This document provides an overview of different methods for preserving foods, including freezing, drying, and canning. It discusses the benefits of preserving foods, such as maintaining nutrients and eating quality. Various fruits and vegetables are highlighted as suitable for different preservation methods. Specific instructions are provided for freezing berries, fruit pie fillings, blanching and freezing vegetables, drying fruits and vegetables, and canning. Resources for further information on food preservation are also listed.

1. Kerry Seymour, MS, RD
Western Area
Nutrition Specialist

2. What would you like
to learn about
preserving foods?

3. Overview
 Why preserve foods?
 Keeper Crops
 Freezing
 Drying
 Canning
 Resources

4. Why preserve foods?
 Keeps foods safe to eat
 Keeps maximum nutrients
 Maintains eating quality
Flavor
Texture
Color

5. Whichever method
used…
 Harvest produce at its peak
 Limit holding time
 Thoroughly wash and trim just
prior to processing

6. How to decide which
method to use?
 Pros and cons
 Varies by type of produce
 Effect on nutrients
 Length of storage

7. Produce for cold storage/
root cellars
 Potatoes
 Onions and garlic
 Winter squash
 Beets and carrots
 www.gardeners.com

8. Preparing potatoes
 Cure for 2 weeks
Darkness
50-60 F
Good ventilation
 Cull damaged tubers
 Pack, cover and store – 35-50 F

9. Preparing onions and garlic
 Cure for 2 weeks
Onions can cure outside if dry
Cool, dark place
 Cull damaged bulbs
 Pack and store in dark, dry 35-
45 F

10. Preparing winter squash
 Harvest with stem
 Cure for 10 days at 75-80 F
 Store in ventilated, low
humidity at 35-60 F
 Check often

11. Preparing beets and carrots
Choose good keepers
Sow late June or July
1) Store in the ground
Cover with 12-18” straw/leaves
2) Refrigerate
3) Layered in clean, damp sand

12. Advantages of preserving
by freezing
 Ease of preparation
 Easy to process small batches
 Maintains fresh flavor
 Retains majority of nutrients

13. Disadvantages of
freezing
 Need for freezer space
 Need to pre-treat
 Texture changes
 Discoloration of some fruits
 Decline in quality after time

14. What happens when a
food is frozen?
 Water in cells expand and cells
burst
 Enzymes remain active

15. Optimum freezer
conditions
 Rapid chilling to 0 F
 Minimize fluctuations of temp
 Use appropriate “freezer
quality” storage containers
 Always label and date

16. Freezing fruit
 No treatment needed:
Berries Cherries
Currants Grapes
Rhubarb Plums

17. Freezing fruit
 Place whole berries, grapes,
halved plums or cut rhubarb on
freezer-safe trays.
 Freeze ‘til solid
 Package in zip-lock bags

18. Freezing fruit
Pre-treat apples, apricots,
peaches and nectarines
 Ascorbic acid
½ tsp. crystals or 3-500 mg.
tablets in ¼ c. water/qt of fruit

19. Freezing fruit
 Sugar or syrup pack preserves
flavor and texture
 Place fruit in rigid freezer
container
 Add just enough syrup to cover

20. Freezing fruit pie fillings
 Make preferred recipe
 Preferred thickener: tapioca or
tapioca flour
 Freeze in foil lined metal pie pan,
zip-lock bags or rigid containers
 Thaw just enough to spread in pie
shell

21. Freezing veggies
 Harvest as close to processing
time as possible
 Wash and drain before shelling
or trimming
 Wash again!

22. Blanching veggies
 Blanching: scalding veggies in
boiling water or steaming
 Retains color, flavor and texture
 Blanching time is specific to
each vegetable

23. Blanching veggies
 1 gallon water/pound of veg
 Add veg to boiling water
 Cover and bring back to boil
 Start counting blanching time
 Drain; immerse in cold water

24. Steam Blanching
 Preferred for broccoli, pumpkin,
winter squash, sweet potatoes
 Bring 1-2” water to a boil
 Add veg to steamer basket in
single layer
 Cover and immediately start
counting blanching time

25. Freezing veggies
 Drain thoroughly
 Dry pack: Pack, leave
headroom, seal
 Tray pack: spread in single
layer on freezer safe tray
Freeze firm
Package leaving no head space

26. Drying veggies:
Advantages
 Storage convenience
 Intensifies flavor
 Concentrates certain nutrients
 Quality maintained for ~1 year

27. Disadvantages of drying
 Loss of certain nutrients
 Need to pre-treat
 Discoloration of some foods

28. Drying options
 Solar
 Solar oven
 Oven
 Dehydrator

29. Drying fruit
 Suitability for drying varies
 Uniform slices and pieces
 Whole fruits need to be
“checked”
 Need for pre-treatment varies

30. Drying fruit
 Best choices for drying:

31. Pre-treatment
Apples, apricots, peaches, pears
 Sulfuring or sulfite dip
 Ascorbic acid
 Ascorbic acid mixtures
 Fruit juice dip
 Honey dip

32. Drying the fruit
 Place uniform pieces of fruit in
single layer, not touching
 Follow directions for method and
fruit
 Test for dryness
 Condition
 Package, label and store

33. Drying veggies
 Suitability for drying varies
 Prepare only as much as can
be dried at one time
 Uniform slices and pieces
 Blanching required for most
(not onions, peppers, mushrooms)

34. Best choices for drying
 Beets (cooked) carrots
 Corn garlic
 Horseradish mushrooms
 Onions parsnips
 Peppers potatoes

35. Drying veggies
 After blanching, dip briefly in
cool water
 Drain onto drying trays
 Arrange in single layer
 Wipe excess water underneath
tray
 Place in dehydrator

36. Drying veggies
 Process for recommended time
 Check frequently toward the end
 Dry until crisp and brittle
 Package, label and store
Tip: Avoid drying strong flavored
veggies with other foods

37. Books
 Putting Food By - Stephen
Schmidt and Janet Greene
 So Easy to Preserve – Coop.
Extension U. of GA
 The Big Book of Preserving the
Harvest - Carol Costenbader

38. Resources
 National Center for Home Food
Preservation
http://nchfp.uga.edu/
 University of Minnesota
Extension
http://www1.extension.umn.edu/f
ood-safety/preserving/freezing/

39. Questions?

40. Contact Information
Kerry Seymour, MS, RD
Email: seymourk@unce.unr.edu
Phone: (775) 784-4848

41. Thank You!