Garden Harvest:

Preserving the Harvest from Your Garden

by Nicholas Rogers

Chime in if you’re the kind of gardener, or you've known the kind of gardener, who works his or her tail off during the growing season and then has enough vegetables to feed a small guerrilla army? If you've ever dropped off a bag full of tomatoes to more than two people, this article is for you.

We gardeners who have such a surplus of vegetables are the growing, nurturing type. We grow because we enjoy it, and that’s obvious when the time comes to reap the harvest. Unfortunately, many people don’t know what options are available to fully utilize the harvest and save vegetables for many months.

Proper storage starts during the harvest and knowing the right time to bring in the crop. Some vegetables are not as crucial, while others have to be picked at exactly the right time. If you don’t know your crop, check the Internet, books, or talk to a gardening neighbor. Never be afraid to ask... often the best information we learn is from others and their personal experience.

Once you bring in the vegetables and set them on a flat surface in the house, now's the time to decide on storage. One option is the root cellar, or any other cool, dark, and dry environment. Any lightless room between 35 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit should work if the humidity is low. All you need do is place the vegetables on the shelves (not on the floor) and store for the winter.

With any preservation method, it's important to eliminate any rot, disease, decay, or bruising at once. These things spread to other vegetables and can quickly ruin a great deal of work.

Once you have ensured your vegetables are fresh, bruise-free, and ready for storage, it’s time to look at a couple more advanced preservation methods.

Did your grandmother can fruits and vegetables? Canning is a process in which you place your food in a thick jar, after heating it hot enough to kill any bacteria. As a bonus, you also force the extra air out of the jar, which forms a vacuum seal when the jar cools, keeping the bacteria from coming back. Food keeps for years when it has been canned, letting you enjoy your labors long after the harvest.

Another way to preserve food is through dehydration. Dehydrating is the process which removes water from food. Most commonly this is done with beef jerky, but it can be done with fruits and veggies as well. For example, cucumber chips (or "cuke chips" as we call them in the Rogers household) make a tasty snack during the winter. While there are vintage and retro ways of going about this, the easiest way to dehydrate food is with a simple dehydrator. Employing low temperatures and air circulation, a dehydrator can quickly and safely kill the moisture in food, leaving it dried, fresh, and rot-free for months and years to come.

No matter the method you use to store your harvest, it's rewarding to enjoy your home-grown food months and years after you picked it from the garden. You get to enjoy the fresh taste, the low cost, and the simple satisfaction that you're eating what you've grown.