Preserving your excess garden produce

[Annette]

I have been preserving my excess produce for the last 2 years by freezing, dehydrating and bottling (canning) and wonder do any other members preserve their surplus fruit and veg and if so, by which method. Also what type of fruit and veg you preserve and what type of preserving equipment and jars you use as well as labelling methods. It would also be interesting to hear your experiences with preserving - both successes and failures (I've had some of those).

• For freezing I place my fruit or veg in sandwich sized Ziploc bags.
• For dehydrating I have a simple Sunbeam dehydrator which has 5 drying trays and 4 roll-up trays.
• For canning I use Ball Mason jars which are much easier to work with than Fowler jars or Vacola jars.

Below is a list of some of the fruit and vegetables that I have preserved as well as some homemade edible gifts.

Freezing: 

• Peas, beans, corn, carrots, paprika, capsicum, chillies, rhubarb and strawberries etc.

Dehydrating:

• Celery powder - great for adding to casseroles and stir fry's
• Tomato powder - great for adding to casseroles or to make tomato paste for pizza bases or spaghetti bolognaise etc.
• Strawberries and other fruits for healthy snacks
• Fruit roll-ups
• Dried figs
• Dried parsley and other herbs

Canning:

• Tomato chutney
• Tomato relish
• Pickled cucumbers
• Pickled zucchini
• Sweet chilli sauce
• Blackberry syrup
• Strawberry syrup
• Plum sauce
• Watermelon Rind Pickles
• Passata
• Apples
• Apple puree (to later use as fruit roll-ups)
• Various jams - rhubarb, blackberry, apple
• Corn Syrup (homemade) to use in various recipes
• Marshmallow Fluff (homemade)
• Ice Magic (homemade)
• Coconut Butter (homemade)
• Salted caramel sauce (homemade)

As well as having this bounty year round for our personal use I also create labels for the "canned" goods and add them to Christmas and Birthday gift hampers for friends and family. To make the hampers extra special I also create nice gift boxes and packaging and surround the hamper with heat shrink wrap topped off with a nice bow to add a professional touch. For the last 2 years I have given these gift hampers in place of store bought gifts which has saved me considerable money and at the same time given something which all my friends and family love and appreciate.

[redracer01]

Hello @Annette 

Those look delish! Please put my Christmas order in for 1 bottle of plum sauce! 

Red 

[bergs]

Hi All,

I have just started harvesting my climbing beans. 1.5kg in 3 days.

There will be too many to eat as they grow very quick once they start to mature.

I will blanch them and put in zip lock bags, enough for meals, then freeze them and use as required.

Excess tomatoes are generally made into relish.

Chillies are hung on string lines and when dried minced to make flakes which then can be used throughout the year.

I also freeze chillies and can the use them all through the year.

Any other excess is given away to family and friends.

I have seen where some houses have put a table or box at the front of their property and is used to trade excess produce.

It works on the principle of swapping your excess veggies for the other persons excess.

My daughter does this and it doesn't take too long for the surrounding neighbourhood to catch on.

👍🍻

[Jason]

Great work @bergs. I wish I lived near your place!

Jason

[MichelleLameroo]

I am also an avid preserver, saucer, and dehydrator. My Nanna passed on her CWA calendar cook books to me, and I quite often use the recipes from it.

I also have a thermomix, which helps to make small batches. I cook my large sauce batches on our wood fire. 

could I please get your celery and tomato powder recipes.   

[StevieB]

Hi @MichelleLameroo,

Thanks for contributing to this discussion. 

Let me tag @Annette so she is alerted to your question about recipes.

I'm sure you have plenty of knowledge to share with our community and we look forward to hearing about your tips and recipes as well.

Stevie

[dondon23]

Are there any workshops that happen at the Gawler bunnings store this year ?

[Jason]

@dondon23,

Bunnings customers can find and book workshops, garden club, kids D.I.Y. classes and family events at your local store via the Bunnings website. Just click on Stores at the top of the page, then Find a store, then click on the More details option when your chosen store has appeared.

This will take you to a page where you can see and book upcoming workshops. For example, here is the page for Gawler.  

Thanks,

Jason