Preserving Fresh Produce
A guide to preserving fresh
fruit and vegetables
Recipes4us is committed to
encouraging people to eat locally grown seasonal
produce but certain bumper harvesting months sometimes
makes it
difficult to eat everything that's on offer.
Many
of us can get our hands on fresh fruit and vegetables which are out of season
locally, but how fresh are they? Often imported
products lack flavour and their full compliment of
nutrients due to the fact that they are picked young so they can be shipped
without fear of spoiling before they get to us.
So, it can be
realistically argued that eating produce which has
been properly preserved when it was at its best is
not only nutritionally as good (if not better) than
eating out of season produce, but also
environmentally more friendly. Yes, there's
that clodhopper of a carbon footprint again.
Whether you are growing/picking your own
or just taking advantage of lower the prices
of locally grown seasonal vegetables, if you are
getting them in their prime then it's just as well
to preserve any excess.
For most of us,
the easiest method is freezing but there are other
ways too. The following pages outline the various
methods and contain detailed information on how to
preserve your fresh produce by your chosen method.
(Jams,
Pickles, Chutneys)
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