Last Chance to Appear in GYO's September Issue

[Sara]

Hi everyone,

The summer harvest's only just beginning but I'm already planning ahead. I'm sure many of you are expecting bucketfuls of courgettes, tomatoes, beans, peas and other tasty veg. But, when you're left with more than you can eat, what's the best way to use up the glut?

Whether it's preserving fruit, drying beans or storing root veg, I'd love to hear your tips for making the most of excess crops.

Thank you


Your comments may be edited and published in Grow Your Own's September issue.

[Shadylane]

Freeze freeze freeze. Last year I was adamant I wasn't freezing anything as I thought it defeated the object of growing fresh vegetables. In the end I had to stop being stupid and relent as there was only so much calabrese and caulies we could eat or give away.

So the brassicas got chopped, blanched and frozen as did the runners(although these I just chopped put on a tray, froze then bagged). I didn't freeze courgettes as I reckoned they'd go mushy but I found they kept in the fridge for a while. Tomatoes (what few didn't get blighted) also got frozen whole, although this year if we get some I'm going to pre chop/slice some before freezing. Also froze chillies. I'm hoping to do more chutneys and pickles this year but looking at the red onions at the moment it's not looking likely.

[Jimmy]

Pig out and then give the rest to family and friends.
Jimmy
.

[Bigmallly]

Home made tomato soup is a must, pickle your spare beetroot, onions & garlic can be hung up in the shed or garage, potatoes in sacks. Swedes, Leeks & Pa****ps will stay in the ground until I need them.

[chris]

Forgive me if i'm wrong, but wasn't there an article on this in on of the recent month mags?

I've never had a glut, but am sure hoping for one

[Nykied]

Jams are so easy to make and once in jars, they keep for up to 6 months. Freezing's always a good one - I still have a bag of blackberries in the freezer, when new blackberries are starting to form outside!

[Sara]

Hi all,

Yes, that's exactly right, Chris. In July's issue the mag looked at charities and other community organisations that are happy to share excess crops. These included groups that distribute veg to hospices, school projects and a number of other societies. This month we're hoping pick up some useful tips for using up excess veg at home. I know that lots of you are old-hands at storing and preserving!

Thanks for the great comments, everyone. It's great to hear so many uses for summer crops!

[weekendwellies]

I got this from a web site somewhere ages ago, so it may be plagiaristic to publish!! But seeing as you asked ....

Peas and beans are perfect for home freezing. Blanch them first to seal in the nutrients: bring a large pan of salted water to a rolling boil, and drop in the peas or beans. Don’t cover the pan to ensure that the fresh green colour is preserved. Give them one minute, then drain them, running the cold tap over them to cool them quickly. Pack into freezer bags – with a sprig of mint, if you like - freeze
Freezing raw potatoes is a bad idea, frozen potatoes tend to thaw out soft and sludgy. Put your potatoes into storage sacks, and they should keep in a cool place for a few months. However, there are a couple of ways to prepare potatoes so that they can be successfully frozen.
Mashed Potatoes. Peel, boil and mash your potatoes as usual, then use to top single portions of shepherd’s pie (or spread them in individual foil dishes). Cover, chill, and freeze. Defrost in the fridge before putting into the oven for at least 30 minutes (uncovered) until piping hot and golden on top.
Roasties or Wedges. Peel, chop and parboil your potatoes (for about 5-6 minutes) in salted water. Spread them on a baking tray to cool, then put them into the freezer. When they’ve frozen solid, pack them into freezer bags, and label. Cook from frozen, on a preheated tray of hot fat, until golden and crispy – for at least 1 hour.
If your onions are showing signs of rot or damage, then chop them finely and put them into freezer bags (well-sealed), then into the freezer. Use straight from the freezer in soups and stews. Herbs are best frozen in water, make herb cubes. finely-chop summer herbs and push them into ice-cube trays (keeping the different herbs separate). Cover with water and freeze, then put into bags and label them. Add the herb cubes to soups and other dishes in the last minute of cooking so you don’t overcook them.

[chris]

Hi all,

Yes, that's exactly right, Chris. In July's issue the mag looked at charities and other community organisations that are happy to share excess crops. These included groups that distribute veg to hospices, school projects and a number of other societies. This month we're hoping pick up some useful tips for using up excess veg at home. I know that lots of you are old-hands at storing and preserving!

Thanks for the great comments, everyone. It's great to hear so many uses for summer crops!

Ahh, I only briefly skimmed it! Will be watching with interest!

[Flummery]

Jams, chutneys, I freeze a little but not too much. I use lots of beans as dried or shelly then frozen, so they are fantastic for winter use. And as the great Terry Pratchett would say, I store them in other people. Living in a village, barter is alive and well and you get back plenty for the vegetables and fruit you give away.

[SarzWix]

We invested in a pressure canner 2 years ago, which had to be sent from the USA because they aren't available in the UK. With this we can preserve lots of things ready-made in jars, for instance we can use our own onions, garlic, tomatoes, peppers and herbs to make jars of ready-made pasta sauce, or jars of our own beans in salted water for use in chillis.
(A pressure canner enables the preservation of low-acid foods in jars by raising the temperature beyond that possible in a water-bath, and holding it for a set length of time to destroy botulism.)

Apart from that: Any fruit that isn't eaten immediately is frozen until there's a reasonable quantity for a jam making session - my family are particularly fond of 'Five Fruits Jelly' made with blackberries, loganberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants and raspberries.
I store onions in net bags, and plait garlic into strings and hang both in the garage. I store potatoes in shallow cardboard boxes to make checking the crop periodically a bit easier, they're also kept in the garage. Peas and french beans both go in the freezer.

[binley100]

What we don't eat gets frozen, pickled or chutneyed. I am investing in a food dehydrator for things like raspberries and my apples which don't store very well. Veg like leeks can be made into soup first then frozen.

[Florence Fennel]

Freeze some, dry some, pickle some, chutney some, jam some, give some away! I've found the easiest way to preserve courgettes is to roast them lightly with onions, mushrooms, peppers (and sometimes tomatoes) allow to go cold and then freeze.

[Mrs Dobby]

We use a variety if ways to preserve our harvests, with over £2000 of fruit and veg coming from the 2 allotments, its definitely more than we can eat in one go!

Soft fruits are either frozen, jammed or dried, and used throughout the year in deserts, cooking and jams!

Apples and Rhubarb are par cooked and frozen, or made into chutneys.

Onions and garlic are hung to dry and usually store well, but any that are damaged or beginning to go to seed are either frozen or dried. Some are combined with other ingredients to make chutneys and pickles.

Root veg are clamped in a straw lined earthen clamp.

Tomatoes are used in a variety of ways, chutneys, passatta (thats canned or frozen), pasta sauces (again canned or frozen), we make ketchup (which will keep for up tp 12 months once bottled)

Cabbage is generally added to pasta sauces, frozen or turned into sauerkraut.

Pumpkins store well, but if they need to be processed, then we will parboil them and freeze.

Chillies and peppers are frozen or dried.

There are lots of ways to use our produce, generally we dont find even with bumper harvests that we loose or waste anything at all!

[solway cropper]

Jams are so easy to make and once in jars, they keep for up to 6 months

Mine keep for years. I've just opened a jar of apple and blackcurrant from 2008 and it's perfect.

Apart from jams, chutneys and pickles I freeze loads of stuff and am just now clearing the freezer of last years stuff to make way for the new season's produce. I've also given away 5 lettuces, 2 cucumbers and a bag of new potatoes to my next door neighbours so far this year.

Like many grapes my goal is to have home-grown stuff 12 months of the year but I didn't manage it last year with fresh produce due to the awful winter.