Sustainability: Grew it Yesterday, Picked it Today, Eat it in the Cold of winter.

Today, I find myself watching the things we grow closely, from herbs and vegetables to raising chickens that lay eggs.  I want the best and healthiest foods for myself and my family. I’ve talked with many people in Easton who share this mentality. But I feel a need to go one step further, a step into sustainability. How does one do that you may ask? Well, let’s back up a year ago when I opened someone’s eyes to the concept of canning. I talked with someone last year who said “I don’t get this canning thing. My wife cooks sauce for weeks in the height of the tomato season then freezes it so we have fresh sauce all year.” I brought up the time everyone lost power for weeks and asked what would have happened to all the frozen sauce he had? He looked at me and I said “Canning gives you the ability to eat fresh, high quality produce in the winter without relying on electricity.”  He admitted that he’d never thought of it that way.  Our Grandparents, and some of our parents, grew up in a time when preserving, canning and even root cellars were the only way to get vegetables in late winter.  These are tried and true methods that I think need to become part of the norm again. This past winter, I was eating acorn, blue Hubbard and butternut squash in February that was grown locally and stored fresh in the basement. But it was just the start. We also had herbs preserved in salts, like Rosemary and Basil, tomato sauce, paste, and broth.

Some people worry that they don’t have the time or money to do all of this. Storing foods in a root cellar type of habitat doesn’t really take any extra time; it’s just like putting away groceries. And you can look at buying canning supplies as an investment.  Once you get all the glass jars and equipment you can reuse them year after year. But it’s more about healthy food and getting the most out of your own garden or farmers market. Let’s stick with tomatoes for now. One plant will give you 45 tomatoes on average, or 20-30 lbs. One bushel is 50lbs of tomatoes, which will make 10-12 quarts pending the kind of tomatoes you use.  A family of 4 on average will use 60-70 cans of tomato sauce a year. So you will need 5-6 bushels to make that. But from that you will also get cans of paste, and cans of tomato broth. To make all this you’re looking at a weekend of your time, the cost of the jars, your tomatoes at a total of $0.68 cents a quart. Now look at the freshness and the vitamins you will have in your product compared to the store bought brands. Then taste it, taste the difference, and you will know hands down you’re doing what is best for you and all the other mouths you feed.    

Yes, I know the freezer is a blessing for blueberries, corn, kale and, yes, peas from the farmers market to freeze them for a winter meal. But a root cellar is another great storage method. For my family, we have an old stone foundation with a nice cool corner in the basement that we keep things in. In the next few months, we will make some shelves to make better use of the area. I was just reading up on some other great ways to store food and make mini root cellars. Dig a hole about approximately the depth of a hay bale standing on-end then use two hay bales to cover the top. This will keep it dry and cold in the winter. Another way is to dig down and put a blue, food-safe 55 gal drum in the ground. Then attach a hinged door for easy access to your vegetables in the winter where they will be cold and fresh.

I think the best one, the one I just love, is saving herbs. Dry them by wrapping the stems with twine then hanging them upside down in the windows and enjoy the scents mingling in to the kitchen or cure them in salt. You just can’t beat a good, high-quality herb in the winter when you cook that roast chicken dinner, homemade pizza or beef stew. I don’t think I need to describe air drying in depth, so we will talk about salt curing. Find mini or small Mason jars, they work the best. This past winter, we made two jars of basil and two jars of rosemary. I think I will up the amounts this year to four basil and three rosemary. It’s so simple, as you start to harvest and you can’t use all the plant is giving you then it’s time to start curing. Put a layer of coarse salt (kosher salt, usually) on the bottom then a layer of herbs then salt again and continue layering. As you make your layers, push them down to pack it in and keep your layers going to the top, and be generous with the salt in your layers.  When it’s time to use the herbs just wipe the salt off the leaves back into the jar. When you finish using the herbs you will end up with a great, seasoned salt you can continue to use well after.

So with the gardens in full swing, and sorry to say, but with winter soon to come, let’s remember that great saying ‘poor planning equals poor performance.’ Plan today for what your family’s needs are in the off season and start your pantry soon. If you need help with setting up a pantry you can take a local canning class or reach out to groups like SEMAP or your local Foodie Group you will be sure to find a helping hand.

Till next time, Happy Growing.