SchneiderPeeps

... on a journey toward simple living.

  • About
    • Affiliates and Disclosure
  • Products
    • {Stepping Stones} Simple Remedies for Cold and Flu Season
    • The Gardening Note Book
    • The Wellness Notebook
    • The Busy Mom’s Guide
    • Hope – Thriving While Unemployed
    • Ecourse Login
    • Affiliate Resources
  • Blog
  • The Kitchen
    • Recipes
    • Preserving Food
    • Tips
  • The Garden
    • Vegetables
    • Tips
    • Fruits
    • Herbs
    • Tours
    • Birds and Bees
  • The Apothecary
    • Aromatherapy
    • Herbs
  • The Craft Room
    • Crafts
    • Sewing
  • The Home
    • Book Reviews
    • Tips and Projects
    • Homeschool
    • Daily Life
Home » Tips for Preserving the Harvest

Tips for Preserving the Harvest

September 15, 2015 By Angi Schneider 38 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a commission. Thank you for supporting this site.
SchneiderPeeps - Tips for Preserving the Harvest

Many years ago, I canned about 30 quarts of pear chutney. I had never tried pear chutney, in fact I had never even heard the word “chutney” before that day. But our pear tree was producing a bumper crop that year and I decided it would be fun to try something new. {ahem}

No one liked it…not even me. However I was so determined that we would eat it eventually that it stayed in our cabinets for four years. Finally, we moved and I didn’t want to move them, so I put the contents in the compost, washed the jars and packed them up. 

I learned a lesson from that failure, don’t can things that you have never even tasted. 

I would love to say that’s my only failure in preserving food but in reality, it’s only one of many. But that’s okay, because I learn from my failures and that means I can share with you. Which means it’s not really a failure, right? 

Here are some other lessons I’ve learned from my years of preserving food.

Small batches are great. Obviously, that kind of goes along with my first lesson of not canning things I haven’t tasted. But this lesson is also great when I want to can things that I know we’ll only use a few times a year….like a sweet onion marmalade. Or when the garden is producing but not enough to do a large batch of one thing. This is why I usually make small batches of pesto instead of larger batches. 

Keep notes and inventory of what you preserve. I have a set of worksheets I print each year to keep track of what I’ve preserved. You can get the worksheets emailed to you by filling out the form below. 

Preserving the harvest doesn't have to be overwhelming or boring. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your efforts.

Figure out how much you really need. Can I confess something? I love having home preserved food for my family. I do not LOVE preserving said food. I know, some people love the process. I do not, I love the end product. So why would I spend time preserving too much? I would much rather be out in the garden and since we can garden year round I don’t feel a huge need to preserve a bunch of stuff. For vegetables, I need enough to get me from mid-July to October. This is the time of year when not much is available in our garden and I rely on our canned and frozen vegetables. Fruits are a little harder for me to determine because we eat a lot of fruit but most of our trees are not producing yet. I buy fruit in season and freeze, can or dehydrate it. But do I really need 20 quarts of canned peaches? Or the dehydrated zest from 100 lemons? Is it even possibly okay to be “done” before the trees or garden stops producing? 

You have to actually eat what you preserve. I’ve actually been guilty of letting home preserved food sit in my pantry or freezer and not use them. And it’s not always because we don’t like it as it was with the chutney. It’s because I forget about it (or I put up too much). Instead of making zucchini bread with the frozen grated zucchini, I choose to make banana bread with bananas that I should be freezing for smoothies. But the bananas are on my counter and brown and the zucchini is out of sight. I’m not completely sure how to overcome my forgetfulness, but each month I go through my outside freezer and bring things into the kitchen freezer that I want to make sure and use that month. 

Preserving the harvest doesn't have to be overwhelming or boring. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your efforts.

Variety is important. It’s good to preserve the same food in different ways. Each year we order several cases of apples. We’ll eat some fresh, but we’ll also freeze and dehydrate some and make applesauce with some. With the zucchini, we grate some and freeze it but we also dehydrate some for winter soups. You can see all the things we do with tomatoes here. I’ve found that when I preserve foods in different ways we wind up eating it more than if I just preserve it in one way. 

Preserving the harvest doesn't have to be overwhelming or boring. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your efforts.

Learn the rules and follow them….when it’s a safety issue. So I’ve already confessed many times that I’m not really a rule follower but there are times when it’s super important if you want to safely preserve food for your family. The main rule for canning you need to know, is that there are some foods that cannot be canned in a water bath canner no matter how long you process them. They need a pressure canner. The main rule for dehydrating you need to know is that you need dehydrate the food until you are sure there is no moisture left and if you are unsure, you can store it in the freezer. I’m not sure of any “if you don’t follow it, you could die” rules for freezing. 

Preserving the harvest doesn't have to be overwhelming or boring. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your efforts.

Break the rules…when it isn’t a safety issue. For instance, you don’t have to peel. This one always gets me in trouble, but I’m in good company. The only thing I peel before preserving is tomatoes since that’s the only thing my family complains about. Maybe because I’ve never peeled produce before preserving my family just doesn’t know any better. Not peeling saves me so much time. You also don’t have to blanch before freezing. I know, you’re supposed to. But my family can’t tell the difference when I blanch and when I don’t, so I don’t.

image of The Ultimate Guide to Preserving Vegetables and jars of home preserved vegetables

The Ultimate Guide to Preserving Vegetables

If you you’re looking for more preserving inspiration, I know you’ll love The Ultimate Guide to Preserving Vegetables. In this book I share how to can, dehydrate, freeze and ferment almost every vegetable. I also share 100 favorite recipes for preserving the vegetables in fun way that will save you time and money later. Get your copy here. Get your copy here.

Preserving the harvest doesn't have to be overwhelming or boring. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your efforts.

Thanks for sharing with your friends!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Yummly
  • Email

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Preserving Food Tagged With: garden, national organic harvest 15

Comments

  1. Melissa Stutzman says

    September 16, 2015 at 6:49 am

    These jars would be great for canning all my applesauce!

    Reply
  2. Elaine says

    September 16, 2015 at 10:46 am

    Great tips on preserving our harvest. Love giveaways 🙂

    Reply
  3. Sandy Rees says

    September 16, 2015 at 11:46 am

    I would use the smaller jars to gift jam in. The larger jars would be used as drinking glasses. They’re so nice

    Reply
  4. Jamie says

    September 16, 2015 at 6:24 pm

    I would use them to can some homemade blackberry jam and zucchini.

    Reply
  5. Faye Gates says

    September 16, 2015 at 6:25 pm

    My husband would use these for his tomatoes and hot peppers.

    Reply
  6. Gertrude Ezell says

    September 16, 2015 at 6:27 pm

    I would can the applesauce that my Mom wants to make and also make some home canned tomatoes – which we haven’t done in years. Thank you!

    Reply
  7. Pam says

    September 16, 2015 at 8:42 pm

    I once canned a bunch of pickled beets (never tried before). They were the worst pickled beets ever! It took 4 years before I tossed them, I just couldn’t throw them out!! Lesson learned, always test a new recipe first!

    Reply
    • Angi Schneider says

      September 16, 2015 at 10:13 pm

      lol…I’m glad I’m in good company.

      Reply
  8. Tonnie Rogers says

    September 16, 2015 at 9:28 pm

    I have a large garden that I preserve much of. Tomatoes, cucumbers for pickles and relish, beans, cantaloupe frozen for smoothies, etc. Friends have fruit trees and grape vines that they do not use the produce from, so I am blessed with fruit to eat, freeze and use for jam. So… I could use these jars for everything! Thank you for offering them to your readers

    Reply
    • Angi Schneider says

      September 17, 2015 at 2:47 pm

      That is such a blessing!

      Reply
  9. Lori Marple says

    September 16, 2015 at 10:10 pm

    i would love to use these jars to can our banana peppers and to learn to can other foods. I am just starting my canning journey!

    Reply
  10. Jeannette Olton says

    September 17, 2015 at 3:58 am

    I would use the smaller ones to gift my homemade catsup. It is my grandmother’s recipe and always a favorite. The larger ones would be perfect for salsa and pickles.

    Reply
    • Angi Schneider says

      September 17, 2015 at 2:46 pm

      How fun to have your grandmother’s recipe!

      Reply
  11. Amanda says

    September 17, 2015 at 6:19 am

    I would use the jelly jars to make my signature ground cherry, scotch bonnet and vodka pepper jelly. So good. Possible make some ketchup or apple butter with the pint jars. The jars are cute.

    Reply
  12. Kimberly says

    September 17, 2015 at 6:35 am

    I would love to try to make some pickled peppers! (Now that rhyme is going to stick with me all day!)

    Reply
    • Angi Schneider says

      September 17, 2015 at 2:46 pm

      lol…now me too!

      Reply
  13. Gabriella says

    September 17, 2015 at 8:05 am

    Pickled grilled peppers

    Reply
    • Angi Schneider says

      September 17, 2015 at 2:45 pm

      yum!

      Reply
  14. Cheri S says

    September 17, 2015 at 8:35 am

    Hope I win the canning jars! I’m mixing up batches of medicinal honeys for the coming Alaskan winter and those jars would make them look so nice.

    Reply
  15. Jessie Gillespie says

    September 17, 2015 at 10:19 am

    Oh man. I always run out of jars around Christmas, because I love giving homemade Christmas gifts. I love all the good advice in your post, and I would love me some jars!

    Reply
    • Angi Schneider says

      September 17, 2015 at 2:48 pm

      We do the same thing! I’m always on the look out for jars at garage and estate sales throughout the year.

      Reply
  16. Jennifer says

    September 17, 2015 at 11:25 am

    canning or crafts

    Reply
  17. One of God's says

    September 17, 2015 at 1:44 pm

    Whatever comes up next in the queue. Thanks for the chance.

    Reply
  18. Jamie says

    September 17, 2015 at 2:41 pm

    I would love to have these jars for:
    8 oz. jars for jalapeno pepper jelly and orange marmalade
    16 oz. jars for pear preserves … several different flavors (spiced; vanilla bean; and cinnamon red hot’s are the three most requested)

    Reply
  19. Katrina says

    September 17, 2015 at 3:55 pm

    I need to make chokecherry syrup or some sort of jelly/jam. My kids go through a ton of it!

    Reply
  20. Tina Nichols says

    September 18, 2015 at 6:39 am

    My new house came with a large concord grape arbor and I plan to make grape jelly! These will be given as Christmas gifts.

    Reply
    • Angi Schneider says

      September 18, 2015 at 8:10 am

      wow! What a blessing. I bet your friends and family will love the jelly.

      Reply
  21. Terressa Ferguson Zook says

    September 18, 2015 at 11:25 am

    I want to try my grandmother’s, (whom I’m named after, btw), recipe for pear honey.

    Reply
  22. chickie brewer says

    September 18, 2015 at 12:01 pm

    I am not sure how will use them, but jam does sound good!

    Reply
  23. tree says

    September 18, 2015 at 1:52 pm

    i’ve been canning all summer and my garden is finally starting to slow down. i’m still hoping to get some apples this year so i can can apple butter and apple sauce Would love to win this! thanks for the chance!

    Reply
  24. Nicole says

    September 19, 2015 at 2:34 am

    I would make all kinds of tasty sauces and dips 🙂

    Reply
  25. MaryBeth says

    September 19, 2015 at 6:13 pm

    Mostly I will gaze at the beautiful purple lids, but some peach and plum jams, some tomato base ‘sauces’ (marinara, salsa, bbq…).
    I usually freeze my tomatoes whole until I am ready to “do” them (like November when soccer season is over), and the peels slip right off when you thaw them!

    Reply
  26. Sandy says

    September 19, 2015 at 11:47 pm

    My husband and I have canned pickles and sauerkraut over the years. This year we had a bumper crop of tomatoes and I canned 24 quarts of stewed tomatoes. Our apple and pear trees have lots of fruit and plan on canning them. I can never have too many jars. I also store my dehydrated fruits and vegetables in them.

    Reply
  27. Emily C says

    September 20, 2015 at 10:08 am

    I would can up some pickled peppers and some applesauce!

    Reply
  28. Arin says

    September 20, 2015 at 1:07 pm

    I once made salsa and it was great so I made another batch to can and it was terrible! Never made canned salsa again.

    Reply
    • Angi Schneider says

      September 20, 2015 at 6:34 pm

      Well, that’s odd? I wonder why the second batch was terrible.

      Reply
  29. Sarah D. says

    September 20, 2015 at 2:58 pm

    I’d probably save them for next year. We didn’t put in a full garden this year, just a couple tomato plants and some hot peppers, but are moving to the country and are planning a big garden for next year! =)

    Reply
    • Angi Schneider says

      September 20, 2015 at 7:02 pm

      How exciting!!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Grab my new book and start preserving the harvest!

Image of The Ultimate Guide to Preserving Vegetables book with jars of canned and fermented food.

Looking for Something?

Search for supplies

Copyright ©2011-2020 SchneiderPeeps
All content on this site is the property of Angi Schneider (SchneiderPeeps). Please do not use photos, text, or graphics without permission. That would be called stealing…and it’s not nice.

The views and opinions on this site are just that, our view and opinions. We are not health care providers, lawyers, financial specialists, or your mother. Please do your own research and be responsible for your own actions.

Some posts on this blog contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission whenever a product is purchased through these links. Occasionally I receive products in exchange for a review or giveaway post.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

You can see our full privacy policy here.

Featured On…

How to Preserve

Corn

Cucumbers

Tomatoes

Zucchini

 

Copyright © 2021 SchneiderPeeps

This website occasionally uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Find out more.