Thursday, August 1, 2013

Preserving the Harvest: A Labor of Love




Yet again, this past Saturday saw a rainy Farmers’ Market.  However, it did not stop the customers from coming out to make their purchases.  This support is really encouraging to the vendors and reminds us why we work so hard to bring you the freshest, best quality products each week.
            Thank you, Pat Wheeler, who after reading my article last week, made a special trip to Farmers’ Market to bring me a rain gauge.  I put up this new gauge, which was courtesy of the Farm Bureau, right away and I’m sure it won’t be long before we get another rain and I will know the actual total.  Garden work has been such a joy this week with these unusually cool temperatures.  The mornings feel more like September than the beginning of August.
            As the amount of produce grows in abundance each week, it is time to think about preserving some of the harvest.  Canning and pickling has made such a resurgence in the last couple of years.  People who have never before thought of canning are now trying their hand at it.  Talk to the farmers and ask about buying produce in bulk quantity.  Even if they don’t have what have you need right away they may be taking a list of names to call when that product is available.  You must remember, though, that vegetables don’t work around your schedule; you have to be ready to put in the time when they are available. 
            Here is an example of the time it takes to preserve food.  My friend Andy wanted to can a bushel of green beans and having never done it himself, enlisted my help.  So, on Sunday he came over and picked a bushel of green beans.  This took him about an hour and a half.  Then, on Monday evening he came back, bringing along his girlfriend.  Another friend showed up to help and the four of us started snapping beans at 6:30pm.  While they snapped, I washed jars and got various other supplies ready.  After the beans were snapped and rinsed we filled the jars, added salt and boiling water, and put on the lids.  I have the advantage of owning several pressure canners and an outdoor gas stove on which I can use two canners at once.  The last canner load was finished around 11:15 pm.  We netted 20 quarts of green beans in just under five hours, not counting the time it took to pick the beans.  This was with a pretty large crew and fairly efficient set up, so someone doing this alone in their kitchen might expect to take longer. 
            A lot of newcomers to food preservation are starting with pickles.  These do not require a pressure canner, or even a water bath canner, if you are making refrigerator pickles.  I have made many different types of pickles over the years and my methods have ranged from the easy Mrs. Wages pickle mixes, to more complicated pickles requiring fourteen days brining in a pottery crock.  Dill pickles being my favorite, the following recipe, which I got from Ben Brannon, is one of my “go to” recipes.

“Claussen” Kosher Dill Pickles
·         2 Dill flowers
·         6 sprigs fresh dill
·         2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
·         1 Tbsp. coarse Kosher salt
·         ½ c. white vinegar
·         8-10 cucumbers
Put dill flower and garlic in bottom of quart mason jar.  Add cucumbers; put sprigs of dill in center of cukes.  Add salt, vinegar, and fill with water that has been boiled and is now cool.  Put on seal and ring and shake to dissolve salt.  Sit upside down on counter away from sunlight and heat.  Let sit 4-5 days flipping the jar each day.  Let sit upright 2 more days then refrigerate.  Lasts 6 months.

 The push cultivator with a dewy morning cobweb.  Scenes like this, plus the cool damp mornings, are what have made this week feel like fall.

 Pressure canner full of beans--ten pounds pressure.

 Our results--twenty quarts of green beans!  Yum.
           
           

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