I’m going to start off by saying that I’m not a big canner or pickler. I have done it a few times, but unless you have the equipment, the space, and, most of all, the time and willingness to do it, it’s not going to fit neatly into your schedule. Many people can tomatoes every year, and God bless them. If you do, feel free to send me a jar or two! I’d be happy to have them.
In the olden days before refrigeration, preserving the summer bounty was a necessary way of life if you wanted to avoid starvation. You had to put up everything you could so you’d have enough food to last for the long, cold winter. There were many ways to do this, starting with the aforementioned canning and pickling. A nice cold root cellar stored hardy vegetables for months. We had a winter farm share a few years ago and I was surprised to see how even vegetables like cabbage lasted for months stored under these kinds of conditions. For now, I’d rather not think about those dusty vegetables, because the fresh stuff is so abundant!
Since we don’t HAVE to preserve food — we do it because we want to hold on to those summer flavors to brighten up our winter cooking — there are some easier options to preserve just our favorite and most summery items. We can get just about any vegetable in our local supermarket of decent quality most of the year … with the big exception being tomatoes. There is nothing like summer tomatoes. I love to slow roast them (here’s my process!), but, as I said, canning is a great option too.
When preserving delicious summer produce, I primarily use my freezer, an amazing convenience that our ancestors didn’t have!
I have an extra freezer in my basement, which comes in handy for overflow, but I find it’s easy to forget about whatever I have down there. Usually I find some really old cookie dough or stock that I made a long time ago. I recently defrosted some lobster stock that was at least four years old (but maybe a little older) and used it to make risotto. For guests. It was fine! I literally just found a two-year-old container of homemade tomato sauce and defrosted it for dinner tonight. It’s perfectly fine too! Many things can be frozen for much longer than what people tell you, especially something liquid like stocks. Fresh vegetables … maybe not so much.
Many people say you should blanch vegetables like corn before freezing, but I don’t. It seems ready to use when I freeze it raw, and this is one thing I always freeze. I will be buying corn in the next few days and freezing it for chowders, pasta dishes, etc., throughout the year, but especially for a Thanksgiving side dish like spoonbread or corn pudding.
Here are my favorite ways to freeze summer:
Corn
After husking, rinsing, and removing as much silk as possible, I trim the larger end so it’s flat and stand it up in a wide wooden salad bowl. You can also just stand it up on your cutting board, but be prepared to chase after bouncing corn kernels. Holding the cob firmly at the top, use your chef’s knife to cut straight down, shaving as close to the cob as possible. You can also lay the cob down horizontally and cut straight down. I don't like this method as much because I think it’s harder to cut close to the cob. Simply transfer to a zip-top bag and freeze for up to 6 months.
Herbs
Depending on where you live, your herb garden might live all winter. Mine usually hangs on until the first really hard frost, but sometimes I have things I can snip all winter long, like thyme. You can dry bunches of thyme, rosemary, sage, lemon verbena, chamomile, tarragon, and even mint for culinary use and for teas. Hang them upside down until dry then store airtight (or in the freezer!). It’s a little late in the season for a bumper crop of basil, but pesto is the obvious top contender for herb preservation. Freeze pesto in ice cube trays so you can thaw and use it as needed. I also grow a lot of bronze fennel and I *sometimes* harvest the pollen, and also the seeds, which are incredibly fresh tasting. I am planning on doing that this year when they develop.
Peppers
Sweet peppers of every stripe are abundant right now. I just roasted a slew of them, which I’ll marinate in oil, garlic, and herbs. I’ll leave them in the fridge for a few days, then freeze in smaller containers for the winter, when I can throw them into pasta dishes, egg dishes, or just serve as is on top of good toasted bread. I cooked mine on my gas grill over medium-high heat until they were charred all over, about 25 minutes. You can also do the same thing under a broiler or directly over a gas burner on the stove. Place the pepper in a plastic bag or a covered bowl so they can steam and cool. Peel and seed them, rinsing only as much as necessary to get rid of the seeds.
Shelling beans
This is one of my favorite things to freeze! I absolutely love fresh beans. This is more of a farmers’ market item, so keep your eye out for them. These beans, like corn, can just be shelled and frozen in zip-top bags (or whatever container you prefer). From there, they can be thrown into soups straight from the freezer. Cranberry beans are the most common one you’ll find, but if you live in NYC, visit Norwich Meadows Farm in the greenmarket for a vast variety that is available for several months. What I love about fresh beans, aside from their firm and creamy texture, is that they cook in about 20 minutes.
Tomatoes
In case you missed the link in the introduction, I go into detail about my process for slow-roasting tomatoes — which is my favorite way to preserve them at peak deliciousness — here.
Peaches
This is a late-breaking entry since a friend who is away let us know that their peach tree is laden with fruit. Seems late, I know, but that is the fact — we went over yesterday and picked a whole bunch. Seemed like making jam would have been a great idea, but I don’t have time! I know it was a terrible year for peaches around the U.S., but we have been blessed, soooo, I will be freezing these.
I do peaches the same way I do strawberries: I cut them into wedges (usually 8 pieces per peach), spread them out on a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap and freeze until hard. Then pop them off the plastic wrap and store in zip-top bags. I like to throw them in smoothies, but you can use them for pies, galettes, and ice cream or sorbet. Peel them first if you don’t like them with skins. I leave them on.
I hope you find this list helpful. I’d love to hear about your top-priority items that you don’t want to live without these next few months, and your best techniques for preserving them! Let me know in the comments!
One final note: If you’re celebrating Rosh Hashanah this week and need a dessert idea, this Caramel Apple Brown Butter Buckle would be perfect!
Editor: Molly Ramsey
Already made your slow-roasted tomatoes in several batches...gonna need another freezer soon! We are in free fall with tomatoes here!
This might sound odd, but as I read all of this extremely timely and wonderful preserving info, I thought, I LOVE YOU! 😄seriously, I am so happy that I can ditch thoughts of canning.