By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Another approach to herbal preservation is through the creation of condiments.

This type of preservation creates jellies, sauces, oils, vinegars, and butters that enhance dishes when added after cooking.

Making a Jelly

Mint jelly is a traditional way of preserving mint. This process may seem to be more trouble then it is worth but I promise nothing makes a lamb dish stand out like mint jelly.

Mint Jelly

Ingredients

• 3 lbs cooking apples
• 2-½ pints water
• Small bunch of fresh mint
• Sugar Read the rest of this entry »

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

This time of the gardening year is full of chores that need to be done before the winter wind blows.

But as autumn’s crisp breath seems to be earlier this year I am being very diligent with my herb preservation.

In the past I have let Mother Nature take her course as far as my Kitchen Herb Garden but not this year.

I plan to give herb baskets as gifts this year so every herb counts.

My first task is to survey my Kitchen Herb Garden. What will I keep for winter and what will I just let be. Next I need to decide which method of preservation will work for the herbs I want to preserve. The choices I have available are as follows: growing them indoors, freezing, drying naturally, drying in the microwave, making a jelly, making a sauce, making a flavorful oil, vinegar, or butter.

Part 1 covers preservation that does not require cooking and creates herbs that traditional used during cooking while part 2 covers forms of preservation that creates additions to meals to enhance the cooked product such as jellies, sauces, oils, vinegars, or butters.

Grow Herbs Indoors

Bringing herbs indoors can Read the rest of this entry »

By Cindy Naas

Although our gardens are slowing down now (at least in some parts of the country) there are still vegetables waiting to be picked and stored or used.

I love this time of the year, and storing squash is one of the great pleasures of the fall garden.

Filling my root cellar with various types of squash makes me feel ready to settle in for the long winter.

Squash don’t need to be brought in right away unless you live in a rainy area, in which case you’ll need to get them off the ground. Preventing mildew is really the only reason to bring squash in before the first frost. If you grew them nestled in straw, this won’t be a worry.

Harvesting - Use a sharp knife and cut them from the vine leaving about 1 inch of vine attached to the squash. Rinse squash off outside to Read the rest of this entry »

By Cindy Naas

This is the first year I have canned.

When I was growing up, late summer and early fall was considered to be canning season, and for weeks the house would smell like sweet blackberry jam, spicy apple butter and my favorite, the spicy sweet smell of my grandmother’s spiced peach recipe.

As an adult I kept intending to learn to can, and never got around to it until this summer, when my interest in buying and using locally grown produce made me decide to just do it.

So, two weeks ago I went out to a local organic farm and bought a large basket of peaches.

I stopped on the way home Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

You had fun growing some herbs in your yard this year, and now you would like to save some for later.

All you need to do is dry them – much cheaper than buying dried herbs at the store. There are five basic methods.

1) Air Drying
This is the most popular method of herb drying. Simply snip off a few stems – approximately 10 or so – and tie them together into a bundle. Cover with a paper bag and hang upside down in a warm, dry place. Make sure they are not in direct sunlight. It takes about 2-4 weeks for the herbs to dry out.

2) Drying Tray
You can make a drying tray by Read the rest of this entry »