Freezing is so easy, especially with blueberries and raspberries. I pop them in baggies and freeze for smoothies, or just to sit and eat on a hot day. I like to blanch and freeze kale and spinach, also put them in ice water, drain, flatten in baggies so that I can “file” them upright in freezer boxes. I pull out a bag and break off a chunk to throw into casserole, soup, eggs, etc.
Still, my favorite is canning. I love shelves full of jars of fruit, jams, pickles, vegetables, and chicken or salmon, which really aren’t that hard to do in my pretty big pressure canner. Canned foods last forever but I admit that the flavor suffers over time. I found a quart of ten year old chicken soup in the depths of my cupboard, perfectly sealed but after the first bowl I gave it to the chickens, (Little cannibals that they are.)
I tend to can what people like. Chow chow and picalilly for my sister, pepper jam for the kids and the vet, pickle relish to clean up what’s left in the garden at end of season. I can tomatoes and spaghetti sauce for me. I dry the halved tomatoes in a hot oven for about forty minutes because the flavor is concentrated and the skins are easy to slip off.
Because I live in an earth sheltered home my garage stays cool even in summer. I can keep onions, potatoes and squash there. Good enough, all of this, for our ninety days growing season.