5 Ways to Preserve Your Harvest (That Aren’t Canning)

I have no intention of knocking canning, it’s a great way to preserve food and for many things is the best way. It’s also fabulous because the food is shelf-stable at the end, so you don’t have to have a lot of freezer space. But it can also be intimidating and require a lot of equipment, so here are some ways I preserve food without canning!

1. Freeze Applesauce and Strawberry Jam

I believe that both applesauce and strawberry jam taste fresher when frozen than canned. Canning essentially cooks all the ingredients a second time, so I prefer to freeze these foods. I seem to have not saved the recipe I used for my jam this year (a sad discovery, as it is good!) but here is one that looks very similar.

For my applesauce I use a simple method: I core and quarter the apples (I don’t peel them) and put them in a crock pot. I let this crock pot cook on high for 2-3 hours, or low for 4-6 hours. Be sure to stir them down once the heat has softened them. After they have all been turned to mush I run them through a colander to remove the peels. Then I add sugar and/or cinnamon to taste. This allows you to sweeten based on the sweetness of the blend of apples you’re using, keeping you from adding too much sugar just because a recipe calls for it. And you could potentially come out with applesauce that is just apples and no other ingredients. I freeze both the jam and applesauce in pint containers, I prefer square containers because they use the space in my freezer most efficiently.

2. Freeze Grated Zucchini for Zucchini Bread All Year (or you could freeze the whole loaves of bread)

Near the end of the summer you are simply overrun with zucchini, even if you planted conservatively. In addition to giving them away and giving them to the chickens, I grate them with my food processor (but of course you could do this by hand as well) and freeze them in 4 cup amounts which is what I use for my favorite zucchini bread recipe.

3. Freeze Homemade Pesto in Ice Cubes

I love homemade pesto but if you freeze it in a larger container then you have to chip it out every time you are ready to spread some on your bread for a panini or toss some in pasta. I did not originate this idea of course, since it’s all over the internet, but I now freeze it in an ice cube tray and pop out the cubes into a bag. Super easy to toss a few cubes into some pasta just drained from the boil, add some leftover chicken and mozzarella, and boom! Summer fare in the middle of winter.

4. Dehydrate Apple Slices for Snacks

This is my second year dehydrating apple slices, they make such a tasty snack. I tend to eat a few on days that I’ve just gotten home from work STARVING and need a little something in my stomach while I’m making dinner. I use a dehydrator, but I found this recipe online if you want to use your oven instead.

5. Freeze Mirepoix

(not pictured because I haven’t done it yet this year)

The culinary term “mirepoix” refers to the combination of diced onion, carrots, and celery, gently cooked in fat. Mirepoix is a foundation for many classic dishes, including sauces, soups, braised meat dishes, and other recipes. As we tend to lose our carrots over winter to rodents, I’ve started harvesting them in the fall before the animals get desperate and I chop carrots, onions, and celery (which is store-bought because I have so far failed at growing celery that wasn’t terribly bitter) and storing it in freezer bags. It is way more useful than you would think. It’s so easy to add as the base to almost any soup or casserole. (I also chop a bunch of onions and keep them in their own bag so that I only have to cry in one large pathetic chopping fest and can simply tip the onions into my recipe on the regular).

Other Ideas:

Truly, you can freeze so much garden produce. I also tend to freeze corn by blanching it, cutting it off the cobb and putting it in freezer bags. Again, this could be canned, but it tastes so much fresher frozen. I also freeze pumpkin (which cannot be safely home canned as a pulp) by hollowing out the pumpkin/squash seeds, baking the squash in the oven until it’s soft, and then scooping it into freezer bags in amounts that are good for pie and muffin recipes.

This post is dedicated to all the zucchini that have given their lives to make it possible.