Today is the unofficial end of summer.

No more wearing white, your children are back in school, and it’s time to start dusting off those holiday decorations. What about the garden you worked so hard on? Time to start preserving your garden’s harvest.

There are many different ways to preserve your bounty. Proper care and storage can yield months of fresh food, making the holiday season both happy and healthy.

Here are a few different easy methods for preserving your harvest.

Preparing your Vegetables

Before storing your produce, make sure it is ready by carefully cleaning and drying your harvest. Try to keep the skin intact by using clean water and wiping away the dirt. To dry, lay the produce out on a soft towel or blanket.

Cold Storage

One of the easiest methods in preserving, it involves storing your produce in a temperature-controlled area such as a root cellar. Common vegetables stored this way are potatoes, squash, and onions.
After packing your produce carefully to avoid bruising, store it at 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit. This will keep it fresh for several months. To help insulate the produce, use clean straw, hay, or wood shavings.

Freezing

Vegetables can be stored long-term when frozen. To help lock in the fresh taste, try flash freezing them. After cleaning the vegetables, some may need to be prepared by cutting (e.g. green beans) or by cooking (e.g. boiling spinach or blanching asparagus). Cooking aids in keeping your vegetables from spoiling by removing microbes.
To flash freeze, lower the temperature in your freezer to -10 degrees Fahrenheit before your vegetables are ready to be picked. Once they are prepared, put them into storage containers or freezer bags with the date and type clearly labeled. If using freezer bags, make sure to drain all the air and flatten before sealing. Then load into the freezer. Try to stagger the freezing times to avoid overloading your freezer. Leave the freezer at the lower setting for a few days after freezing.

Canning

When looking over the possible methods for storing your harvest, canning seems like the most difficult to accomplish. However, it can be fun and easy for you and your family. Canning can also preserve your produce longer than the previously mentioned methods.
To can your produce, you will need to decide what fruits or vegetables you would like canned. Some popular choices are beans, corns, peaches, pears, and tomatoes. The produce will need to be prepared for the jar by cutting and removing excess. Then water and a preservative such as vinegar or lemon oil are added. Boil the mixture to remove contaminates. The heat from boiling will cause the jar to seal upon returning to room temperature.

Growing a garden of produce is fun and can be rewarding with careful preparation and a little hard work. For more information on preserving your bounty, check out the National Center for Home Food Preservation.