Working on an edible organic garden is not only rewarding and educational in itself, but after all the hard work of planning, observing, and maintaining your garden, comes one of the best parts of all – harvesting the fruits (and vegetables, and herbs, and other crops) of your labour!
A happy problem some gardeners will find is they will have such an abundance of organically grown food, you won't be able to eat or give it all away. Preserving your harvest is not only economical, it minimizes food waste, and there are several fun methods that you can try with your kids to teach them the importance of food preservation, planning for the future, and how different food reacts with different preservation techniques. They are also cool projects to make eco gifts grown from your very own eco garden.
Lactofermentation
Boost your probiotic intake to create an ecology of beneficial bacteria in your gut by preserving your fruits and veggies in lactofermentation jars. You just need to put your chopped vegetables and fruits in a jar and fill one liter filtered water and 30 grams salt (not iodized). You can even put in some herbs for added flavour.
Jams and Marmalade
Kids will love making jams and marmalade from the fruits picked from your eco garden. Recipes vary, but most require equal amounts of sugar (not processed or bleached) and fruit incorporated over a stove and placed into clean glass jars with lids.
Pickling
Pickling is another very simple way to preserve your organically grown food and needs only clean jars and vinegar. You can even mix up the fruits and vegetables you put into each jar so you have an interesting mix every time.
Drying / Dehydrating
Dehydrating to preserve food is more popular with meat to make jerky, however the process may also be used to dry fruits and vegetables. These can be used as chips, broken down into a powder to use in green shakes or cooking, or further preserved in oil.
Infuse in Oil
This technique is best used for herbs, fruits, and vegetable that have already been dehydrated. You can place either fresh or dried leaves, harvested from your indoor ceramic pots, into oil to preserve them. This will also give you flavoured oil for cooking and salad dressings.
REFERENCES:
https://earth911.com/home-garden/forever-food-7-ways-to-preserve-your-garden-harvest/ https://thefrugalchicken.com/10-ways-to-preserve-your-harvest-without-canning/
Written by Jan
About the Author
Jan is a travelling yoga teacher and writer who advocates spiritual growth while leading a conscious, earth-centered lifestyle, as close to nature as possible. She currently lives on an island in the Philippines surrounded by tropical jungles and white sand beaches. She and her partner conduct sound meditations and journeys while advocating sustainable and organic gardening practices.
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