Not all foods are canned equally, that is to say, in a hot bath on top of your stove. When you have provisions you want to keep for an extended period that have a moisture content that is below 10 percent, dry canning may be the way to go. How durable or secure is that box of pasta, those lentils or that bag of flour? Rest easier knowing these necessities are safe for the long haul.
The humble tomato is the multi-tool of your long-term food storage plan. It can be stored whole, sliced, diced, pureed, dried, as a sauce, paste or catsup, in salsa or a soup, and so on. Therefore, it makes sense that you should know your options for preserving one of the most prolific foods your garden produces. Here are some hints for making the most of those basketloads of ripe tomatoes calling to you from the backyard.
You don’t have to limit what you preserve to the basics that everyone always talks about. This list of 10 garden favorites includes some you might not have thought about putting through your canning operation. In some cases, you may want to process your produce into a table-ready dish, like making cabbage into sauerkraut, before you seal it up. Check your local farmers markets to broaden your options for harvest-time canning.
You have this growing supply of great food now, so where are you going to store it? Just because you put the care and effort into safely sealing up your favorite fruits and vegetables doesn’t mean you can just put them on a shelf and expect them to last years. Picking and preparing the proper location for storing food, not to mention water, is a very important part of guaranteeing your food supply will be ready when you need it.
Our October issue comes out in three weeks. Sean Curtis took a close look at two new Benchmade automatic knives we think you’ll like. If they get your cutlery juices flowing, you can also learn about metalsmithing from our cover story by Christopher Nyerges.
