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I am writing this the same week Hurricane Irma hit Florida. I now live out in the country just south of Tallahassee but actually moved up here from South Florida and the Keys a year ago. As of a post I see on Twitter from last night, the Upper Keys (north of Marathon I believe) are the only islands available to residents and business owners. The Lower Keys are so damaged that people cannot easily get to them.
[easyazon_infoblock align=”right” identifier=”B002KHN602″ locale=”US” tag=”edibleterrace-20″]I have heard Key West residents who stayed behind to ride out the storm are running low on food. Its not just the Keys either. Our friends in the Caribbean are also running low on food. Why am I going on about this? Because we just never know when we will not have easy access to a grocery store. We take it for granted that we can get everything we need by making a store run anytime.
But what if we can’t? Alternatively, you may be a little bit of a health nut like me and are simply tired of all the crap that gets put into the food we buy from the stores. And unfortunately, people like me who prefer to live simply and frugally cannot make a regular run to the nearest organic market to pick up the healthiest brands with the least amount of additives.
What is our alternative then? Figuring out food processing preservation methods
Below, I have found and offer up several helpful articles on different ways of preserving food. It is not as costly as you might think. Most of the products you buy are one-time expenses and then you can put them to good use for years.
Canning Food For Beginners
Canning has been around since the early 1800’s. It went out of fashion after World War II as the industrial age took off. However, lately there is a renewed enthusiasm for this home food preservation method and it has not slowed down. Learn the steps you need to start canning your food today.
The Best Way to Store Fruits & Vegetables So They will Last Longer
Sometimes, we just want to keep our produce around to use for a few days, weeks, or even months. Here, we talk about the best way to store your fruits & vegetables so they last as long as possible.
Dehydrating Food Tips
Dehydrating or drying out food is one of the oldest food preservation techniques out there. As you may already know, the idea is to preserve the food by removing as much of the moisture or water content as possible. Your food can last for months like this!
Benefits Of Pickling Food From Your Garden
Pickling involves submerging food in either vinegar or a salt brine to keep it from spoiling. The benefits of pickling food from your garden goes beyond keeping it from spoiling though.
Simple Tips For Freezing Fresh Fruits & Vegetables
One of the easiest things to do when you have more fresh produce than you know what to do with is to freeze it. A surprisingly large variety of fruits and veggies can be frozen “as is” or you can wash and chop them into a form that’s easy to pull out and cook with down the road.
Preserving Fresh Fruit by Making Jelly or Jam
Hands down the best way to preserve fresh fruit is as a jelly or jam! Spread them on your toast or bagel. Add to your oatmeal or muffin; or better yet, turn them into amazing, homemade and inexpensive Christmas presents for your friends and family! Now, THAT’S showing some love!
60 Canning Recipes
This is a round-up article of 60 canning recipes. Fruit, vegetables and meat are included.
Produce Storage Cheat Sheet
This great infographic will tell you how long your fruit and vegetables will last depending on where you store them. In the pantry and/or at room temperature. In the refrigerator. Or frozen. VERY good information!
Canning Mistakes That Can Make You Very Sick
This article will debunk several canning myths that can land you in the hospital. This is a must read for those of you considering canning your produce this season.
15 Jams and Jellies Recipes
No food preservation project is complete with you canning some good old jam and jelly. This article gives you recipes for everything from grape jam to corn cob jelly to pear butter. Yum! Yum!
[easyazon_infoblock align=”right” identifier=”B0186D63LM” locale=”US” tag=”edibleterrace-20″]
Conclusion
As you can see, there are multiple food processing preservation methods. Think first about the food you are going to preserve. For example, let’s think about cucumbers. Naturally, they can be pickled. Would you dehydrate them? Probably not. Would you freeze them? Again, probably not. Berries? Would you ever pickle them? Ewww. NO! Can we dehydrate them? Probably.
Dehydrating food brings us back to our roots and helps us to gain greater control not over now much food we have stored but also the ingredients within those foods. We can trust them because we know who made them! Right? Right!
Other Food Preservation Articles
Canning Instructions For Beginners: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet [Printable]
Canning Food For Beginners: A Simple How To Tutorial
Eating Healthy Year Round With Traditional Food Processing Preservation Methods
The Benefits Of Pickling Food From Your Garden
The Best Way To Store Fruits & Vegetables So They Will Last Longer
How To Decide What To Can, What To Freeze And What To Dehydrate
The Best Way To Preserve Fresh Fruit Is By Making Jelly and Jam
Dehydrating Food Tips – What You Need to Know
Can I Freeze Fresh Vegetables And Fruit? Yes You Can!
Where To Find Great Deals On Produce To Preserve
Five Common Methods of Processing & Preserving Food
5 Pinteresting People Teach Us How To Harvest and Dry Herbs
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Food Processing Preservation Methods
