Preserving the Harvest

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Comment by Michelle W. Flannery on June 24, 2009 at 2:29pm

I haven't used dried squash before. This will be the first year. I am anticipating that it will need to be used in long-simmering soups and stews so it will have adequate time to reconstitute. It has to be better than frozen squash, or I will just have to give up eating this marvelous vegetable any way other than fresh.

Comment by Carol on June 24, 2009 at 1:09pm

I can't imagine being without dried squash in the winter. I haven't noticed that it has a lot of taste, but it gives a certain consistency to a soup or even stir-fry, and of course there is the color.

I also add it to what I call "end of summer soup." That's when I make up quarts of soup from the bit of this and that in the garden: tomatoes, green beans, squash, corn, carrots - you get the idea. I flavor it with miso and a little soy sauce (which also acts as something of a preservative) and it's great as is or added to grains and/or meats.

Other than that, I don't know any good way to preserve squash that is palatable.

Comment by N & K Grant on June 24, 2009 at 12:50pm

Michelle, have you used dried squash before? I dried a bunch of summer squash last year and haven't had much luck with it, besides adding to soups, in a small amount. It really seems to have quite a strong taste. I would be interested in how other people use it. Nancy

Comment by Michelle W. Flannery on June 24, 2009 at 11:55am

I love fresh squash in the summertime! I prepare it in a variety of ways and eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But I can't seem to stomach it after it's been frozen and cooked. It's the change in texture, I think. It goes rubbery, and it's almost flavorless. So this year I'm drying a lot of my squash.

So far I've dried about 10 lbs. of squash. That's a mere 1/4 lb. dried. When I open the bag the aroma is rich and earthy, and I anticipate a little will add a lot of flavor to soups, stews, and sauces this winter.

Comment by PiscesGirl on June 15, 2009 at 11:13am

Sorry if the pics are too big everyone - I'm just figuring out this uploading pictures business. ;-) Chelle

Comment by PiscesGirl on June 15, 2009 at 11:11am

My mom and I spent the better part of the day yesterday turning 2 1/2 flats of strawberries (from a local strawberry farm - Spooners) into 15 pints of jam, 4 pints of sugar free jam and 20 cups worth of sliced and frozen berries. Whew!

My 6-year old joined in on the mashing part. I have included a few pics of our 3 generation canning-fest below. :-)

Comment by N & K Grant on June 8, 2009 at 9:16am

Michelle, isn't it a great feeling to have some food preserved! So far all we have done (besides maple syrup) is rhubarb chutney. Yum!!!!

Comment by Michelle W. Flannery on June 5, 2009 at 12:09pm

I just completed my first canning of the season - 4 half-pints of banana peppers. There will be more later, but it was nice to get some done now.

Comment by Beva on May 28, 2009 at 6:00am

Ah, Thanks everyone! I will have to get out and harvest some before it goes south on me! I made a strawberry rhubarb sauce and served it over my mother's recipe for buttermilk biscuits topped with whipped cream... it was a nice tangy sweet treat!

Comment by Angie Knost on May 27, 2009 at 11:08pm

OOPS! the link didn't print...

so here it is

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/dining/27cann.html

if for some reason it doesn't get you there, just go to nytimes.com and search for canning articles - this one was in the May 27th issue.

There are some good links to follow and a nice recipe for pickled asparagus.

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