As you harvest the bounty from your garden, you may wonder what you're going to do with all of that food! Here are some tasty ways to preserve the taste of summer to enjoy all year long!
Homemade Salsa
Making homemade salsa is a great way to use up the fresh produce from your garden, but it's smart to spend some time learning about canning safety before you begin. Canning salsa is a tricky task because you are combining highly acidic tomatoes with peppers, onions, and other low-acid foods. If you fail to properly balance the acid levels in your salsa, you create a breeding ground for food-borne bacteria. For this reason, it's important to follow the recipe precisely and use a hot water bath or pressure canner to allow the final heat treatment to kill any bacteria that may be present.
Sweet Pickle Relish
This tongue-tingling relish makes good use of the cucumbers, sweet peppers, and onions in your garden. It's perfect on hot dogs and hamburgers, and in tuna or chicken salad. A jar of homemade sweet pickle relish also makes a thoughtful gift!
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| Refrigerator Pickles |
Refrigerator Pickles
Refrigerator pickles are popular because they're super easy and don't require canning. Just slice your cucumbers and pop them in a bowl, heat your liquid and spices and pour over the cukes, let cool, and refrigerate!
Slow-Cooker Apple ButterIf you're lucky enough to have an apple or pear tree, you can make loads of delicious apple pear butter! Making it in the slow cooker is so easy, plus it doesn't heat up the house and it will make your whole kitchen smell amazing. Leave the peels on for extra fiber -- they'll disintegrate when you use the immersion blender. And if you add a little extra cinnamon, you can cut back on the sugar, or leave it out altogether. Freeze your creation in containers or can it, and enjoy it all winter!
Find all the preservation tips and tricks here.
