Do you preserve vegetables for the winter?

[Kansas Terri]

Back when I was young and energetic I used to can my excess tomatos, and use them in the winter for spaghetti sauce and for stews. I usually give away my excess now, as it is easier and I no longer feel the need to save every penny towards future needs.

I did buy a dehydrator, and I have some dehydrated tomatos that I ought to do something with. My youngest child LOVES cream of tomato soup, and I think that I will soak some tomatos and try making it from scratch, but not yet. I still have a good deal of dead and frosted plants to clear out of the garden! I will have more time to play with recipes in a little while.

What do you folks do with the excess garden produce? Do you give it away, preserve it for winter, or simply compost it?

And, does anybody here cook with dehydrated tomatos? I confess that I haven't tried cooking with them, yet.

 

[claudine]

We have a fridge full of frozen zucchini and pumpkin. I have a terrible feeling that my mother will cook it every day during the whole winter I'm already so bored with it
But we also have some delicious pickles and dried apples. I've never tried dehydrating tomatoes, it sounds like a nice idea, I'll give it a try

 

[Trellum]

I might start doing this as soon as I get married and the family starts growing! Saving every penny when you're starting a family it's super important! I'm looking for info on the different methods to preserve not only vegetables, but also fruits. I'm also working on drying my own herbs in the future, as well as making my own liquors using fruits extract, you know... for the special occassions only

 

[ChanellG]

I love how you said "young and energetic," lol. I have these grand ideas of doing stuff in the garden and making all manner of things, and then reality sets in! I have a couple of lemons in the fridge that are getting old so I'd like to try preserving them - it seems pretty simple. You just slice the lemons thin, stack in a jar with salt and then top with olive oil. (Maybe I'll get to it today...)

 

[zigs]

Got a load of Chard & Beans in the freezer, but not doing so much this year as hopefully i'll be moving soon.

Normally pickle Beetroot and make Chutneys/jams/jellies etc. Deseed and freeze tomatoes.

 

[Cammie27]

I freeze everything these days. I have an upright freezer in the basement and I fill it with spaghetti sauce, chili sauce, stewed tomatoes, freezer jam, applesauce, apple butter, blanched veggies for stir-fries, and other produce. Between my gardens and the farmer's markets I put up enough to enjoy local produce almost year-round, and all but escape the ridiculous cost of out-of-season vegetables.

 

[Kansas Terri]

We have a fridge full of frozen zucchini and pumpkin. I have a terrible feeling that my mother will cook it every day during the whole winter I'm already so bored with it
But we also have some delicious pickles and dried apples. I've never tried dehydrating tomatoes, it sounds like a nice idea, I'll give it a try

Claudine, my husband came home the other day and said that he had had a piece of what tasted like apple pie. In reality it was a zucchini pie that had had lemon juice added to it. Apparently zucchini flavor + lemon flavor=apple flavor, or some such thing!

Since you have the zucchini, it might be worth playing around with!

 

[headfullofbees]

As well as the normal veg, I freeze herbs (mostly parsley and coriander/cilantro), chop and freeze chillis and spinach for my SAAG curries.

 

[claudine]

Claudine, my husband came home the other day and said that he had had a piece of what tasted like apple pie. In reality it was a zucchini pie that had had lemon juice added to it. Apparently zucchini flavor + lemon flavor=apple flavor, or some such thing!

Since you have the zucchini, it might be worth playing around with!

This sounds great, thank you for the advice! It would be heavenly if I managed to make my zucchini taste like something else The taste of an apple pie would be perfect I'll experiment with lemon juice!

 

[gata montes]

"young and energetic" - like the sound of that

Every year without fail, I plan to preserve more and more of my fruit and vegetables, in one form or another, and although I always start off with great enthusiasm, it doesn't seem to last, especially as we have scorching hot summers here.
I do however, manage to freeze as many sauces and vegetables as I can, well at least, until the freezer tells me it can take no more and have just recently, learnt how to oven dry fruit and vegetables, which is something I've wanted to do for a long time, as I have an addiction to 'sundried' tomatoes and peppers, but don't have a dehydrator.

In answer to your question, I cook a lot with dried tomatoes and peppers, as I love the taste of them and have done so years, which is of course, is another good reason for knowing how to dry them

 

[Kansas Terri]

This year I think I want to preserve some kale, as I have a great deal of it. This cool, frosty weather has made it grow very large, very fast!

I am wavering between freezing it and dehydrating it!

 

[Pat]

I just received a few butternut squash that I will be freezing for future use. My garden the last two years have not produced any thing to freeze or can. In the past I have tried to freeze excess fruit or vegetables. When I was younger and more energetic it was a good idea to help the budget.

 

[pdxchristine]

I canned applesauce, tomato sauce and beets, and froze a lot of raspberries and some cherries. I don't have a dehydrator...that's probably next on my wish list.

 

[ChanellG]

We have a fridge full of frozen zucchini and pumpkin. I have a terrible feeling that my mother will cook it every day during the whole winter I'm already so bored with it
But we also have some delicious pickles and dried apples. I've never tried dehydrating tomatoes, it sounds like a nice idea, I'll give it a try

Claudine, my husband came home the other day and said that he had had a piece of what tasted like apple pie. In reality it was a zucchini pie that had had lemon juice added to it. Apparently zucchini flavor + lemon flavor=apple flavor, or some such thing!

Since you have the zucchini, it might be worth playing around with!

I wish I had a fridge full of zuzzhini! I have one very large one the I am going to cut tomorrow with a julienne peeler to make a zucchini "spaghetti." It's an experiment for something I want to do later that I need to first try out at home. I'm thinking of sauteeing some and doing a raw version as well. I don't really have much space for preserving or freezing, but maybe in the future...

 

[Shellyann36]

I use to can more than I do now. I miss it and need to get back to it. I do have a dehydrator and I use it a bit but I should be using it more. We did not have a garden this year due to heavy rains and a huge home improvement project. In the past I have canned lots of tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn, green beans, apples, peaches, strawberry jam, blueberries and blackberries. I have dehydrated apples, pineapples, herbs, and peach slices. Lots of times I will freeze excess produce and wait until the cooler months to can it up. Works out better that way for me.