Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Produce Preservation


Have you been trying to figure out how much produce you will need to harvest in order to have enough to make a batch for canning? Hobby Farms.com has done the work for you! They have a beautiful graphic available to use as a guide to calculate how much produce you need to harvest in order to make a successful batch. 

Here is a link to the chart:  Info-graphic: Produce Preservation

 If one of your goals is to feed your family with foods you have preserved, then a plan is definitely in order. First, you need to know how many fruits and vegetables you need to harvest in order to prepare enough food for your family's needs. Afterwards, you can  calculate how much to plant in your garden, or how much to pick from the you pick farms, or purchase from the farmer's markets. 

After cleaning out my pantry last week, I realized how grateful I was to have so many jars of tomatoes that I canned last summer. When I open one of the jars I smell that familiar tomato smell that only comes from a home grown tomato, and I feel pride in the fact that we grew these tomatoes right here and preserved them for our family to enjoy. 

This year I have plans to preserve peaches, sweet pickle relish, dill relish, tomatoes, pizza sauce, salsa, spaghetti sauce, and plenty more as my time and energy allows. 

What plans do you have for your garden and preserving this year?

Belinda
© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2012.
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”

6 comments:

  1. That is so useful--thank you for the link.

    I ate all of my jars of home-canned tomatoes and salsa well before the winter was over, but I enjoyed every minute of it. I also ate the beets I canned. (Well, I gave a few of each away, too as friends and family really appreciate home-canned food.)

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    1. Your welcome, Pamela. :) Yum, we love pickled can beets - that is on my list of things to can this year too even if I have to buy them from the Farmer's market! lol :)

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  2. Sounds like a great plan, Belinda. No garden this year, but I still participate in my local, organic farm CSA. Extra produce is currently being frozen (greens mostly) or dried (herbs). Squash finally appeared last week, so there is promise of much more to come!

    Agree with both you and Pamela, nothing duplicates home canned tomatoes!

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  3. Thank you, Carol. :) I really want to grow enough green beans and be able to pressure can them. My grandparents did that for years. maybe next year will be the year that I finally do that. I need to put it on my list of things to do. :)

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  4. Hi Belinda,
    This year, I'll be doing jams, jellies, green bean dill pickles, green tomato sweet and dill relish, plum chutney (we eat a fair amount of curry), zucchini bread and butter pickles, salsa and pickled beets. I tend to freeze more than I put up in jars. I have the freezer space, and it's easier for me (no pressure canner, so only do things high in vinegar/acid or sugar).

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  5. We like the green dilly beans here too. They are good and refreshing, which is perfect for a hot summer day. Sounds like you will be super busy putting food up this summer. I enjoy doing that so much. :)

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