Thoughts on Putting Food By:
On this page I’m going to list what I have been able to put up in my pantry and freezer for the winter. In preparation for my first winter (2007-8) of eating local, I spent hours upon hours blanching and freezing veggies and canning preserves. I found that I ate very little of what I put by, and decided to take a different approach for my second winter. Last year I put very little by other than a lot of fruit (canned peaches, frozen organic strawberries and blueberries), some pickled beets, apple sauce and pickles. I ate all of the fruit, some of the beets, and none of the pickles. They were disgusting (too much salt) and a complete failure.
One thing I have discovered is that my body craves different things at different times of the year. In the summer, for example, I crave fresh fruit, yogurt and raw veggies. When the weather turns cool, suddenly I want carbs and meat. This is why I ate very little of the summer veggies I blanched the first year. I didn’t even want my canned or frozen fruit until the days started getting longer in January.
This year I was going to take a similiar approach to my second year, minus the pickles and just eating the remainder of the beets instead of canning more, but I have been watching in awe my roommate canning up a storm and have been inspired to put more by. She brings home incredible produce from her garden and it seems such a shame not to try and make it last for months to come. As such, I’ve put a little more in the freezer than I have in the past, and may even can tomatoes as my new challenge this year.
I actually enjoy the process canning and freezing food, even though they are both very energy intensive. I have also been dabbling in lacto-fermented preserving techniques. I’d like to try drying, maybe next year. This is a life-long project, and I prefer to implement things one step at a time to maximize the chance of success and of sticking to this eating ethic.
I did not keep a record of what I put up over the last two years, but I am going to do my best this year. Tracking what I put away (and how much) will be helpful in planning for winters to come. In spring I can see what I used, and what I didn’t, and make note of it for the next round. Below is a summary of what I’ve put up so far. If I was smart I would have noted the dates for each so that I would have a better feel for when I’d need time for what next summer. Live and learn – I’ll try and date things from here on in, and do a better job next year.
Food Put By in Preparation for Winter 2009-2010
In the Freezer:
In the Pantry:
