This summer we have gotten an abundance for food from all over. Neighbors and friends have been dropping it off by the basket full and I’m incredibly thankful and feeling how important it is to learn and make it good practice to preserve as much as possible of it!
One friend has been growing the most beautiful and huge zucchini and squash so he’s been sharing a lot with us in trade for eggs, which I have coming out of my ears it feels like some days. So cutting and freezing them has been the best thing I can think of to keep them usable for awhile.
Same friend gave us huge bunches of basil too so I got that into a jar with water, helped them perk back up and then harvested a lot of it down sliced it up and froze it in ice cube trays with some olive oil and water.
A couple neighbors have brought us an insane amount of plums this season too. So learned how to make plum juice and can it! My first time ever canning something and so far it seems to have worked 🤞🏻 but I still have more to process and I’m thinking I should try something else with them this time. Sauce… jam… ideas anyone? Leave them in the comments below.
When we went to dinner at a friend’s house the other week they asked us to help clean off their lemon tree and we could take whatever we picked. We picked 30 😂 Now we have to do something with them all. So far all I’ve done is juiced a bunch and froze the juice in ice cube trays. Make for yummy additions to water, soups, smoothies… and anything else you need to add a fair amount of lemon into.
Oh yes! And another neighbor gave us Yellow Chard! Had no clue what to do with that so I pickled the stalks and have used the leaves for salads and chicken treats.
And now that it’s Fall even more is rolling in. Likes Apples. Granny Smith to be exact and I’m trying to find new and fun things to make with all of them other than pie. Even though I love pie. Next will be Peas come Winter and I’m already plotting that out too.
Anyone have ideas on how to preserve peas and what to do with them? Oh and Beans… also I’m starting Edamame this season. Exciting news… I know.
Living. Loving. Preserving.
Emily A G🍏
Emily's Ardor 
Way it should be
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