4 Ways To Store And Preserve Your Fruits And Vegetables For Longer Use

The art of preserving food dates back to 12,000 B.C.E., when the early inhabitants of what is now Asia and the Middle East used the technique of drying food in order to preserve, usually for the winter.

This desire to prevent our food from spoiling has brought us several techniques and methods used to preserve and store food for a good amount of time.

So, how do you preserve fruit and vegetables from the garden? You can use a variety of methods like storing, drying, freezing, salting, and/or canning to preserve the food that you grow in your garden.

Let’s delve a little deeper into each one of these methods for food preservation and take a look at what it requires to achieve each one of these methods at home.

Storing

As many of us know, fruit can spoil within a matter of days when stored naturally. Refrigeration can help to extend their shelf life a few days longer, however, fruit typically doesn’t last too long without spoiling.

Most vegetables can be stored away in a cool, dry place for later use. Other vegetables, like carrots and beets, store better when refrigerated. The problem is that not all vegetables store very well.

So, which vegetables are best for storing? Potatoes, carrots, onions and other root crops are best for storage and will typically have a longer shelf life than other vegetables. Cutting about an inch off the tops of root crops like carrots and onion will help to prolong their shelf life.

Once properly cured, spaghetti and butternut squash can also be stored for a long time. To cure your winter squash, simply leave out in the sun to “bake” the outside skin for about 2 weeks and then carefully rotate the squash to the opposite end and repeat for another 2 weeks.

Both spaghetti and butternut squash can be stored naturally for a few months when kept in a cool, dark place.

Remember to keep a few inches of the stem when you harvest your squash.

Drying

Another way of preserving your food, that you might be familiar with, is by drying. Typically, the first thing that comes to mind when someone hears “drying” in association with food, is herb drying.

However, you can also dehydrate your homegrown fruits and vegetables and make your own homemade snacks!

Since dehydrated food has no water content, the chances of bacteria, yeast, or mold growing on your food is very slim. Dehydrating food changes the texture and taste of the food as well, making food more crunchy and dry with a concentrated flavor. The best part is you can store your food much longer!

Solar Power Drying

In places that receive consistent sunlight, solar drying is the most affordable option. Solar drying your food is also the most natural way to preserve your homegrown food and make simple and delicious snacks from scratch.

Oven Drying

Another commonly used drying method is using an oven. It’s also a quicker drying method.

You will need about 6-10 hours, depending on the amount of moisture in the food you are drying.

It’s important have the oven at the lowest temperatures possible. Ideally, you’ll want a temperature anywhere from 120° F to 145° F (~49-63° C) to dry your food properly. However, since most ovens don’t have options for temperatures under 200° F (~93° C), a good option is leaving the oven door open to achieve cooler temperatures. The open door will also allow the air to circulate and the evaporated moisture to escape.

Whatever your preferred drying method is, you can enjoy your dried fruits up to 5 years later. Some dehydrated vegetables, however, can even last up to 10 years. How amazing is that? They don’t call it space food for nothing.

Freezing

You are probably most familiar with the method of freezing food in order to preserve it. You might have bought more food than you can eat and you threw it in the freezer for use at a later date.

When freezing fruits and vegetables, the sooner you freeze them, the better they’ll taste. 

Freezing is the preserving method which “locks in” the flavor best and closely resembles the taste of fresh food when thawed days later.

Use wax-paper, plastic containers or freezable glass jars to avoid having fruit stick to your freezer or other items.

Blanching

It is recommended to “blanch” vegetables prior to freezing them in order to stop enzyme activity and prevent spoilage. Blanching is essentially a mini-pasturization process you can do at home by boiling the vegetables in water (with a dash of salt, if desired) for a few minutes.

Ideal Freezing Temperature

A temperature of 0° F (-17.8° C) or below is the most effective for long-term storage. However, if your freezer temperatures don’t drop that low, it is a good idea to eat food stored this way within a month or so.

When stored at the proper temperatures, frozen vegetables can last anywhere from 2-3 months.

Thawing Your Frozen Food

When you’re ready to eat the stored food, leave the food to thawing at room temperature and do not try to rush the process by running under warm water, microwaving, or putting in the oven.

Frozen food will taste better if thawed naturally, at room temperatures.

Canning

Canning is an increasingly popular way to preserve fruits and vegetables. The best thing about canning your own homegrown food is that you can enjoy it years after you harvest.

Canning involves boiling, cooling and storing fruits or vegetables in airtight containers, typically made of glass.

Ways of Canning Your Food

There are 3 methods used for canning:

One is the pressure canning method, that requires special equipment to achieve temperatures above 212° F (100° C) in order to kill off and effectively prevent any bacterial growth in most vegetables and other foods that are low in acid.

Another method of canning and preserving your homegrown vegetables is pickling, sometimes called salting. Pickling your vegetables typically involves using salt and/or vinegar as a preservative.

High acid foods, such as fruits, are much easier to can. 

The last method is simple and involves packing a canning jar with the desired fruits, leaving an inch of space at the top for expansion and placing the jar in a pot of water to boil anywhere from 10-20 minutes, depending on your altitude. 

Use spoon to remove any air bubbles from inside the edge of the jar to ensure that it seals airtight and close it up tight with a threaded lid.

Clean Your Jars

Regardless of which method you choose, make sure you sterilize your jars before use.

You can either use sterilizing tablets or place the jars, along with their lids, in the oven using the lowest temperature for about 30-45 minutes to kill any bacteria.

Enjoy A Longer Harvest

No matter which way you choose to preserve your harvest, you’ll be enjoying your healthy homegrown foods days, months, or even years later.

Here’s a breakdown of the shelf life of your food using each method mentioned above:

Storing

• Onions: 1 to 2 months in the summer; 6 months in the winter
• Carrots: 4 to 8 weeks depending on the variety. The bigger the carrot, the longer it can typically be stored as long as you avoid moisture.
• Potatoes: 1 to 2 weeks at room temperature; 2 to 3 months if kept in a cool, dark place.
• Beets: 4 to 8 weeks; Make sure to cut off the tops to prevent them from drawing out any nutrients and moisture from the beets.
• Cabbage: 2 months when wrapped in plastic and stored properly.
• Butternut Squash: 2 to 3 months when kept cool and dry.
• Spaghetti Squash: 1 to 2 months when stored in cool, dry place.
• Pumpkins: 1 to 3 months when kept in a cool, dry place.

Drying

• Fruits can last up to 5 years when dehydrated.
• Vegetables can last up to 10 years when properly dehydrated.

Freezing

• Both fruits and vegetables will typically last around 3 months in the average home freezer before freezer burn starts set in and ruin the taste of your food.

Canning

• Both fruits and vegetables will last a maximum of 5 years with proper canning storage.

Now that you know the various methods for storing and preserving your homegrown foods, you can plan out exactly what food you want to store for later and how you want to preserve it.

Preserving and storing your food for later is a great way to continually enjoy the variety of flavors your garden has to offer, even out of season. If you use a combination of all these preservation methods, you’ll be enjoying your homegrown food throughout the year!