How to Preserve Vegetables From the Garden

Preserve vegetables for year-round consumption.

Vegetables straight from the garden are a treat due to the incredibly fresh taste of the food, as well as the realization of your hard work. The harvesting time and shelf life for many raw vegetables is relatively short, and your crop may be abundant. Preserve your home-grown vegetables in your own kitchen to prevent waste and continue the enjoyment of your spoils into the winter.

Things You'll Need

• Vegetable brush
• Paring knife
• Saucepan
• Colander
• Bowl
• Paper towels
• Airtight containers
• Salt
• Canning jars and lids
• Pressure canner

Instructions

Preserving Vegetables in the Freezer

1. Wash the just-picked vegetables well with water and a vegetable brush to eliminate all residue from the food. If you are not able to freeze your vegetables within 12 hours of picking, store them in the refrigerator to prevent spoilage.

2. Peel vegetables like carrots, potatoes or radishes if you prefer to preserve them without skins.

3. Heat water in a saucepan until boiling. Blanch the vegetables for 15 seconds in the boiling water, then pour the entire contents of the pot into a colander to drain. A brief blanching kills bacteria on the surface of the food and stops the spoilage enzymes from activating.

4. Run cold water into the colander of blanched vegetables or place the entire bunch into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.

5. Dry the garden veggies with paper towels before placing them in airtight containers. Store the containers in the freezer.

Canning Garden Vegetables

1. Remove the dirt from the homegrown vegetables with a brush and cold water.

2. Trim ends of beans, carrots, asparagus, broccoli and other vegetables if desired with a paring knife.

3. Fill clean canning jars with vegetables -- sliced or cut, if desired -- and water. You can "raw pack" or "hot pack" vegetables to preserve them; raw pack jars are filled with cold water before sealing, and hot pack jars are filled with hot water and boiled for several minutes before sealing. Raw pack vegetables maintain their crispness better than hot packed foods.

4. Boil hot packed vegetables for three to five minutes before adding a small amount of salt if desired. A quart jar of vegetables needs no more than 1 tsp. of salt for seasoning.

5. Secure the lids on the canning jars so that air bubbles are removed and the seals are tight; the flat, circular part of the lid should be flat without buckling.

6. Place your quart jars of preserved vegetables into a pressure canner, set the pressure gauge at 11 lbs. and determine the processing time. The University of Missouri Extension recommends 25 to 40 minutes per quart for carrots, asparagus, beans, corn, peas, peppers, beets and white potatoes. Sweet potatoes, squash and greens should be processed for 90 minutes.

References

• Mississippi State University: Preserve Garden Foods for Year-Round Eating; Bonnie Coblentz; 2007
• University of Missouri: Quality for Keeps: Preserve Your Garden Delights: How to Can Fresh Vegetables; 2010
• University of Minnesota: Harvesting and Storing Home Garden Vegetables; Cindy Tong; 2011