So Easy to Preserve!

Enjoying home grown sweet corn, green beans, tomatoes, chutneys, jams, jellies, pickles, and other summer goodies all year round is easy to do if you know a few techniques for preserving the abundance of the summer harvest. Despite what you might think, it's pretty simple to do once you know the process.

Growing up on the east coast, I never learned to can or put up foods. When I met my husband, who was raised on a farm in southern Indiana, he taught me the tools of the trade and we spend time together each summer preserving our fruits and vegetables to feast upon all winter long.

If you aren't lucky enough to have a friend or relative who can teach you these skills, you may want to attend the 2008 Spring Garden Clinic hosted by the Capital City Garden Project in Indianapolis (check out the Indiana Local Foods Festivals and Events section on this site for program details). Christina Ferroli, Consumer and Family Science Educator-Purdue Extension-Marion County, will be teaching a class "2008 So Easy to Preserve" where she'll demystify home food preservation. You'll learn what equipment you'll need and how to safely preserve fruits and vegetables. Several other gardening seminars will be offered that day including "Organic Vegetable and Flower Gardening" and "How to Compost Anything Anywhere."