An over-abundance of produce, from spring rhubarb to June strawberries to fall apples, provides many opportunities to preserve fruit in one of the many ways available. With a little effort, the pantry shelves and freezer drawers can fill up with a colorful display of nature's sweetness, preserved and stored for the upcoming winter months.
Prevent the darkening of fresh product by soaking in ascorbic acid before preserving. Add 3 grams of acid to a gallon of water and soak the produce, draining it before using.
Use smaller quantities of lemon juice for the same result. You can freeze fresh produce or in sweetener for use in pies or as fillings.
You can use a simple syrup made from sugar and water or add sugar directly to the fruit. Freeze individual berries on cookie trays until frozen and pack in freezer bags.
This makes it easy to use small amounts of the produce at a time or to eat as a healthy snack food. Use glass freezer jars, plastic freezer containers or freezer bags for quality fruit preservation in the freezer.
These specialty containers maintain product integrity under freezer conditions. Preserve produce as jam, jelly or preserves.
Jam has pieces of product and preserves have whole. Jelly is filtered and clear.
Follow the jam and jelly recipes that accompany purchased pectin. Pectin comes in liquid or powdered form to firm up fruit products.
Apples, blackberries, crab apples, grapes and plums contain enough natural pectin that added pectin is not necessary. Can the produce in light, medium or heavy syrup.
Light syrup has half a cup of sugar for every 4 cups of water. Heavy syrup has equal amounts of sugar and water.
Cook apples, pears or peaches in a heavy pot on the stove for a tasty sauce. Allow the sauce to brown slightly for a sweet, buttery version.
Freeze the sauce in freezer bags or containers or process in canning jars. Hot pack or cold pack produce properly to preserve in pint or quart jars.
Raw pack or cold pack into clean jars, pour hot syrup over the fruit and process. To hot-pack the product, add the raw to the hot syrup, reheat to boiling, and pack the hot fruit and syrup into jars and process.
To dry produce, select pieces that are ripe and unspoiled. Wash the produce thoroughly.
Remove the pits and slice in equal sizes. Steam apricots and apples for 3 to 4 minutes or suspend them in a strainer in boiling water to preserve the color.
Transfer immediately to ice cold water for one minute. Remove and dry with a paper towel.
Make a solution of one cup water and one box powdered pectin. Bring it to a boil and add half a cup sugar and one cup cold water.
Let the sugar dissolve and remove. Dip cherries, peaches and berries in the mixture for 5 minutes, then dry with a paper towel.
Boil 1 cup sugar and 3 cups water and add 1 cup honey. Mix well to make a dip for pineapples, peaches and bananas.
Transfer the produce after 5 minutes. Lay the product on a screen and place it outside in the sunlight 4 to 5 days in a row.
Cover the screen with a net cloth to prevent birds from picking at the fruit. Bring them inside at night to avoid dew build up.
Turn over the product twice during the process. Dry them in the oven if the temperature outside is above 100 degrees F.
Place a cheese cloth over the racks. Keep the oven door open by inserting a metal spatula in the doorway.
Pre-heat the oven to 145 degrees, but turn it off when you place the fruit inside. Wait 4 to 12 hours for them to completely dry.
Place the dry produce inside a big, open-mouthed pot and cover the pot with a net. Let the pot sit for 2 weeks in a warm and dry location.
Stir once or twice every 3 days. This completely removes any hidden moisture inside the product and makes it wrinkly and dry.
Place the dried product in a paper bag and keep inside a clear air tight plastic bag or container. Store in a cool, humid-free area.
Author Resource:-
Jack R. Landry is an accomplished expert in family preparedness and has been giving seminars for over 15 years. He recommends that everyone have on hand an emergency food in case of any emergency or disaster.
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