Preserving your Harvest

Fruits & Vegetables Fresh Processing

Got a large harvest of fruits and vegetables and no idea what to do with them?
Whether it`s canning, fermenting, freezing, or turning them into chutney, all methods have their own charm. We`re here to help with a few ideas:

Preserving - eating fresh fruit and vegetables from your own garden later:

Most people still remember it from their grandmother`s time. In earlier days, a lot of fruits and vegetables were canned, mainly using the traditional canning pot. Nowadays, things are often done differently, such as using the oven. However, it`s best to avoid that method because it`s not suitable. We recommend going "Back to the original canning method."
Canning in a pot or using specialized canning machines.

How to cook in?

To start, rinse the canning jars with boiling water or place them in the oven at around 140 °C for about 10 minutes.
Peel, trim any spoiled parts, wash, and cut the vegetables or fruits into roughly equal-sized pieces as needed. Place the fruit or vegetable pieces into the jars and fill with cold water until just below the rim (alternatively, use a mixture of water, salt, and herbs for vegetables or sweetened water for fruits).

Wipe the edges of the jars with a clean cloth and seal them tightly.>p>Place a folded dish towel on the bottom of the canning pot to prevent the jars from cracking or tipping over. Then, stack the jars in the pot. Fill the pot with water until all the jars are submerged at least ¾ of the way (the water temperature should always match the contents of the jars - pre-cooked vegetables: warm water / raw vegetables: cold water). Place the pot on the stove and insert a thermometer. Once the thermometer reaches 90 °C, the canning process begins (set a timer!). Each fruit and vegetable has its own specific canning time.

When the canning time is up, remove the pot from the heat. If you have a way to remove the jars without burning yourself, you can place them on a spread-out kitchen towel and let them cool completely. Otherwise, wait until the temperature has cooled enough to safely reach into the water.

Fully cooled jars can be stored in a dark and cool place for several months. During storage, regularly check if the vacuum seal is intact to ensure the contents of the jars remain preserved.
Please look up the appropriate canning time for your specific vegetable or fruit if it`s not listed in the table.