Preserving Produce: How to Can, Freeze and Dry Your Favorite Foods

Enjoy Fresh Produce Throughout the Year!

• At the grocery store:
  • Use the Ad: Each grocery store puts their produce on sale each week. Use the front and back side of the ad as your guide when looking for produce deals. The stores tend to put the best deals on the front and back cover of the ad.
  • Know your Price Points: I have certain price points on produce that I wait for before I buy on a weekly basis, but especially when I buy in bulk. I do not like to pay more than $2/lb for strawberries and I stock up when they are $1.50/lb or less. I wait for peaches, nectarines, pears and apples to be less than $0.99/lb. Get access to our full price point guide.
  • Talk to your Store: It is always a good idea to talk with the produce or grocery manager at your local store to see if they have any produce they are getting ready to discount. You can call ahead or just ask for them while shopping. Creating a good relationship with your store can open you up to possibilities of knowing about discounts that over shoppers will never know about.
• Local Farms & Fruit Stands: Go visit fruit & veggies stands or look for roadside stands. I just bought a baker’s dozen of the most amazing corn on the cob from a little stand set up by a local family for $5. I am headed back tomorrow to get more and freeze it for later – it was THAT good! Outside of Boise we have access to farms in  areas like Weiser and Marsing where you can buy apples, pears, peaches ect in bulk straight from the farm. Some farms allow you to come pick yourself for an even deeper discount.
• Grow a Garden and Fruit Trees: This is my favorite way to save on produce. We have our own fruit trees and we grow a garden every year. This is a great way to get a lot of good fruit and vegetables. Check out our gardening tips.
• Network with Neighbors: Talk to your neighbors and trade some of your harvest. Last year I traded apricots for apples with one of our neighbors. I also traded tomatoes for pickling cucumbers with another neighbor. If you have enough of an interest, you could even coordinate crops so you can trade unique crops back and forth.

When you get a good deal on produce you save even more money if you preserve it. Why? Because you find ways to use it all and you keep from paying full price the next time you want to enjoy that produce. There are several ways to preserve produce and these are my three favorite; freezing, canning and dehydrating. I have the tools and the skills for each of these fabulous methods.

Freezing

Freezing produce is the best preservation method for keeping the most nutrients in your food. Freezing produce is so easy! I have been doing it several years. In the last few years I discovered that with a foodsaver your food lasts much longer and avoids freezer burn. Preserve some of your favorite summer produce with this easy method and enjoy it all year long!

I love my foodsaver! <– This is the highest rated, best prices model on amazon. 

Canning

Canning Produce – Whenyou can foods they can last for years on your shelf and you do not have to worry about the power going out and your freezer thawing. If you know someone who has experience in canning we recommend spending some time learning from them, but if you are wanting to get started right away you can learn more from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving book. When you can your own food you will NOT be disappointed – there’s nothing like enjoying delicious home canned food throughout the year!

• How to Make and Can Your Own Pickles
• How to Can Peaches the Easy Way
• Easy Homemade Marinara Sauce
• Homemade Apricot Syrup Recipe
• Salsa Canning Recipe
• Homemade Peach Salsa

Stove for canning:

The first time I canned peaches I ruined my burner on my electric stove. Then we moved to a house with a glass top stove and canning is not recommended on a glass stove. If you do not have a gas stove I would recommend getting a two-burner propane stove to use outside. The propane stove is great to have for emergency use and for camping. This camp chef propane stove <— is well priced and highly rated on amazon.

Drying

Drying produce is another fantastic way to preserve a bountiful harvest. Drying pears, apples, cherries, and berries for fruit roll ups can be taken easily as snacks, orare also great for road trips!

Here are some of our favorite food dehydrating recipes.

Smoothies & Popsicles

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