Over the past few years, I’ve been slowly expanding my repertoire of produce preservation methods. Two summers ago, I started canning, simple things like fruit butters and applesauce to begin. Last year, after acquiring our chest freezer, I revved up my freezing. I also started making jams, canning fruit slices and even infused a jar of vodka or two.
This year, I’m all about the infusions and finding some more creative shelf- or freezer-friendly ways to put my summer produce to use. There are pestos, of course — basil, arugula and garlic scape varieties, for starters — and salsas and pickles and fruity sorbets. Soon there will be compound butter. I plan on freezing some apple cinnamon waffles and maybe some peach scones. Perhaps I’ll even freeze a batch of taquitos while corn and peppers are still in season. If you want to do the same, here’s a little preservation guide to get you started.
Canning:
If You’re Going to Can, Do It Safely! Supplies You’ll Need
- Amaretto Cherry Preserves
- Apple Butter
- Apple Ginger Preserves
- Apple Marmalade from Hungry Tigress
- Applesauce
- Blueberry Preserves
- Blood Orange Marmalade from Food in Jars (love this one)
- Caramel Apple Jam from Hitchhiking to Heaven
- Golden Raspberry Preserves
- Green Beans from Bran Appetit (you’ll need a pressure canner!)
- Honeyed Peaches
- Maple Pear Preserves
- Peach Butter
- Pear & Ginger Preserves
- Pear-Kissed Applesauce
- Pear Vanilla Jam from Food in Jars
- Quince Slices in a Chai-Spiced Syrup from Food in Jars
- Raspberry Orange Preserves
- Strawberry Cinnamon Preserves
- Strawberry Red Wine Jam
- Sungold Tomato Preserves
- Tea Jelly
- Wine-Spiked Peach Jam
Freezing:
- Basil in Oil
- Basil Pesto
- Blueberries
- Corn
- Green Beans
- Raspberries
- Pumpkin Puree (or other winter squash)
- Soft Pretzels
- Strawberries
- Strawberry Sorbet (or blueberry)
- Tomatoes: Diced
- Tomatoes: Slow-Roasted
- Tomato Sauce
- Waffles
Infusing:
- Blueberry Tequila
- Peach Vodka
- Strawberry Vodka (try it with blueberries, too!)
Pickling:
- Bruschetta in a Jar
- Dilly Beans from Mrs. Wheelbarrow
- Pickled Pumpkin from Serious Eats
- Spicy Zucchini Pickles from Bran Appetit
- Summer Squash Pickles
Note: Be very cautious when adapting any canning recipes from books or websites. I only feel comfortable doing so because of my food engineering background and understanding of the intricacies of canning science. Use only trusted, tested recipes when canning.