04/28/2026
I have not posted on this page for a while but as we approach the growing and stowing season I am suggesting that you do what I think will help if'n you intend to do any "stowing".
Now, before the madness kicks in, think about what you really, really need, want or will use the most. Consider what you put up last year and whether you really used it. Time and money is an issue so take a moment to create your food preservation game plan.
For me, after all these years, I know it will be canned tomatoes (lots more than a did last year - I'll use for so many other things throughout the year) along with the piennola storage tomatoes I will grow. I will make Gravenstein applesauce (good for baking and, of course, latkes), a crock each of both fermented cucumbers and cabbage. Most other things will be dry storage - items cured to store in my basement or garden shed. Things like garlic, potatoes (mostly russets), storage onions, winter squash, lots of dry beans, dried corn, oats, wheat berries (for cooking and grinding) and apples that come late in the season and will hold well in my refrigerator. I will also dry herbs, chilies and fruit. Things I do not grow I will save up for so I can buy them in bulk during the Shop Your Pantry events. Saving for what you know you want is key particularly if you are on a budget. Even setting aside $50 a month for the pantry shop will be a big help.
What I will not make this year is jams or jellies (lord knows I have enough from previous years) or freeze berries (I always think I'll make pie in the winter but I rarely do and I'm not a smoothy fan), dilly beans (really don't like them), the cavalcade of chutneys (always seems like a good idea but I don't eat all that much), canned pears or peaches (same same). I am also forgoing the meat and fish share I usually get because A) it is getting too expensive for me and (more honestly) B) I'm less inclined to eat things that once had a heart beat. If'n I was a farmers and lived in a closed loop system that benefited from raising animals I likely would but I don't so I won't.
I'm sure there are things that I will still be lured by but I've learned the art of streamlining my pantry and how to use what I do put up for lots of other meals. That, anyway, is the logic behind it all and if you don't cook none of this likely makes sense.
So make a list of what you think you want to do this summer. Think about the season you will do that in and the varieties you want. And if you want to talk or learn more about all this please join me at Ariadne Gardens where I will be teaching some of the basics of food preservation. Free with a small donation to the garden.
