Using garden abundance

Header photo of beets Sam recently canned. She made pickled beets and beet horseradish, both recipes from the Ball recipe books.

by Sam Vangsness

For the past few weeks, I’ve been busy in the kitchen, using up fruits and vegetables given to me by family, friends, and neighbors. This summer, I didn’t have a garden due to moving, but I still find myself with an abundance of produce to preserve. Preserving is one of my favorite parts of fall. There is something about seeing your pantry stock increase with locally grown produce.

There are so many ways to preserve food, such as using a water bath canner, pressure canner, freeze dryer, dehydrator, or even freezing goods. For a majority of the garden produce, I use the water bath canning method. Water bath canning is a simple and quick way to preserve garden goodies. If you’re new to canning, I encourage you to begin with water bath canning and a good step-by-step book like The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving or Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving. Both of these options have countless recipes and steps to help you preserve your produce!

My kitchen has been overrun with pears and apples, which I’ve been canning in halves and as sauce. Both of these options allow them to be used in a variety of ways. Some of our favorites have been on yogurt or ice cream (I’ll share the recipe below). These options can also be used for baking pies or breads!

Whether you're canning your produce now or waiting a month or two, I hope you find some fun recipes to try. Also, as we approach the holidays, remember that canned goods make great gifts!

Fall yogurt parfait

What you’ll need:

Yogurt (whole gives a nice creaminess)

Canned pears or apples

Maple cinnamon pecan granola (see recipe below)

Simply dish up yogurt, top with pears or apples, and add granola.

Note: this would also be delicious with ice cream instead of yogurt 😉

Maple cinnamon pecan granola

3 cups oats

1/2 cup coconut oil melted

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup pecans chopped

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
3. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Pour mixture onto lined baking sheet and bake for 40 min.
5. Take out of the oven and let cool completely before breaking up granola.
6. Store in an airtight container.

Sam lives in rural Morton County with her husband. She enjoys being outside working alongside her husband, but equally enjoys being in the kitchen cooking nutritious, delicious, simple meals, and sharing tips, tricks, and recipes along the way.

 

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