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 The Beginner’s Guide to
Preserving
Food at Home
Janet Chadwick

ß
Storey Publishing

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 The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by
publishing practical information that encourages
personal independence in harmony with the environment.

Edited by Margaret Sutherland and Cindy Littlefield

Art direction and book design by Mary Winkelman Velgos
Cover design by Alethea Morrison
Text production by Liseann Karandisecky

Cover and interior decorative illustrations by © Kate Quinby, Croak & Hum
How-to illustrations by Elayne Sears

Expert reader: Elizabeth L. Andress, Extension Food Safety Specialist Director, National
Center for Home Food Preservation Department of Foods and Nutrition
Indexed by Christine R. Lindemer, Boston Road Communications

© 2009 by Janet Chadwick

Recipe on page 140 was previously published in Keeping the Harvest, by Nancy Chioffi and
Gretchen Mead (Storey Publishing).
Recipe on page 157 was previously published in Weekend!, by Edith Stovel and Pamela
Wakefield (Storey Publishing).

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from
the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations
in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, pho-
tocopying, recording, or other — without written permission from the publisher.
The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recom-
mendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author or Storey Publishing. The author
and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information. For additional
information, please contact Storey Publishing, 210 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247.
Storey books are available for special premium and promotional uses and for custom-
ized editions. For further information, please call 1-800-793-9396.

Printed in the United States by Versa Press

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Chadwick, Janet, 1933–

The beginner’s guide to preserving food at home / by Janet Bachand Chadwick.
p. cm.
Previous ed. published under title: Busy person’s guide to preserving food, 1995.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-60342-145-4 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Food–Preservation. I. Chadwick, Janet, 1933–
Busy person’s guide to preserving food. II. Title.
TX601.C43 2009
641.4—dc22
2009006688

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 Contents
The Busy Person’s Dilemma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . V

1 Choosing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2 Tips, Hints, and Other Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3 Basic Techniques for Preserving Food. . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4 Preserving Vegetables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
5 Preserving Fruits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
6 Preserving Herbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
7 Pickles, Relishes, Sauerkraut, and Sauces . . . . . . . . . 135
8 Jams, Jellies, Preserves, and Marmalades . . . . . . . . . 160
9 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
!0 Quick Harvest Meals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

Appendix: Handy Reference Charts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

Preserving Equipment and Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

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 Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Louellan Wasson, home economist, for her
technical editing and moral support throughout the writing of this
book. Many others deserve thanks, too: Andrea Chesman, my editor,
who had the original idea for this book; Mary Clark of Garden Way, for
obtaining many new items of food processing equipment for me to test;
Moulinex and General Electric companies, in particular Mr. Ted Miller
of General Electric Co., for making available to me food processors for
testing; Lynn Liberty of Garden Way Living Center, for her never-failing
support; Win Way, University of Vermont Extension Agronomist, for his
educated palate; and Elayne Sears for her descriptive illustrations.
Last but not least, I’d like to thank my family, especially my hus-
band, Raymond, for taking on extra gardening chores to help make this
book possible, and to my daughter, Kim, for her all-around help.
For this revised edition, the publishers thank Elizabeth L. Andress,
Ph.D., Professor and Extension Food Safety Specialist Director at the
National Center for Home Food Preservation at the University of Georgia.
Her thorough review of the book was invaluable. And thanks, also, to
Cindy Littlefield, who incorporated the updates without changing the
appealing simplicity of the original text.

iv

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 The Busy Person’s
Dilemma
YOU HAVE THREE CHILDREN UNDER FIVE, the baby cried all night,
and your mother-in-law is coming for supper. What are you going to
do with that bushel of green beans? Or, it’s Thursday, and you just
arrived home after a hard day at the office. You know that if you wait
until Saturday to make dill pickles, the cucumbers will be too large;
but if you pick them now, they will be punky by Saturday . . . but
you don’t feel like pickling until midnight. What are you going to do?
Well, take a deep breath and relax. This book is for you.
Vegetable gardening is rapidly becoming the number one
American pastime. Escalating food costs, inferior quality products,
and aversions to chemical additives have convinced many of us that
the best way to provide our families with good food at reasonable
costs is to raise it ourselves.
When calculating the savings of a garden and home food pro-
cessing, many people (always nongardeners) will remark, “Yes, but
how much is your time worth?” To answer that question you have to
be honest with yourself. Would you really be holding down an extra
job during those hours that would net you more cash in the bank?
Can you put a price tag on the physical, emotional, and spiritual sat-
v
isfactions that you derive from working the soil and producing the
foods that nourish your family? Is the kind of food you feed your
family important to you? Is there any way you can buy the feeling of
pride you have at the sight of the full freezer; the rows of canned
vegetables, fruits, pickles, jams, and jellies; or the root cellar shelves
filled to the ceiling? If these things are not important to you, then
maybe you should not be gardening or preserving food, because
there is a lot of work involved — but the work should be a joy and a
challenge to your ability to be more self-reliant.

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 I’ve written this book for those of you who garden and hold
down outside jobs or are busy with kids and other outside activi-
ties. I know that it is hard enough to cope with the normal routine
of family, home, and job, along with raising a small garden for fresh
summer vegetables, without trying to squeeze in long hours of food
preservation at the end of a busy day. But much food can be pre-
served for storage in the small blocks of time you have available on
a daily or weekly basis. This book can be used as a primer if you are
new to the art of food preservation, and it’s likely to provide new
and exciting ideas to those of you who have been preserving food
for years.

How Can This Book Help You?

FREEZING IS THE MOST POPULAR METHOD of food preservation.
It’s a great time-saving method, and it produces the best finished
product; and so this book will focus strongly on freezing techniques,
including some new methods that are even more efficient and pro-
duce an even better finished product.
Drying is an ancient method of preserving food, one that is gain-
ing in popularity as people discover how much they enjoy having an
inexpensive supply of gourmet Italian dried tomatoes and kid-pleasing
vi fruit leathers. Also, as more and more people grow their own herbs,
they find drying a convenient way of preserving that harvest. So I will
offer plenty of advice for drying fruits, vegetables, and herbs.
I will also discuss the equipment that is absolutely necessary for
food preservation and provide information on other equipment that,
while not absolutely required, will make food preservation faster,
easier, and in general, result in a better finished product.
For people who are serious about food preservation, I will talk
about steps that can be taken year-round to make harvest time
easier. Throughout the book, you will find tips to help you make the

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 best use of weekends, weekdays, and overnight hours. These tips
will include the best times to harvest vegetables as well as the best
ways to keep them fresh for up to three days, so that you can plan to
harvest one day and preserve a day or so later.
Since I can already hear nutritionists raising their voices in a
collective uproar over this last remark, I think I’d better explain
myself. Many commercially sold fresh vegetables and fruits are
treated with chemicals to preserve their look of freshness; they can
be from two days to two weeks old when they appear in your mar-
ket. You have no way of knowing how many times frozen foods have
been defrosted and refrozen (losing nutrients and flavor) before
they show up in the frozen food cases of your market. Nor is there
any way to judge the hours or days that lapsed between the harvest
and processing of canned foods. You will never know what chemi-
cals were sprayed on these foods while they were growing.
Taking those factors into consideration, preserving homegrown
foods lets you start out ahead of the game. Even though the best
way to preserve all the nutrients and fresh flavor of foods is to pick
them at their peak and process them immediately, you can be sure
that waiting even two days between harvest and processing will not
cost you much more than minimal loss of either nutrients or flavor if
you follow my instructions on storing. Therefore, you have nothing to
lose and everything to gain by preserving your food by my methods.
In addition to step-by-step, illustrated instructions for process- vii
ing commonly grown vegetables and fruits, I’ve included recipes
for ketchup, salsa, pickles, jams, jellies, and herbal vinegars. I’ve
also shared ideas for delicious meals that can be prepared ahead of
harvest time to make busy days much easier. Some of these dishes
incorporate the vegetables being preserved. Finally, I’ve included a
list of suppliers to help you equip your kitchen.
Before we get into serious food preservation, I’d like to share
three important pieces of advice. First, make an effort to involve the
whole family whenever practical so that everybody becomes excited

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 about what you are accomplishing and the independence it can
afford you. Second, stay flexible. This is important mostly from a psy-
chological standpoint. If you become too rigid in your expectations,
you will waste tremendous amounts of emotional energy trying to
keep up, or being disappointed at failures. This approach can ruin the
best of goals. Finally, know yourself. If you work best at night, plan
your work for the evening hours; but if you are a morning person,
get up an hour or so earlier in the morning to accomplish extra tasks.
The following pages are packed with information to help you
make the best use of your time and resources during the harvest
season. Good luck and have fun!

viii

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 Chapter 4

Preserving
Vegetables

THERE IS A BEST WAY TO PRESERVE each vegetable;

there is a fastest way as well — and sometimes the best way
is the fastest way, but not always. The best way means that
the vegetable will taste closest to fresh when you cook it for
the table.
Suppose your beans are ready to harvest. Turn to the page
on beans in this chapter. Decide which preservation method
to use. Does it look like you will have enough time to get the
job done? Fine. Then read the harvest tips for beans, and go
into the garden and pick the beans. What if you don’t have
enough time to process the beans? Those beans are going to
get too mature out in the garden. You don’t want to wait to
pick them.

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 IN CHAPTER , I shared some of the different shortcuts I have used
in my kitchen — such as storing fresh vegetables overnight in gar-
bage cans filled with ice or tray-freezing unblanched beans to be
used later in relishes. Check the index or skim through chapter to
find shortcuts that will work for you.
Before you start freezing, drying, or canning, turn back to chap-
ter for a quick review of the basic techniques. Assembling all your
equipment, setting up for a productive work flow, and ensuring the
safety of your methods will help to save you time in the long run.
With the basic techniques fresh in your mind, follow the step-by-
step instructions I have provided for each vegetable.
Ready to harvest? Let’s start with asparagus.

ASPARAGUS
ASPARAGUS SHOULD BE PICKED when it is to inches high and
thicker than a pencil. During harvesting, all shoots should be cut.
Leaving the smaller shoots to grow will shorten the harvest season,
which can continue for to weeks.

Freezing in Boilable Bags

D Best and quickest method
60
1 Begin heating water for blanching. To prepare the asparagus,
wash by scrubbing gently (asparagus is delicate) with a vegetable
brush to remove any sand. Cut off tough ends or snap at the brittle
point. Cut into pieces or sort spears. Pack in boilable bags. Add
butter and seasonings, if desired. Press out air. Seal bags.

2 Blanch bags, four at a time, in boiling water for 4 to 8 minutes,

depending on size.

3 Cool. Pat bags dry. Freeze.

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 cooking tip * To cook vegetables frozen in boilable bags
in the microwave, place the bag on a microwave-safe plate
or bowl. Cut a ½-inch slit in the top of the bag. Microwave
on HIGH (100% power) for 4 to 6 minutes. Quarter-turn
the dish halfway through the cooking, if necessary. Leave
the vegetables in the bag for an additional 4 to 5 minutes,
then serve.

Freezing the Standard Way

1 Begin heating water for blanching in a steamer. Scrub gently
with a vegetable brush to remove any sand. Cut off tough ends or
snap at the brittle point. Cut into pieces or sort spears.

2 Steam-blanch, 1 pound at a time for 3 to 6 minutes, depending

on size.

3 Cool in ice water. Drain. Pack. Press out air. Seal. Freeze.

BEANS: GREEN
Preserving
THE BEST BEANS FOR PRESERVING are those that are slightly
Vegetables
immature. Green beans should be long and slender and have tiny
seeds. Harvest beans late in the day. The foliage should be dry.
61
Harvesting beans from wet plants may cause the developing crop
to rot.
Beans can be left to dry on the vine past maturity. After the pods
are dry, shell them. Dry the beans on cookie sheets for several days.
Place the beans in airtight containers and store in a dry place. These
beans may be used as regular dried beans in soups and casseroles.
Can’t preserve right away? Do not wash beans. Store by one of
the methods suggested in chapter .

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 Freezing Unblanched Whole or Julienne Beans
D Best and quickest method

1 Trim ends of beans.

2 Wash, drain, pat thoroughly dry. Julienne, if desired.
3 Pack in gallon-size freezer bags. Press out air. Seal. Freeze.
Note: Unblanched beans will retain good quality for 6 months.

pack in
freezer
trim bean ends drain on towel bags

62
tip * Another excellent way to preserve beans is to pickle
them. You’ll find a recipe for Dilly Beans on page 146.

cooking tip * Frozen beans should be cooked by steam-

ing or stir-frying for best flavor and texture, or cooked in
the boilable bag for 18 to 20 minutes. The less contact
beans have with water during freezing and cooking, the
better flavor and texture they will have.

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 Freezing in Boilable Bags
1 Begin heating water for blanching. To prepare the beans, trim
the ends. Wash, drain, pat dry. Pack in boilable bags. Add butter
and seasonings, if desired. Press out air. Seal bags.

2 Blanch bags, four at a time, in boiling water: 6 minutes for

young beans, up to 8 minutes for old beans.

3 Cool. Pat bags dry. Freeze.

Freezing the Standard Way

1 Trim the ends from the beans. Begin heating water for blanch-
ing. Wash the beans, drain.

2 Steam-blanch, 1 pound at a time: 4½ minutes for young beans,

6 minutes for old beans.

3 Cool in ice water. Drain. Pack. Press out air. Seal. Freeze.

BEETS
Preserving
BEETS SHOULD BE LEFT IN THE GARDEN UNTIL LATE FALL. A few Vegetables

frosts will not harm them. Dig beets on a sunny day. Cut the tops
off, leaving an inch of stem. Do not cut off roots. Let the beets lie on 63
the ground until the following day. Beets stored in a root cellar will
remain fresh and taste sweet well into late spring.

tip * Beets are good candidates for pickling. You’ll find a

recipe on page 147.

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 brush soil layer beets cover with
off roots in box sawdust

Storing in a Root Cellar

D Best and quickest method

1 Brush off the excess soil on the roots, but do not wash. Place
a large plastic bag in a cardboard box; add 2 to 4 inches of
fresh sawdust (2 inches for storage areas that will remain above
freezing).

2 Add a single layer of beets, leaving a 2-inch space all around

the side of the layer to be filled with sawdust. Cover with a 1-inch
layer of sawdust. Continue to layer the beets until the box is full.
Finish with a 2- to 4-inch layer of sawdust.

3 Fold over the top of the bag and close the box. Store in the cold-
est part of the root cellar or in an unheated area, such as a garage.

64 tip * One method of peeling beets is to cut the tops from

beets, leaving 2 inches of stem to prevent bleeding. Do not
cut the roots off. Scrub thoroughly. Place in a large kettle.
Cover with hot tap water. Bring to a boil and boil for 15
to 20 minutes for canned beets, or until tender for frozen
beets. Slip off skins. The disadvantage of this method
is that the beets should all be the same size; otherwise,
smaller beets will overcook and get mushy before larger
ones are cooked. This problem does not happen when
beets are baked in the oven; beets of several sizes may be
baked together and none overcook.

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 Freezing Slices in Boilable Bags
1 Cut tops and roots off close to the beet. Preheat oven to 400°F.
Scrub beets thoroughly. Place on a rack in a large roaster. Cover.

2 Bake until tender (approximately 1 hour for 2½- to 3-inch beets).

3 Fill the roaster with cold water to cool beets. Slip off skins.
4 Slice beets. Pack in boilable freezer bags. Add butter and
seasoning, if desired. Press out air. Seal.

5 Cool in ice water. Wipe dry. Freeze.

BROCCOLI
HARVEST BROCCOLI WHEN THE HEAD STOPS GROWING but
before the individual clusters start to spread out. Second crop clusters
(side shoots) should be cut while the buds are still clustered tightly.
Can’t preserve right away? Do not wash. Store by one of the
methods suggested in chapter .

Preserving
Freezing the Standard Way Vegetables
D Best method

1 Soak broccoli in cold, salted water for ½ hour to remove dirt 65

and insects. Meanwhile, preheat water for steam-blanching.

2 Drain broccoli. Rinse. Divide into uniform-size pieces or chop.

3 Steam-blanch, 1 pound at a time for 5 minutes. Then cool,
drain, pack, press out air, and seal. Freeze.

tip * When blanching broccoli, make long cross cuts in the

stalk, so that the stalk will cook in the same length of time
as the bud.

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 Recipes
BE SURE TO READ THROUGH EACH RECIPE before beginning, so
you know whether you have time for the recipe. Some require leav-
ing the vegetables in a salt brine for as little as hour or as much as
days.

Note: Prewash your jars and make the pickling brine ahead of time.
Heat the brine and can the cucumbers as they come along, 2 or 3
quarts at a time.

Quick Dill Pickles

Makes 3 quarts

3 cups white vinegar

3 cups water
⅓ cup pickling salt
4 pounds cucumbers, washed and cut into spears
6 heads dill, or 6 tablespoons dill seed
3 cloves garlic, peeled (optional)
9 peppercorns

1 Preheat hot tap water in the canner; prepare jars and lids. In a
saucepan, combine liquids and salt, and heat to boiling.

2 Pack cucumbers into hot, clean quart jars. To each jar, add
140
2 heads dill, 1 clove garlic, if using, and 3 peppercorns.

3 Fill the jars with the hot pickling brine, leaving ½ inch of head-
room. Adjust lids.

4 Process in a boiling-water bath for 20 minutes. Cool sealed jars.

Check seals. Remove screw bands. Label. Store. For the best flavor,
let the pickles stand and mellow for several weeks before eating.

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 Basic Strawberry Preserves
Makes about 4 half-pint jars

1½ quarts firm, ripe strawberries

5 cups sugar
⅓ cup lemon juice

1 Wash the strawberries. Hull and remove stems. Combine

strawberries and sugar in a tall, heavy-bottomed saucepan; let
stand for 3 to 4 hours.

2 Bring the strawberries and sugar slowly to a boil, stirring

occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Add lemon juice. Boil rapidly
until the berries are soft and the syrup is clear, about 10 to
12 minutes.

3 Pour into a shallow pan. Let stand, uncovered, for 12 to

24 hours in a cool place. Shake pan occasionally to distribute
the berries through the syrup.

4 Preheat the canner, sterilize the jars, and prepare the lids.
5 Heat preserves until boiling. Pour hot preserves into the jars, Jams, Jellies,
Preserves,
leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, and
damp cloth. Adjust the lids as the manufacturer recommends. Marmalades

6 Place the filled jars on a rack in the preheated canner. Process

175
for 10 minutes once the water has returned to a boil.

7 When the processing time is up, carefully remove the jars from
the canner using a jar lifter.

8 Cool sealed jars. Check seals. Remove screw bands. Label.

Store.

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 Harvest-Time Dishes
IN THE THICK OF PRESERVING VEGETABLES, you can save time
by cooking a dinner based on the vegetable you are processing.
Base the whole meal around the vegetable, or use a vegetable dish
to supplement some of the casseroles and other goodies you have
tucked away in the freezer for busy days.
Here are a few of my favorite vegetable recipes.

Magic Crust Broccoli Pie

Makes 4 to 6 servings

2 cups chopped cooked broccoli

1 cup chopped cooked ham
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup unbleached flour
⅛ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon double-acting baking powder
1 tablespoon shortening
2 eggs
¾ cup milk

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2 Layer the broccoli, ham, and cheese in a well-oiled 9-inch pie
200 plate. Blend the remaining ingredients in a blender or food proces-
sor, or with an electric hand mixer. Pour over the cheese layer.

3 Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes.

4 Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

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 INDEX
Page references in bold indicate charts; page references in italics indicate illustrations.

A B for standard freezing,

acid, for preserves,
acid foods, canning,
acidic foods, pot metals
and,
antioxidants,
apple juice, – blenders, , ,
apple peeler, ,
apples, –
Basic Apple Jelly,
drying slices of, –
freezing slices of,
fruit leather from, –
Oven-Baked Apple Butter,
root cellaring of,
tips for,
applesauce
canning,
freezing,
tips for, ,
appliances, –
expensive, – , –
food processors, , – ,
indispensable, –
tips for,
apricots, – defrosting,
drying halves of, – drying,
freezing halves of,
fruit leather from, – – , –
raw-pack canning,
ascorbic acid, drying pro-
cess and, ,
asparagus, –
cooking tip for,
freezing, standard,
freezing in boilable bags,
Baked Beans, – – , –
bean recipes in steam pots,
Baked Beans, – stir-frying vs.,
Dilly Beans, timetables, vegetables,
Dutch-Style Green Beans, –
beans, green, – , blueberries, –
cooking tip for, drying whole,
freezing, standard, freezing,
freezing in boilable bags, tips for,
boilable bags, – ,
freezing methods, –
freezing unblanched, advantages of,
freezing unblanched, cooking tips for,
whole/julienne, , freezing method using,
julienne-slicing, – , , – , –
sealing, ,
beets, – boiling-water-bath canning,
cooking tips for, – , –
freezing in boilable bags, equipment for, , ,
high-altitude processing
Pickled Beets, timetable, –
root cellaring of, , breakfast, quick,
berries broccoli, –
Basic Berry Jam, freezing, standard,
Magic Crust Broccoli Pie,
,
freezing, , – , , tips for, , 225
unblanched, freezing of,
seed removal and, ,
tips for,
See also specific berry C
blanching, , cabbage, –
blanchers, , root cellaring of, ,
for boilable bag method, Sauerkraut, – ,
– tips for,
in microwave ovens, , calendar, planning,
– canners, , ,
as pretreatment for preheating of, ,
drying,

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 canning, – Chili, D
boiling-water-bath, , Chutney, Busy Person’s dehydrators, ,
– , – , Relish-Sauce-, – desserts, quick,
equipment for, , classes, food preservation, diced meats, quick meals
jars and lids, – and, –
raw- vs. hot-pack, cleaning root cellars/storage Dilly Beans,
salt in, areas, discolored foods, oxidation
sealing jars, – , , cold storage, temporary, . and,
tips for, , See also root cellaring dried foods
troubleshooting, – Coleslaw, Freezer, – gift ideas,
washing vegetables for, conserves, defined, mold in,
containers storage of, –
canning jars, , – for picking berries, drying foods, –
headspace, storage, assembling advantages of,
lids and, preparing/select- group of, basic equipment for,
ing, – for storing dried foods, benefits of,
preventing mineral stains – in conventional ovens,
on, corn, freezing, – –
problems with, on cob, boilable bags, in dehydrators,
sealing, – cream-style, fruit leathers,
sterilizing, in husks, unblanched, herbs, – , –
storage of, freezing, in microwave ovens,
testing seals on, standard way, pretreatment for, –
tips for maintaining, tips for, , sun-drying, –
carrots, – whole kernal, boilable testing dried foods,
freezing, standard, bags, –
freezing in boilable bags, cost-saving tips troubleshooting,
for buying equipment, See also specific food
Index root cellaring of, – , ,
for freezer, running, E
tip, leaving in ground, cranberries, – efficiency, work flow tips
226 casseroles, frozen, canning, sauce, for, – ,
Cheese Stuffed Peppers, drying whole, eggplant
cherries, – freezing whole, freezing, standard,
drying whole, Creamed Vegetable Soups, Ratatouille,
freezing, – Fifteen, , – elevation adjustments.
fruit leather from, – crop planning, preserving boiling-water-bath can-
raw-pack canning, food and, ning, , –
chicken recipes cucumbers, – equipment, –
Barbecued Chicken, Cucumbers in Dill Sauce, basic list of,
Fried Chicken, blanchers, ,
Polynesian Chicken, freezing slices for salads, blenders, ,
-in- Chicken Recipe, , buying, ,
– canners, , ,

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 costs of, , freezing foods, – fruit butter
dehydrators, , , basic equipment for, defined,
directions/part order benefits of, Oven-Baked Apple Butter,
slips/warranties, boilable bag method,
dishwashers, – , , Fruit-Fresh antioxidant,
food processors, , – , ice packs, reusable, fruit juice in drying process,
freezers/freezing aids, microwave blanching,
– , – , – fruit leathers, , . See
kettles/pots, packaging frozen foods, also specific fruit
measuring cups/spoons, – ,
standard method, – , G
microwave ovens, – – garlic. See onions, garlic,
needs, determining, – tips for, , and shallots
ovens, conventional, troubleshooting, – garnishes,
– unblanched freezing, gelling, tips for, ,
for pickling, , – , gift ideas, dried foods,
slicers, – , , washing produce and, grapes, –
for standard freezing, See also specific food; Basic Grape Jelly,
strainers, – , , tray-freezing grape juice,
for sun-drying, frozen foods, unblanched, raisins, making,
tips for, cooking tips, root cellaring of, –
fruit, – seed removal and,
F antioxidants, discolor- greens
firming agents, pickles and, ation and, Spinach Surprise,
defrosting frozen, stir-frying prior to freez-
food mills, , dried, testing of, ing, ,
food preservation. See pre- freezing unblanched,
serving food; specific – H
method frozen, defrosting, hang-drying herbs,
Index
food processors, , – , for making preserves, harvest time,
freeze-ahead ideas, – dishes for, – , –
freezer recipes natural pectin levels in, Harvest-Time Acorn 227
freeze-ahead recipes, Squash,
– for pickling, meal-planning tips, –
Freezer Coleslaw, – root cellaring, – tips, produce, –
Freezer Meatballs, sugar syrups for, – , See also meals, quick; sea-
Freezer Pickles, sonal tips
freezers, – , – tips for, herbal products, –
freezer test, gelling, tray-freezing, Basic Herb Jelly,
freezing aids washing, herb jellies,
boilable bags, – yields, fresh fruit, herb teas, ,
sealers, , See also specific fruit herb vinegars, –

4019_PreserveBook.indd 227 4/28/09 11:13:56 AM

 herbs, – no pectin added, steps meals, quick, –
dehydrator drying, , for, – diced meats, using in,
pectin added, steps for, –
dried, storing, – freeze-ahead ideas,
dried, testing before stor- tips for, , freeze-ahead recipes,
age, See also gelling, tips for –
drying methods, – jelly recipes for harvest-time, –
freezing methods for, Basic Apple Jelly, instant meals,
– Basic Grape Jelly, main meal ideas,
hang-drying herbs, Basic Herb Jelly, meats
herbal products, – juice Freezer Meatballs,
oven-drying, apple, – Meat Loaf,
specific herbs, – grape, roasts, –
storage tips, making jelly from, tray-freezing of,
high-altitude processing julienne-slicing microwave ovens, –
times, boiling-water- beans, green, blanching in, , – ,
bath canning, , equipment for, – ,
– cooking tips,
hot-packing, canning, K defrosting fruit in,
ketchup drying in, ,
I Just Like Store-Bought in jam-and jelly-making,
ice packs, reusable, , Ketchup,
instant meals, tips for, in preserve-making,
syrups, making in,
J L mixed vegetables, soups/
jam, – Lasagna, Quick and Easy, purées,
crystallization and, mold in dried foods,
defined, lazy Susans, tips for, mushrooms, –
no added pectin, steps leathers. See fruit leathers drying mushrooms,
Index
for, – leftovers, storage of, freezing, standard,
pectin added, steps for, lemon juice as antioxidant,
228 – N
seed removal and, lettuce, nectarines. See peaches
jam recipes extending the harvest,
Basic Berry Jam, , O
Basic Peach Jam, Lettuce and Green Pea onions, garlic, and shallots
Basic Plum Jam, Soup, drying chopped,
Basic Strawberry Jam, low-acid foods, canning, root cellaring of, ,
jars. See canning jars tray-freezing, unblanched
jelly, , – M chopped, ,
crystallization and, markets, locating of, Orange Marmalade,
defined, marmalade, – oven-drying herbs,
from juice, defined, oxidation, discolored foods
Orange Marmalade, and,
meal planning, , –

4019_PreserveBook.indd 228 4/28/09 11:13:57 AM

 P pickle-making/pickling preserves, –
packaging frozen foods, basic ingredients for, Basic Strawberry
– – Preserves,
“papers.” See fruit leathers equipment for, , defined,
pasta/pasta sauce, – methods for, equipment for,
Jan’s Spicy Spaghetti processing, ingredients for, –
Sauce, – spoilage, signs of, microwave ovens and,
Pasta with Garden Salad steps, – , – no pectin added, steps
Sauce, tips for, , for, –
Pesto Pasta, troubleshooting, – pectin added, steps for,
Quick and Easy Lasagna, pickle recipes –
Freezer Pickles, processing for,
tips for, , Pickled Beets, tips for,
peaches, – Quick Dill Pickles, types of,
Basic Peach Jam, Short-Brine Kosher Dill preserving food
canning halves of, Pickles, basic equipment for,
drying halves, – Sour Pickles, – ,
freezing, Sunshine Pickles, basic techniques, –
fruit leather from, Sweet Chunk Pickles, kettles for,
pears, – – produce, tips for, –
freezing, pies reference charts, –
hot-pack canning halves, fruit, tips for, See also specific method
– Magic Crust Broccoli Pie, pumpkins. See winter
root cellaring, – squash
peas, – pineapples, – purées
blanching/tray-freezing, drying slices of, – defrosted fruit,
, , freezing, mixed vegetables for,
cooking tips for, , hot-pack canning, slices, freezing, ,
freezing, standard, tips for, Index
freezing in boilable bags, planning calendar, tomato, canning, ,
, planting, timing of, , tomato, freezing,
Lettuce and Green Pea plums, – 229
Soup, Basic Plum Jam, R
pectin drying whole prunes, raspberries, –
natural levels, fruit, – freezing in sugar,
preserves and, raw-pack canning, tray-freezing whole,
peelers/peeling, , , potatoes, – Ratatouille, –
peppers. See sweet peppers dried, reconstitution, reference charts, –
pesto drying of, rehydrating vegetables,
herb pastes and, root cellaring of, , relish recipes
Pesto Pasta, Busy Person’s Relish-
picking vegetables, timing Sauce-Chutney, ,
of, –
German Pickle Relish,
Zucchini Relish,

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 rhubarb, – fall through late winter, trainers, – , , ,
canning sweetened, – in canning process,
freezing unsweetened, planning calendar, cheesecloth,
– stowing seasonal items, Chinois strainer,
rice, cooking tips for, Foley Food Mill, ,
root cellaring, , seasonings, . See also with hand crank,
basic equipment for, herbs; spices jelly bags,
steps in, – shallots. See onions, garlic, screens for, –
root vegetables, dried, test- and shallots Squeezo strainer, ,
ing before storage, shopping tips, , strawberries, –
shortcuts. See time-saving Basic Strawberry Jam,
S tips Basic Strawberry
safety tips slow cookers, Preserves,
with boiling water, snow peas, . See also peas freezing in sugar,
in canning, , , soup keeping firm,
– Creamed Vegetable, tray-freezing whole,
in pickling, , Fifteen, , – sugar
signs of spoilage, Lettuce and Green Pea freezing without,
for storing potatoes, Soup, making preserves with,
for using a slicer, mixed vegetables for,
salads freezing, , sugar snap peas, , . See
Freezer Coleslaw, – Squash Bisque, also peas
layered, stock for, sugar syrups, – ,
time-saving tips, spaghetti sauce summer squash, –
salsa recipes Jan’s Spicy Spaghetti cooking tip for,
Kate’s Fresh Salsa, Sauce, – drying squash chips,
Spicy Salsa, tips for, , freezing in boilable bags,
salt spices, ,
Index in canning, Spinach Surprise, frozen unblanched slices,
in pickling, spoilage ,
sauces checking jars for, , Ratatouille recipe,
230 Busy Person’s Relish- signs of, tips for,
Sauce-Chutney, squash. See summer squash; Zucchini Relish,
cranberry sauce, winter squash sun-drying, – ,
See also applesauce; spa- stir-frying, , , , , sweeteners, , ,
ghetti sauce , sweet peppers, –
Sauerkraut, – , stock for soup, Cheese-Stuffed Peppers,
screw bands, removing storage
stuck, containers for, , cooking tips for,
sealers, , , , , . See of dried foods, – drying diced,
also boilable bags preparing fruits/vegeta- tray-freezing, whole or
seasonal tips, – bles for, halves, ,
early spring through early for short-term, – syrups, . See also sugar
summer, – tips for, , syrups
using closets for, ,

4019_PreserveBook.indd 230 4/28/09 11:13:57 AM

 T troubleshooting, – W
teas, herbal, , for canning, – washing produce,
testing dried foods, – for drying, winter squash, –
time-saving tips, – for freezing, – freezing, strained, boil-
cooking, for pickling, – able bags,
crop planning, turkey, freezing of, Harvest-Time Acorn
freezing, , Squash,
harvesting, ,
U root cellaring of,
utensil storage tips,
jam/jelly making, Squash Bisque,
meal preparation, , tips for, ,
V
– , – work area setup/tips, – ,
vacuum packaging
preparing vegetables,
machines, ,
preserving/processing, workshops, food preserva-
Vegetable Platter with
– , , tion,
Peanut Sauce,
seasonal tips, –
vegetables, –
shopping, – Z
blanching times,
storage, short-term, zucchini. See summer
dried, testing before stor-
– , , squash
age,
work flow efficiency,
freezer packaging for,
–
–
tomatoes, –
freezing unblanched,
canning, overripe,
–
canning purée, ,
frozen unblanched, cook-
canning raw-packed,
ing tips,
drying slices,
leathers from,
freezing purée/ juice,
microwave blanching
freezing whole, peeled,
timetable,
mixed, soups/purées,
freezing whole, unpeeled, Index
for pickling,
preserving, –
ripening of,
ready-cut, 231
root cellaring of, ,
root cellaring, –
sun-dried,
tray-freezing, ,
tips for, , ,
yields, fresh vegetable,
using frozen,
–
toppings and coatings,
See also specific
tray-freezing
vegetable
berries, , , ,
vinegar
meats,
herbal, –
onions/garlic/shallots,
in pickling,
–
vitamin C,
tips for,
vegetables, , , ,
,

4019_PreserveBook.indd 231 4/28/09 11:13:57 AM

 Other Storey Titles You Will Enjoy
The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest, by Carol W. Costenbader.
A revised edition of a classic primer on freezing, canning, drying, and pickling
fruits and vegetables.
pages. Paper. ISBN -- - - .

Fix, Freeze, Feast, by Kati Neville and Lindsay Tkacsik.

Great recipes that start with a warehouse club tray pack of meat and end
with a freezer full of delicious meals, ready for thawing anytime.
pages. Paper. ISBN -- - - .

The Gardener’s A–Z Guide to Growing Organic Food,

by Tanya L. K. Denckla.
An invaluable resource about growing, harvesting, and storing for
varieties of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and nuts.
pages. Paper. ISBN -- - - .

Making & Using Dried Foods, by Phyllis Hobson.

Step-by-step instructions for drying almost everything
with or without a commercial dehydrator.
pages. Paper. ISBN - - - - .

Pickles & Relishes, by Andrea Chesman.

Quick-and-easy recipes to turn bumper crops into mouthwatering
pickles and relishes, using little or no salt.
pages. Paper. ISBN - - - - .

Root Cellaring, by Mike and Nancy Bubel.

Suitable for city and country folks, with information on harvesting
and creating cold storage anywhere — even closets! — plus recipes.
pages. Paper. ISBN - - - - .

Serving Up the Harvest, by Andrea Chesman.

A collection of recipes to bring out the best in garden-fresh
vegetables, with master recipes that can accommodate whatever
happens to be in your produce basket.
pages. Paper. ISBN -- - - .

These and other books from Storey Publishing are available

wherever quality books are sold or by calling - - - .
Visit us at www.storey.com.

4019_PreserveBook.indd 232 5/6/09 3:58:29 PM