Fun DIY Ways to Preserve Garden-Fresh Foods

by Seasonal Wisdom on August 23, 2012

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As summer starts to transition into fall, it’s a great time to preserve all kinds of garden-fresh foods for cold-season meals.

This Seasonal Wisdom post explores some fun and easy ways to store and use edible flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables from farmers’ markets or your own backyard. Plus, you’ll find other great resources for free information and directions. You’ll be surprised at everything you can preserve from the garden, without spending a fortune.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

dried flowers and leaves

The flowers are blooming, the herbs are growing and the fresh veggies are ripe for harvesting now. So, grab your pruners and start preserving all this wonderful abundance for fall and winter meals.

infusing honey with rose petals

Why not infuse honey with aromatic and delicious ingredients such as unsprayed edible flowers like roses?

As part of the garden experts team for Fiskars, here are my how-to tips for flavored honeys with everything from edible flower petals to mint leaves and chili peppers.

These honeys are easy to make, and you’ll love the way the sweet concoctions remind you of the garden, even in the dead of winter.

edible flowers for preserving

Above is English lavender from my summer garden. You can use this pretty edible flower for flavored honeys; just don’t use too much or it can taste a little soapy. Learn more about edible flowers in this Seasonal Wisdom post.

freezing herbs

Freezing is another great way to preserve herbs, edible flowers, fruits and vegetables. Here are quick tips for freezing garden-fresh foods, from berries to tomatoes.

Above are peppermint ice cubes for floating in drinks when you need a touch of summer this winter. You can do the same thing with pesto and more.

edible flowers serving idea

Don’t forget! You can use chopped herbs and edible flowers in butters. In this Fiskars post, you’ll learn how to make my flavored butters like Calendula-Sage butter or my Italian-Inspired butter. Whip some up and try it on corn on the cob, fresh bread or even pasta.

How are you enjoying your garden-fresh foods right now?

Learn more!  Check out this Seasonal Wisdom post on harvesting and preserving herbs. Here’s more about using herbs in drinks.

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