SUSTAINABLE LIVING, LLC

We can grow food year-round here in our Deep South climate so why bother to preserve the harvest, when we can harvest from our gardens all the time?  I don’t know about ya’ll, but I like to add a can of tomatoes to my winter stews, blueberries in my smoothies in months other than June- & July, and I especially enjoy fig preserves on my winter toast.  Yes, eating seasonally is ideal on every level from energy consumption to nutritional value, but let’s face it- a diet of collards, radishes and turnips can get pretty tiring by mid-January.  Learning to preserve your harvest (or a local farmer’s harvest) increases our local food security, decreases fossil fuel consumption of transporting out of season foods, and boosts the local economy among many other intangible benefits including the self-satisfaction when gazing at rows of beautiful food in clear glass jars (no BPAs to worry about here!! See the July Well Fed issue on that subject.)

So what about the nutrient loss?  Unless your fresh produce is eaten within 72 hours of harvest- you’ve already lost 15-60% of its original nutritional value- canned vegetables lose about 20% through the preserving process.  So yes, eat freshly harvested produce year-round, but don’t hesitate supplementing with your own freshly harvested and preserved produce. Besides that, if you don’t count your labor of love in growing and preserving your food, it costs half the amount of store bought food.  And that statistic doesn’t even account for your own produce being organically grown which adds a huge value tag on many levels.  According to a UGA pamphlet on canning, if properly handled, home canned freshly harvested vegetables are higher in nutrient content than most grocery stores’ “fresh” produce. (!) How long do you really think it takes to get produce from the fields in California to the shelves of your local grocer?  So when considering canning the bounty of summer crops, make sure you know exactly how fresh the produce is, either by harvesting it yourself from your own garden, from a pick-your-own farm, or ask the farmer at the market when he /she harvested the crop you’re buying.  At the farmer’s market, you can often arrange a week ahead of time to buy a case of freshly picked tomatoes, peaches etcetera.  They’ll appreciate knowing they already have a case sold for the next market day!

Preserving food inhibits the natural ripening activity of food enzymes, by either removing water (dehydration), or, removing oxygen (canning), so that bacteria, yeast and mold organisms cannot degrade the food.  However, nutrient content such as vitamins A, C and riboflavin decrease with long storage times, so eat your preserved food by the time it comes around to harvest that food again- and start the cycle all over.

Following, are brief descriptions of two food preservation methods: canning and drying. Fermenting might have to have an article on its own next month!  These methods offer a way to store food without reliance on electric energy so that when the electricity goes out in stormy weather you don’t run the risk of losing your preserved food.  I won’t attempt to describe all processes here, rather, I’d like to give a glimpse of what it all entails so you can feel inspired to take a class, learn from a book, friend or relative about your methods of choice.

There are two processes for canning. For tomatoes and fruits that are high in acid content or for recipes that add acid such as lemon or vinegar, steam or water bath is used. Use pressure canning for low acid foods, which are basically all the rest.  Blanching the food stops the enzymes that cause fruits and vegetables to ripen, helping to preserve the color and texture during storage.  The food is washed, blanched, peeled, cubed, sliced or left whole, heated in a sauce pan and sealed in jars to then be processed in the appropriate canner.  Shelf life is one to two years, the pressure method having the longer storage life.  Canning requires basic kitchen supplies and will cost about $75-$100 for the steam or water canner, or $100+ for a pressure canner, and $8-10 for 12 jars. However, these materials are re-used year after year so they can be considered “capital costs”.

There are several steps in the dehydrating process to follow.  Wash, blanch, peel or not, and slice thinly and evenly, then dip in an ascorbic acid solution to further preserve the color and texture. Syrup dips can also be used to make candied fruits. Spread produce on drying racks in dehydrator, watch and wait 2-10 days depending on moisture content and size.  Conditioning the dried foods is the last step and consists of putting dried foods in an airtight container for several days, allowing the remaining moisture to be evenly distributed throughout the batch, watching for condensation, and re-drying in the dehydrator if condensation appears.  Finally, store food in air-tight containers. Shelf life depends on storage temperatures, moisture content, and light.  A safe rule of thumb is 6-12 months. The cost of buying or making the dehydrator is the biggest capital outlay.  I highly recommend a solar dehydrator to save energy and money in the long run.  Make it yourself, Google can be your best friend in finding designs and You Tube has lots of demo videos on the subject.

The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension service has pamphlets available online and through their office in the Old Court House on Bull St.  The Savannah Urban Garden Alliance (SUGA) is offering four classes on food preservation through the W. Broad St. YMCA’s Growing Edge Educational Garden in August (13^th & 27^th) and September (17^TH & 24^TH). I will be teaching canning & fermenting, and David Malpass will be teaching dehydration and demonstrate the construction of a solar dehydrator.  Look for upcoming events through signing on to Face Book pages of the Savannah Urban Garden Alliance and Transition Town Savannah.  We’ll create event pages for you to sign up on; the class will be held only if 10 or more people attend (donation-based fee.)