Though this is being written before the growing season has fully commenced, there is never a time too early to learn how to use up and preserve your produce. Often times, when at a loss, we end up wasting quality home grown foods. But with continued delays in the food chain recently, now is the best time to learn what to do with those extras so they aren’t going to waste. Whether that is through preservation or dinner tonight! Without further ado this is five ways to use and preserve produce.
5 Ways to Use up and Preserve Your Extra Produce this Summer
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For more in depth on each of these points you can come back to our site as the season goes on for detailed posts on how to preserve your food. Along with ways to integrate your goods into everyday meals!
1.) Cube and Freeze
This is an all time favorite of mine. My go to preservation method for almost all my extra produce problems is to cube and freeze the items.
This year I had picked apples from six different trees- and I got all the produce. After making loads of applesauce, cider, and dehydrated fruit leather I gave up on apple creativity. Knowing that apple slices are good in lots of pastries I diced and froze the remaining apples. I did the same thing with my zucchini to make zucchini bread and zucchini noodles for the winter months! Having this extra food keeps is so much better than buying from the store every week or two. Filling all our freezers and pantries with goods keeps us going, more reliant on ourselves than on the grocers.
I always use Quart Ziplock Bags and a Sharpie to identify the date and the produce in the bag. I use smaller bags and then leaving enough room to flatten the bags so they freeze room friendly. The smaller bags is so that I don’t have to worry about unthawing a whole gallon of apples to use. Quart bags are the perfect size for most desserts and goods that we make with the frozen produce!
2.) Stir-fry or Soup
My next favorite is a way to use up produce you haven’t preserved- thought could be used for preserved goods as well. Stir-fry’s and soups can pretty much contain any type of vegetable and is the perfect way to give your family a really nutritious meal- full of foods that might not have been used up otherwise. Soups aren’t always a favorite in the Summer but stir-fry is good all year round. Chicken and asparagus, peppers and carrots, tomatoes and steaks. These are all mixtures that scream a delicious Summer dinner with friends.
3.) Canning
This one seems pretty obvious but specifically I am talking about canning without making it into some elaborate treat. Instead of jam you can simply slice your pears and can them in a preservation mixture. Same with carrots, green beans, etc. Besides dicing and freezing this is my next favorite way to preserve foods. This makes it super simple to create fast meals- and while having the added bonus of knowing where the ingredients were raised and what is in them. In the Winters our canned sliced carrots provide many people with chicken soup, and having each ingredient canned on our pantry makes it so much easier to pour them in a giant pot and cook until warm. This makes an incredible homemade meal with hardly any effort.
There is a few things you need to can and I will put them below- this is just the bare necessities and each recipe will have its own ingredients. That’s why I highly recommend the canning booklet below- it has everything you need to know about canning!
4.) Sell, Give or Donate
Another big and easy way to get rid of loads of your produce at one time without having to do the preservation or cooking is to give or sell. Of all the ways to use and preserve products this is the easiest. I know it’s not always a favorite because we tend to desire to keep food for ourselves in these times but we all have a crew around us that might need them more than you. I sell at markets and give leftovers to my church family. Using the money to upgrade my farm or to feed our family in other ways makes this feel okay. Along with the fact that God provides for me- and if I am providing for His family without fear I know that isn’t going to come back void. It won’t no matter what because He promises care for us, but that is exactly what allows me to release my goods to others. We are all to take care of each other, and this is a great way to do that. Whether you donate, five or sell your goods! No judgement here!
5.) To Make Healthy Treats
The next and last of the five ways to use and preserve produce is a yummy one! Making healthy treats! This includes homemade syrups, popsicles, smoothies and smoothie bowls, and so much more. This preserves the produce but is also a snack you can munch on same day- especially a good tip for the middle of Summer! This way the fruit doesn’t go bad but can still be enjoyed in a way that cools you off on a warm day! There is many more options as well that aren’t freezer related as well with the creativity! Such as chocolate covered strawberries, fresh pies, fruit leather and more!
Here is some great must haves for creating some of these goods:
So with that, happy cooking and preserving! I hope this was a helpful post on the five ways to use and preserve produce! Do you have a favorite on or off this list? Comment it down below! Along with any favorite recipe or preservation method! God bless you and thank you for reading!
