Full up after harvest

We store many of the things we grow for use throughout the winter. As a general rule, we finish all our starches in Jan., but finish lots of the frozen berries just as new ones become available. We try to make chutney, salsa and spreads last until we can make new, but since we give those as gifts at Christmas, it can be a challenge.

As of Oct. 18, we have harvested all the food we will.



In order to be able to cook using strong flavors, we free a lot of herbs. The tradition actually started when I read that mint could be frozen. I was about 19, and my sisters and parents started to freeze mint for ice tea. After that, I started experimenting with other frozen herbs.

Frozen- Herbs

• oregano (4 cups)
• basil (12 cups)
• parsley (2 cups)
• sage (3 cups)
• mint (3 cups)
• jars of pesto (5 jars)
  

The rest of our herbs we brought in and transplanted under the grow light, so we can have fresh spices over the winter. We have already dried a lot of herbs and spices for the year, especially dill and coriander.

The fruit we freeze we use in baking, mostly loaves and muffins for breakfast foods, but also in pies and turn-overs. We rarely freeze vegetables from the garden, as they are inexpensive in the grocery store.

Frozen - Fruit

• strawberries (9 cups)
• saskatoons (32 cups)
• raspberries (14 cups)
• apples (30 cups)
• zucchini (16 cups)

In addition to freezing, most of our stored food is kept in our cold storage room. Take a look at the pictures of our fall yard and the cold storage.

Fresh in the cold storage

• 4 large pumpkins, 2 small
• 2 bags small onions
• 2 gourds
• 13 dried jalapeno peppers
• 30 dried Thai peppers
  
• 2 1/2 pounds beets
• 52 pounds red potatoes
• 23 pounds Yukon gold potatoes

We also have 17 pounds of carrots, a bag of peppers and a few kohlrabi left in the fridge. We also have 20 pounds of tomatoes still ripening in the basement, which we use for eating and in pizza.

Preserved in the cold storage

• 2.5 liters of plum jam from Dana's tree
  
• 3.5 liters of raspberry jam
• 2 liters of taco sauce
• 3.5 liters of apple sauce (ours) plus 9 liters canned from Pat's tree
  
• 9 liters of tomato sauce, which is about a 50% reduction from canned tomatoes
  
• 14 liters of canned tomatoes
  
• 3 liters of chutney
• 1.5 liters of stewed rhubarb
• 18.5 liters of salsa
• 2 liters pickled beets from Erin

Yesterday we had our first day of sunshine in a couple weeks and spent time in the yard deadheading and emptying rain barrels. We also store our patio furniture away from the deck and cover the BBQ. It was good to get that done as the snow melted. If winter sets in prematurely, we are ready.

Today we are headed out to the garage to do some work on the piano bench we are building and do a much needed cleaning job. Our single garage is Mike's workshop, a general storage area, our garden shed, and the place where we park our bikes. It has tendency to descend into anarchy in not closely supervised.