure to create a mealy texture and reducing flavor compounds. Always bring refrigerated tomatoes to room temperature before eating.
Dehydrating: YES!
Freeze Drying: YES! but I find the texture very delicate, and that it absorbs moisture from the air very quickly. Not ideal.

to learn more about tomatoes including recipes click HERE

Zucchini is the master of disguise

Cold Storage: Yes, short-term for big ripe zucchini, but not too cold.
Refrigeration: Yes, short term for smaller, less mature ones.
Canning: Yes, under pressure. Personally, I don’t like the texture.
Freezing: Yes, . . . but texture will be watery. For me its a no, unless I shred the zucchini and package in the right amount for zucchini cake.
Dehydrating: Yes – my preferred method for long term storage
Freeze Drying: YES! but I find the texture gets a little spongy after a while
Pickling: No.

Fruit Leather

Fruit leather! Apple leather – rhubarb leather – any kind of fruit leather. Mix it up. Apple Pear. Rhubarb Raspberry. Plum Cherry. Plum Apple, Plum Grape Apple. . . . . Whatever you’ve got on hand that needs to be used up, turn it into a delicious, nutritious snack to grab all winter long.¹¹

to read more about fruit leather including recipes click HERE

Vinegars

Take your favourite flavours from the growing season and use them to flavour vinegars.¹²

to read more about vinegars including recipes, click HERE

Tips for storing your preserved foods

Don’t just stash your food and forget about it. You’ve done all the work up till now: you’ve grown it, nurtured it, harvested it, preserved it, – now you need to finish the job by keeping it safe, making it accessible and incorporating it into your daily life. EAT IT!

I cannot overstate the importance of STORING WHAT YOU EAT and EATING WHAT YOUR STORE.

In many cases the shelf life of your food will depend on where and how its stored.

Pay attention to the risks :
Humidity – Light – Oxygen – Temperature Variations – Pests (insects and mice)

Moisture/Humidity: If dried food picks up moisture molds and bacteria will grow. Moisture can also damage packaging material, and rust jar rings. In areas of high humidity, using moisture absorbers and investing in a dehumidifier is a good idea.
Keep everything OFF the floor, especially if the floor is cement.

Light: Direct light, especially sunlight can speed deterioration

Temperature: Optimal temperatures are cool, ranging from a low of 40F (above freezing risk) to maximum of 70F. All food will react badly to heat.
Canned food should not be allowed to freeze for the food’s sake but also, freezing will compromise seals.
Dehydrated foods can freeze but continual freeze-thaw is detrimental.
Even freeze dried food will have its exceptionally long shelf life significantly reduced by heat, and in continuous freeze-thaw conditions.

Pests: Protect your food storage from pests. Moths, ants and mice belong outside but they don’t always stay there, and once they’ve found their way into your food storage – it will be unsafe for you. Glass, food grade plastics and metal are excellent protection but not always practical in every situation. Do the best you can with what you’ve got. Keep food off the ground and off the floor! Aside from being more susceptible to insects, it is also more vulnerable to water damage should that sad event occur.

Preserve Responsibly

1. KEEP IT CLEAN
   Pay attention to cleanliness and details like full boiling and timing when canning, full moisture removal when dehydrating, blanching and packaging when freezing. Cleanliness extends to your storage area.
2. LABEL
   You think you’ll remember, but you WON’T, and even if you did – you may not be the one who uses it.
3. USE IT
   Shop for Dinner from your Food Storage room.
   Routinely go through your food storage to ensure that seals are still intact, food is still properly packaged, no signs of pests or mould, and to ROTATE it. USE it!
4. STORE WHAT YOU EAT and EAT WHAT YOU STORE.
   I know, I know, you’ve seen it before. It is the single most important rule. If you don’t eat what you store, you’ve wasted your time, energy, food and money! Not using what you “put up” is no better than doing nothing with it, because it ends up being the same.

the final word (words)

Eating a nutritious and balanced diet with variety is the best way to protect our health. It gives our bodies the best chance to take care of themselves. That extends into the non growing seasons, those of us who live in northern climates must think about winter, so we store food.

* Storing food properly is the key to protecting ourselves and our families WITH continued good health and FROM foodborne illnesses.

* You cannot always tell when food is unsafe by its appearance, smell or taste. Botulism for instance cannot be seen, smelled or tasted. When in doubt, throw it out!

* Preserving your garden produce is the next-to-final step in the blessings and benefits of growing a garden. It is soul satisfying. The last step of course is to continue to enjoy the produce throughout the winter.

* Everybody has Failures. Failures are the best teachers. Learn from them.

I’d love to hear your tips and suggestions, as well as some of your success stories as well as things you’ve learned from failures.

Warmly,

Cindy Suelzle

Footnotes:

1. Botulism spores (Clostridium botulinum) are highly resistant to heat and can survive boiling water (212°F / 100°C), but they are destroyed at temperatures of 240°F to 250°F (116°C to 121°C), which are only achievable in a pressure canner. 
   (USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service) ↩︎
2. Just for fun, I checked some weather history in Edmonton, and in May 2024 we had 8 sunny days! ↩︎
3. https://backyardcityhomestead.com/2022/07/16/rhubarb-jam/ ↩︎
4. juicing apples and canning ↩︎
5. https://backyardcityhomestead.com/2024/09/03/will-the-real-borsch-or-borscht-please-stand-up/ ↩︎
6. how to make sauerkraut ↩︎
7. click here to learn how to preserve basil ↩︎
8. click here to read how to use dandelion ↩︎
9. click here to read more how to use and store dill ↩︎
10. click here for more rhubarb recipes ↩︎
11. post about Fruit Leather ↩︎
12. post about flavouring Vinegars from your Garden ↩︎