DH and I have just read The Omnivores Dilema and are making an effort to eat local over (even over organic). We live in New England though so the winter is going to be tough. We have a farm share now and access to an AWESOME farmers market 2 days a week through late october. We plan to buy a freezer this weekend. Can anyone recommend a good book with info about 'putting food by'?
putting food away for winter
1 - 16 of 16 Posts
I'd love to hear about this as well. We buy meats in bulk from a local mennonite farm and have been buying lots of local produce so far I've put up tomatoes and green beens and have been making stocks from leftover roasts etc but I feel like I'm going to be missing out on variety. Also I'd love tips on meals to freeze. I've stuffed and frozen peppers and chili as far as that is concerned.
![]()
Joined
·
1,667 Posts
There's a great book called Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self Reliance by John and Martha Storey that has all this information in it. I picked it up at Plow and Hearth a few months ago, and it's been really helpful and motivating. It tells you about herbal remedies, how to lay out a mini farm, how to can, freeze, etc, about animals, a TON of information.
I have frozen some green beans from our garden, and it says to either boil them for three minutes or steam for four, then freeze. I did that and it seemed to work fine- I used my vacuum sealer thing though to be extra sure.
![]()
I have frozen some green beans from our garden, and it says to either boil them for three minutes or steam for four, then freeze. I did that and it seemed to work fine- I used my vacuum sealer thing though to be extra sure.
Joined
·
1,667 Posts
Oh, and the other cool thing is that the book has relish, pickle, etc recipes that seem really easy. Most of the stuff I looked at really didn't call for much besides what we grow in our garden, so that was really cool too.
abranger I blanched them first and put them in ziplocs. I'm really not interested in canning so freezer method is best for me I'm wondering if there is lots of freezer stuff in that book as well. As for the tomatoes I blanched them, peeled and cored them and cut them in half and freeze them. Then I can use them whole or bust them up in the blender or whatever I need them for all winter.
I have to recommend getting a food saver. Its so wonderful to pull food out of the freezer and no freezer burn or funky tastes. And food last sooo much longer with the air all sucked out.
I need to get a couple of adapters so I can store dry stuff in glass jars.
We both freeze and can. We are having to can more because while we have 2 stand alone freezers they have a lot of meat that is either grass fed beef or stuff we have hunted.
Only thing I have canned this year so far is bone stocks.
The tomatoes are going to be coming on soon and I will be so busy
![]()
we have 30+ tomato plants.
We use loads of tomato products during the year so I will be canning canning canning
![]()
I need to get a couple of adapters so I can store dry stuff in glass jars.
We both freeze and can. We are having to can more because while we have 2 stand alone freezers they have a lot of meat that is either grass fed beef or stuff we have hunted.
Only thing I have canned this year so far is bone stocks.
The tomatoes are going to be coming on soon and I will be so busy
We use loads of tomato products during the year so I will be canning canning canning
I have an older edition of Stocking Up- it covers pretty much every way possible to store food, as well as how to make cheeses. I see this one now and then at the thrift stores- here's a link to read more about it:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/067...788059?ie=UTF8
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/067...788059?ie=UTF8
Joined
·
1,667 Posts
It does have stuff on farming, etc, but there's also a lot on repairs in the house, freezing/canning, etc.... However, there are lots of other books and websites on those topics, so I would honestly say that you could probably find information in the book for cheaper there.
![]()
All of our (and when I say "our" I mean "turtle's") work has been to put things up by freezing them. We have lots of fruit in various combinations (blueberries on their own for baking, strawberries for smoothies, fruit cooked down separately and in combos for pie filling), red sauce, kale, beans, corn, roasted beets and carrots, diced onions, and roasted squashes. We also have some vegi broth.
I've been freezing the farm share stuff for years and it works very well. Happy to give you details on any of the vegis we've done so far, if you're interested.
The complete dishes we have frozen include chilequiles, miso soup, mac and cheese, and corn soup (there's probably other stuff, but I'm not sure what...). Whenever she cooks rice, she doubles what we need and stashes the rest in the freezer for quick meal bases.
I've been freezing the farm share stuff for years and it works very well. Happy to give you details on any of the vegis we've done so far, if you're interested.
The complete dishes we have frozen include chilequiles, miso soup, mac and cheese, and corn soup (there's probably other stuff, but I'm not sure what...). Whenever she cooks rice, she doubles what we need and stashes the rest in the freezer for quick meal bases.
There are some things that are very easy to can... Jellies, jams, vinegars, and tomatoes come to mind.
I love my Ball Blue Book. It's a cheap little paperback book that you can buy anywhere, and it has all the basics of canning and freezing in it. I love that book. I use it religiously all summer long.
I love my Ball Blue Book. It's a cheap little paperback book that you can buy anywhere, and it has all the basics of canning and freezing in it. I love that book. I use it religiously all summer long.
abranger, it's pretty straightforward. For the greens, we blanch them until they're bright green or sautee them quickly in a hot, dry pan in the water that clings to their leaves from washing--this works for kale, chard, spinach and escarole, for sure. I suspect it would work for other greens, but we haven't tried it.
Carrots, broccoli and beans can be cooked in boiling water for about three minutes, tops, then frozen. You don't want to cook them as long as you would if you were going to eat them straight-away, because they'll be mushy.
For corn on the cob, you can shuck the ears and freeze them whole, or cut the kernels off and freeze them just like that. Corn doesn't need to be cooked at all before freezing it.
Carrots, beets, onions and squashes can be roasted, then frozen. I'm not sure what turtle plans to do with the beets (I've never kept them this way before), but the other roasted vegis are great additions to soups.
Carrots, broccoli and beans can be cooked in boiling water for about three minutes, tops, then frozen. You don't want to cook them as long as you would if you were going to eat them straight-away, because they'll be mushy.
For corn on the cob, you can shuck the ears and freeze them whole, or cut the kernels off and freeze them just like that. Corn doesn't need to be cooked at all before freezing it.
Carrots, beets, onions and squashes can be roasted, then frozen. I'm not sure what turtle plans to do with the beets (I've never kept them this way before), but the other roasted vegis are great additions to soups.
Joined
·
517 Posts
when i freeze tomatoes I wash them, cut the end core bits out, put them on a cookie sheet in the freezer until they freeze and then put them in bags. No blanching, no peeling, no nothing. When they come out of the freezer for use, you simply run them under a bit of hot water, the skins slip right off, and you are ready to go.
Easy as pie
![]()
Easy as pie
Joined
·
5,778 Posts
I justgot red peppers in my coop for the second time in a row so I decided to roast them , peel them, and freeze them. I love roasted red peppers in my tomato sauce so I figured this was perfect
![]()
1 - 16 of 16 Posts
