Preserving garden veggies

Fresh picked yellow beans ready for preserving.

It's been a very busy week. The hot weather has kicked every plant into overdrive. Last week's scorching temperatures have continued today, which is great for the squash, tomatoes and peppers that are finally ripening. But, it also means that beans and peas have been growing like crazy.

As part of my sustainable living goals, I am using three methods to preserve veggies and fruit: dehydrating, freezing and canning. It's all a learning experience. For several years, I've been researching regularly on the Internet and in magazines and books, but there's a huge difference between what works in theory and what actually does work in reality. I'm using methods that work for me in our climate, with our available resources and the types of food we grow. My methods might not necessarily work for everyone else and their circumstances.

Fresh green beans cut into 1-inch pieces.

This year, I planted yellow and green beans and two types of peas. So far, I have picked eight pounds of beans and nearly six pounds of peas (shelled)! After washing and thoroughly drying the beans (a salad spinner works great), I cut the beans into 1" long pieces and lay them on the dehydrator trays. Since I have a nine-tray unit, I prepare as many veggies as possible to fill every tray and set the temperature for 125F. For this batch of beans and zucchini, the veggies were dehydrated in about seven hours until they were brittle. I don't bother blanching beans before putting them in the dehydrator; some folks do.

Beans after spending seven hours in the dehydrator.

I envy folks living in sunny, dry climates who can use the sun's power to dehydrate food. I plan on building an outdoor solar dryer next year just to test if it's possible in this climate. Our summers last only a few months and the humidity can get pretty high, which isn't ideal for drying food outdoors. It's something I've always wanted to try, so a solar dryer goes on the To Do list for next year.

August has been unusually hot.

I'm so impressed with the peas this year. Before the heat and humidity sent us scrambling in doors again yesterday (+130F), I managed to pick about half of the peas in the 4' x 8' raised bed. It took more than an hour to shell them. Of course, I had to do some sampling to ensure the peas are OK. They burst with flavor. It's unbelievable how fresh and tasty garden peas really are.

However, the question is, what to do with six pounds of peas and another six or more pounds yet to be picked?

Shelled peas from my garden.

I put a single layer of peas on several baking pans and place the pans flat in the freezer until the peas are frozen solid, about 10 hours. I then put the frozen peas in a freezer bag, zip the bag shut, but leave a very small space at one end to slide a straw inside the bag. I then suck as much air out of the bag as possible. My grandmother taught me this trick.

Quickly pull out the straw out before air gets back into the bag and zip the small opening shut. I have a vacuum sealer, but only use it when I have a lot of food preserving to do. If you plan on storing veggies in a frost-free freezer, using a vacuum sealer might be the best method to help ward off freezer burn. But, the straw method has always worked just fine for me. I have kept blanched beans in the freezer for up to six months without a hint of freezer burn. I'm already looking forward to making homemade pea soup in my campfire dutch oven this fall.

Suck as much air out of the bag as possible using a straw.

Frozen zucchini slices with air sucked out of the bag.

Our small side freezer is jam packed already so hopefully, the stand up freezer I ordered will arrive next week. There are six zucchini in the garden ready to be picked, six more in the basement, a mess of tomatoes, peas and beans still to pick. Yikes! I've been waiting months for the harvest, but now that it's here, I wonder where I'll store everything. That will be another blog topic very soon. Later, when the house cools down (it's currently 85F), I'll make some dill pickles.

Food dehydrator

Dutch oven