Preserving and storing your produce

You have carefully tended your food plants for weeks and months. Now, the excitement of the first ripening crops has turned into a mass of produce, all ready to harvest at the same time!

The first instinct may be you need to eat it all immediately. And, while the taste of a freshly picked tomato or apple straight from the tree is delicious, you could also store and save some of your crops for later.

Not only will this hopefully mean less waste, it will also mean you can enjoy your home grown food for longer.

We look at different ways of preserving your produce and some crops each method is suitable for:

• Bag storage
• Refrigerating
• Freezing
• Drying
• Pickling
• Chutneys and jams

Some food crops can be stored in baskets, boxes and bags to keep them edible. This is a simple method of keeping food fresh.

Crops suitable for bag storage include:

• Potatoes
• Beetroots

What you may need:

• Suitable baskets, boxes or bags

Potatoes are a crop that needs storing somewhere cool, dark and dry. A basement or pantry is ideal, otherwise a cool, dark spot in the house. They don't like being kept in the fridge. Keep them in a storage basket, paper bag or potato sack. Check them from time to time and remove any potatoes that are starting to rot.

Beetroot also enjoys a cool, dark, dry place. Kept in a food bag or paper bag is fine. Your beetroot should last several weeks like this. If you've got much too much, you could make a chutney (see below).

Some food crops can last for longer when stored correctly in the refrigerator.

Crops suitable for refrigerating include:

• Apples
• Pears
• Raspberries
• Blueberries
• Carrots

What you may need:

• Storage containers / storage bags

If you are keeping apples or pears in the fridge, use the crisper drawer if you have one. Otherwise, fridge produce bags are good. Keep them separate from other food items, as apples and pears release a gas that speeds up the ripening of other fruits and vegetables nearby.

When storing raspberries or blueberries, first remove any with signs of mould. Don't wash before storing. Place them in a single layer in a container lined with paper towel. There should be some air getting to the fruit, so either choose a container that has an air hole in it, or leave the lid a small crack open. Both berries can go off quickly so if you have lots, consider freezing them (see below).

Carrots can be kept in the fridge. First, remove the carrot greens if they have them, gently wash under a running tap to remove any soil and pat dry. The best place is the crisper drawer, in a produce bag or sealed container. Keep them away from apples and pears, as they can be effected by the ethylene gas they produce.

At Thrive, we often freeze the produce grown in our gardens. This helps make sure as much of the harvest gathered in summer and autumn can be used throughout the year. Our client gardeners can still practice their cookery skills through the seasons.

Crops suitable for freezing include:

• Raspberries
• Blueberries
• Rhubarb
• Apples
• Pears
• Peas

What you may need:

• Baking tray and parchment
• Freezer bags

When freezing raspberries or blueberries, first gently wash and dry them. Spread them in a single layer on a baking tray lined with parchment. Put in the freezer until they feel solid. After this, you can move them to a freezer bag. If you skip the step with the baking tray, the berries are likely to all stick together in the freezer bag.

To freeze rhubarb, first remove the leaves and discard them. Then, wash the stalks and cut into chunks. Around 3-4cm is a good size. Pat dry with a tea towel or kitchen towel. Place the pieces in a resealable freezer bag. Try to remove as much air as possible before putting in the freezer. Your rhubarb should last for many months if properly stored and can be added straight from the freezer to your recipes.

When freezing apples, you may want to first peel, core and slice them so they are easier to store. Place in a freezer storage container. Add a little lemon juice (this helps them go less brown). They may last for several months.

Pears can also be frozen after peeling, coring and slicing. To stop them sticking to each other in the storage container, flash freeze them first. To do this, arrange them on a tray lined with baking paper. Freeze until they start going firm. Then, you can transfer into your freezer container.

Peas are a classic freezer staple. Even more delicious when they are home grown! Before freezing, shell the peas and remove the pods. Next, blanch your shelled peas. Boil them in water for around 2 minutes, then immediately put them in a bowl of icy water for another 2 minutes. This stops them cooking any further. Drain them and let them dry. Place in a resealable freezer bag and they are ready to go straight into your recipes when you need them!

Some crops can be dried out before being stored.

Crops suitable for drying include:

• Onions
• Plums
• Peppers
• Tomatoes

What you may need:

• Metal rack / drying rack

Drying onions is an important part of ensuring longer storage life. If it's sunny when you harvest them, you could leave them lying outside for a week first. If it's wet, bring them under cover. You can now lie them out for a further couple of weeks on drying racks or baking trays, spaced well apart. Once dried, you could keep in a cool, dark spot in storage bags. Or, if you fancy a challenge, you could try stringing onions and storing them.

Some food crops can be made into delicious savoury chutneys or sweet jams.

Crops suitable for making chutneys and jams:

• Apples
• Pears
• Beetroot

What you may need:

• Large saucepans
• Wooden spoon
• Other ingredients, recipe depending (e.g. sugar)
• Storage jars, e.g. jam jars

Apples are fantastic used for apple sauce. They don't always last very well when stored, so this is a longer-lasting guarantee. Find a simple three ingredient recipe for apple sauce here.

Pears make a wonderful spiced chutney that goes with cheese. Find a pear chutney recipe here that includes sultanas, raisins and cinnamon.

Many delicious chutneys can be made from veg as well as fruit. Beetroot can be used to create a lovely savoury chutney. This recipe includes apples, onion and lemon zest.