If you're green fingered you may be feeling overwhelmed with all your homegrown fruit and vegetables. So if you want to enjoy what you've grown for longer, try our ideas for storing, preserving and cooking the seasonal produce of the summer and autumn.
You don't want to suddenly find yourself with lots of rotting vegetables and fruit, so it's a good idea to plan what you're going to do with your harvest.
Drying, freezing and preserving with salt, sugar and/or vinegar are all good ways to increase the shelf life of many types of fruit and vegetables, and, if stored well, others will last a decent amount of time.
Choose the method that is most suited to your needs and you can enjoy your garden produce through the winter and spring months too. See our charts below for the best methods for preserving fruit, vegetables and herbs.
Although it seems a bit of a pity at the height of the harvest to freeze your surplus, it's worth considering, provided you have the freezer storage space. Jams, jellies and chutneys, as old-fashioned as they sound, are enjoyable to make if you have the time.
For something a bit different, you can turn a traditional strawberry jam into something special with the addition of chilli or a splash of balsamic vinegar. Spice up pickled onions with Thai spices, or combine different fruits to make an interesting jelly. You could also try oven-drying - a fantastic way of making the most of too many tomatoes, chillies, aubergines and even apples or pears.
It's also important to be careful and take note of the safety advice for each method - if you don't follow the guidelines, there is the possibility of food poisoning.
Some fruits and vegetables can store well without being preserved as long as they are kept in the right conditions. Apples and pears store well for months if you choose unblemished fruit. Wrap each one in dry newspaper and then place in a single layer in the bottom of a wooden crate or shallow cardboard box. Place in a dry, airy place.
Root vegetables such as potatoes or beetroot also store well. For beetroot, cut off the leafy tops and then place to dry in a single layer in a wooden or cardboard box. Potatoes can be stored in hessian or paper sacks; just remove any moist mud from them to prevent mould forming. Store in a cool, airy, dark place, such as a larder or a shed.
Onions, garlic and shallots can also be stored. Plait the leafy tops and then hang them up to dry in a shed, larder or another airy, dry place.
We've put together practical information on the best ways to preserve and use your seasonal food. Find out more about:
Oven-drying is a good method of preserving some types of fruit and vegetables including tomatoes, peppers and apples. They can then be added to salads, soups or casseroles to lend flavour, colour or texture. Be aware that fruits and vegetables dried commercially are often treated with chemicals to help the food keep its colour, so don't be disappointed if your home efforts lose some colour.
A very low oven (130C/250F/Gas ½) or the bottom, cool oven of an Aga is ideal.
Freezing doesn't preserve food indefinitely, but frozen fruit and vegetables will keep for up to six months. Inevitably some deterioration will occur, but with correct care it can be kept to a minimum. It is easy to over-stuff the freezer and then not use all your produce, so always label the food.
Golden rules for freezing
This method stops fruit or vegetables freezing into a solid block. It also minimises structural damage.
If you are planning to use the fruit for puddings or jam you can toss the prepared fruit in a little sugar, transfer to a heavy-duty bag, extract the air, tie securely and freeze. The sugar will absorb juice that runs from the fruit and will become syrupy on defrosting.
Stew fruits such as apples, pears or plums, mash lightly, then leave to cool completely. Freeze in plastic tubs or heavy-duty bags. These fruits can then be used for sauces, puddings and jams. This method is also good for cooking orchard fruits such as quinces. Once defrosted they can be dripped through a muslin bag and the juice used for making jelly.
Frozen vegetables are great for cooked dishes, but not for eating as raw. The vegetable needs to be prepared as if you were going to eat it straight away so French beans, broad beans, peas and broccoli are ideal for this method. Blanch quickly for 1-2 minutes in boiling salted water - this stops enzyme activity - but take care not to overcook. Refresh for a few seconds under running cold water, then leave to go completely cold. Bag, seal and label as above.
Coarse herbs including rosemary, sage and thyme can be dry-frozen. Strip the leaves from the stalk and pack into small plastic bags, extract the air and freeze.
For soft herbs including parsley, basil, tarragon and chives. Chop the herb finely and pack into ice-cube trays, top up with water and freeze. If you have lots to freeze, transfer to a plastic bag when frozen and then take out as and when you need them. You will find the herbs discolour during freezing, but a certain amount of flavour remains.
Whether it is jams, jellies or chutney, preserved fruit brightens up all manner of breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Here we have all you need to know about preserving fruit, from must-knows to recipes and equipment.
Salting was one of the earliest methods of preserving foods, and from there preserving with sugar and acids developed. All inhibit growth of the micro-organisms which cause food to rot.
Jams and jellies set because of the action of pectin, a substance in fruit that, when cooked with sugar and acid (from the fruit), thickens and gels the preserve. In chutneys the main preserving agent is vinegar. Chutneys are usually made with vegetables, although orchard fruits are also used. Always take care when preparing jams and chutneys to do as the recipe states and sterilise and prepare equipment as directed to minimise the risk of food poisoning.
A traditional jam is fruit cooked, usually to a pulp, with sugar to set. Sometimes the fruit is cooked to a pulp and then sieved before the sugar is added, to get rid of excessive pips. A jelly is fruit cooked, usually with water, to a pulp. It is then dripped through a bag and the resulting juice (not pulp) is simmered with sugar until setting point is reached. A conserve could loosely be described as a very rich type of jam, sometimes with the addition of alcohol. Usually the whole fruit - raspberries, strawberries, blackcurrants, etc. - are preserved in a heavy syrup rather than being cooked to a pulp.
Know the pectin content of the fruit used - the higher the pectin content, the better the set. If you use fruit with a low pectin content, try adding some fruit with high pectin content such as apples, damsons or redcurrants to give a good result. Alternatively, commercial pectin can be added to low-pectin fruits to ensure a good set. Pectin is best added to the fruit before the addition of the sugar.
High-pectin fruits: blackcurrants, redcurrants, cooking apples, damsons, quinces, gooseberries and some plums.
Low-pectin fruits: blackberries, cherries, elderberries, pears, rhubarb, strawberries and medlars.
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