5 Easy Recipies for Food Preservation

It’s the middle of summer and at our house that means pressure cooking, water bath canning, dehydrating, fermenting, and freeze-drying.

This weekend…I got a little crazy and started a bunch of projects.

That feeling of taking entire boxes and flats of food, preparing them, and making them safe to eat year-round is a little bit addicting.

And there were so many good deals that I couldn’t let all that food go to waste.

So, here are 5 Easy Recipies for Food Preservation that I made this weekend:

1. Strawberry Fruit Leather

Strawberries were $1/lb. at a local farm and….well, how do you pass that up?

So, my husband and I bought about 20 lbs. of strawberries and, since we still had a few jars of jam left from last year, we made fruit leather with it.

Fruit leather is a quick, easy, and simple way to preserve fruit and make it fun to eat. Although I make several batches, our kids (and my husband) eat it faster than it comes out of the dehydrator. It can be made with almost any fruit- we’ve done strawberries, peaches, apricots, apples, and raspberries.

First, wash your fruit.

If needed, peel or, for strawberries, cut off the tops. Remove pits, seeds, cores- whatever parts you wouldn’t normally eat.

Chop your fruit.

Add 4 cups of chopped fruit, 1/2 cup of water, and 1 tsp. lemon juice to a blender or food processor and puree it. Add sugar as needed. Some fruit will need more sugar, where others are already naturally sweet. This allows you to customize the flavor and sugar-levels for your family. Additionally, you can add spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or clove to customize flavor.

Add your puree to a pan and heat to a boil.

Remove from heat.

Add fruit leather liners to your dehydrator trays (like these). Spray with cooking spray. Ladle the mixture into your tray liners, being careful to spread evenly and not overfill.

Dehydrate at 140 degrees for 12 hours, or until no longer sticky.

When dry, remove from tray. We cut each tray of fruit leather in half, rolling each half separately by placing it on a piece of plastic wrap, beginning at the bottom, and rolling it over itself.

Store in an air-tight container.

Whatever doesn’t fit in your trays can be refrigerated for the next batch. No need to heat again, simply add another batch of puree.

2. Strawberry Syrup

With all those strawberry tops leftover from the fruit leather, I made strawberry syrup and water bath canned it to use throughout the year. This syrup can be used on pancakes, ice cream, or as a flavor in drinks like lemonade. It really is versatile and helps you quickly use every part of your strawberries, rather than throwing them away.

Add 4 cups of strawberry tops, 3 cups of water, and 3 cups of sugar to a large pot.

Simmer for 30 minutes.

Strain into a bowl or another pot using a strainer or cheesecloth.

Discard the strawberry tops.

Ladle the syrup into jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.

Clean your rims, add lids and rings, and process in a water bath for 10 minutes (for pint jars).

Remove from the canner and allow to sit for 24 hours. Check to make sure the center of the lid is pulled down and doesn’t move. This means it is sealed correctly and shelf stable.

3. Sauerkraut

Cabbage is never expensive and it has so many uses. However, fermenting it allows you to store it for longer, creates a topping that can be added to many dishes, and helps build a healthy gut bacteria.

That said, I hate sauerkraut.

But, my husband likes it so it is one of our new adventures.

Sauerkraut is really simple to make, only needs two ingredients, a mason jar, and some patience.

It’s important to note that fermentation creates and builds up carbon dioxide gas. Use a fermentation lid (like these), cover with a breathable fabric (like a paper towel), or burp (open and allow gases to escape) your sauerkraut each day. Otherwise, it can build up pressure and explode.

We followed this recipe and it turned out great.

4. Tepache- A Traditional Pineapple Drink

Another new adventure in our house this weekend was tepache. This is a traditional pineapple soda-like drink from Mexico. It requires fermentation to build up the gases that make the bubbles (see fermentation warning above). The process also allows a buildup of healthy gut bacteria. Since we had a pineapple to snack on and didn’t want to waste the peels, this was perfect.

For tepache, I used a wide-mouth 1/2 gallon jar and followed the recipe here.

And while it turned out delicious, it does have a slight alcohol content from fermentation of the sugar, which you should be aware of when making or enjoying this drink.

After straining, I bottled it and placed it in the fridge. It is by far my favorite project of the weekend and tastes a bit like apple cider- if the apples were pineapples.

5. Christmas Peach Jam

I know, it’s too early for Christmas.

But….our family used to own a peach orchard which gave us way too many peaches. Our solution was to make jam and save it to give away as friend, neighbor, co-worker, and teacher Christmas gifts.

We have since sold the orchard, but everyone still looks forward to jam each year.

This year, however, peaches are hard to come by as we experienced 4 separate freezes in the middle of blooming season. So, when I was lucky enough to find some Suncrest peaches for sale at a farm nearby, I bought a bushel (about 40-50 lbs.) and brought them home for Christmas.

To make the jam, simply wash 3 lbs. of peaches, peel and pit them. Then, chop them and add them to a blender.

Add 1/ c. lemon juice, 1/4 Tbsp. cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp. vanilla.

Blend together until smooth.

Add to a pot add in 1 3/4 oz. pectin (which can be bought in most grocery stores).

Bring to a boil. Add 5 cups of sugar. Stir.

Return to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 min.

Remove from heat, skim foam off the top using a small spoon.

Ladle jam into warm jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.

Clean rims, add lids and rings, and process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes (for half pint jars).

For more food preservation fun, see my most on pickled red onions here.