Preserving and Storing Vegetables, Herbs and Fruits by Hans Wieland of The Organic Centre

In early Autumn, the garden should be in full production  with a huge variety of vegetables and fruits to be harvested. Some vegetables will be “pulled”, others “lifted, cut or dug out”. Pulling involves simply pulling out the whole plant.  Lifting is when you lift the vegetable slightly, disconnecting roots from soil, then pull them a day or two later.

This helps them store better.  Cut is when the vegetable is cut above ground, and digging out refers to root vegetables such as potatoes.  Different crops need different techniques for harvesting, cauliflower for example is cut, sprouting broccoli is picked, onions are lifted, carrots are pulled  (if you have loose soil!).

As varied as the harvesting techniques are so are the methods of preserving and storing the abundance of your garden produce. Using the best method is important to preserve your vegetables and fruit and keeping the nutritional value.

Traditional methods of preserving like storing, drying and fermenting (use of lactic acid) have been augmented by bottling and more recently by freezing.

Any method of preserving has to fight and control the 4 enemies, namely bacteria, fungi, enzymes and yeasts that will destroy your food.

All methods of preserving have advantages and disadvantages; for example freezing is quick and keeps the nutrients very well, but consumes quite a bit of energy.