Spring is almost here and it’s time to start thinking about what vegetables you would like to plant in your garden. Once planted, you’ll care for that garden until you reap your bountiful harvest. When the tasty produce is harvested – what will you do with it? Some choose to grow a garden for the sheer pleasure of working the Earth, some plant so they can have access to organic produce, others plant a garden to sell their produce once it’s harvested. Thinking ahead about preserving the bounty can help you enjoy the food throughout the coming year.
Now’s the time to check your canning equipment so it’s in ready-to-go condition, don’t wait until the last minute. There’s nothing worse than having a lug of peaches sitting there ready to go, and you discover your equipment isn’t working!
Dial gauge pressure canners should be tested yearly for accuracy. That is a service we offer here at the Extension Office at no charge, so if you are interested in testing your pressure canner – let us know! If replacement parts are needed, some resources can be found on the internet by searching “canner replacement parts”. Some hardware stores also carry replacement parts. Many old pressure canners are no longer manufactured, so it is difficult to find replacement parts. Check with Presto or Mirro as they service some older brands as well.
If you need or want to learn more about preserving food, K-State Research & Extension has many resources, including publications that can be found at www.rrc.ksu.edu. If you do not have access to the internet, we have several publications here in the office – including a book called “So Easy to Preserve” from the Cooperative Extension at The University of Georgia. This book and our publications contain many tested, safe recipes. Using homemade or untested recipes for canning is risky and can lead to food borne illness.
Blanching is another way to preserve the fresh taste of garden goods. Blanching involves dunking fruits or vegetables in boiling water for a brief amount of time – a few minutes – before freezing them. This will help to set the color, flavor and the texture of the fruit or veggie with which you are working.
First Pick of the Season:
Asparagus, one of the first fresh veggies to come out of the garden. Always select bright green asparagus with closed, compact, firm tips. Contrary to popular belief, thin spears are not the tender shoots of younger plants. Thin spears come from plants that are older or planted closer together. Large spears grow on younger, more vigorous plants.
