Dehydrating weeds and herbs all spring and summer time lengthy is an annual job a lot appreciated when the contemporary provide of them is gone. Gallons of sealed glass jars are stashed away with stinging nettle, dandelion greens, tulsi, oregano, thyme, rose petals, bee balm, yarrow, elderberry flowers, and peppermint.
When an plentiful stand of mushrooms is discovered, strive dehydrating the surplus. When harvesting wild meals, at all times ensure that correct identification is confirmed by an knowledgeable supply and at all times label the contents of these jars with title and date.
Some mushrooms will dehydrate nicely if merely left in a paper bag within the fridge. As soon as the water is eliminated, the dehydrated materials could also be saved in a sealed jar for a 12 months or extra, a best technique of storage.
Ideas for Harvesting: Dehydrating & Utilizing Crops
Within the fall, after the plant vitality has migrated to the roots for the winter, Joan and I put up root crops for the next 12 months. We chop and dehydrate roots of dandelion, burdock, marshmallow, elecampane, astragals, ashwaganda, and yarrow. Or we make tinctures utilizing natural vodka.
Tinctures, tonics, elixirs, syrups, and shrubs are all storage instruments which can be enjoyable to make, style nice, and can continuously remind us of the hotter days of summer time throughout the chilly months across the nook. It’s powerful to beat the flavour of selfmade hearth cider. That elderberry syrup will assist forestall any chilly or flu from getting into a family.
Preservation: Canning and Jarring
Canning tomatoes ought to be a nationwide pastime—maybe it as soon as was! Is there something higher than selfmade tomato sauce within the useless of winter?
Berries are frozen on cookie sheets, then transferred to glass jars and put into the freezer. Blueberries, raspberries, peaches, and black currantsare customary breakfast fare all year long. Consuming high-quality berries—grown with out using pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or every other chemical components—all 12 months lengthy brings a satisfaction that’s tough to clarify.
We dehydrate pears and apples as a result of they’ve a decrease water content material. Jams and jellies require so many sugar that we have a tendency to not go that route, however they certain do style good.
Storing Crops: Garlic, Potatoes, and Carrots
After the garlic is harvested, we treatment it within the well-ventilated backyard shed till September, after which clear and trim the bulbs, setting the most important apart for planting in October. The remainder are put into canvas luggage to be saved within the coldest closet in the home.
Potatoes could keep within the floor till the time is on the market to dig them up and retailer them. The longer they’re left within the floor, nevertheless, the higher the specter of insect or vole stress, so get to this chore when doable.
Potatoes prefer it chilly. A chilly storage space is an effective factor to have, simply above freezing. In contrast to a freezer, root cellars provide glorious storage at no extra value than the preliminary development supplies and time.
After which there are carrots simply left within the floor, mulched for the winter for us to steal when the bottom permits, or savored within the spring after the bottom thaws.
Preserving What the Backyard Supplies
Regardless of the backyard supplies, make sure to protect the surplus. An excessive amount of work has already been expended to let these alternatives go by. Strive multiple storage technique on the identical time, to see which works higher for a selected crop sort. The rewards of consuming clear meals with little extra effort than opening the freezer or opening a jar are nicely definitely worth the whereas.