Category Archives: preserving

Mastering Food Preservation: Drying & Herbs

Posted on August 3, 2012 by diary of a tomato

A line of jars aglow with colorful herbal vinegars greeted us as we arrived at our third Master Food Preserver training session. The evening’s focus was on drying and herbs, and the flavored vinegars were samples of just one of … Continue reading →

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Mastering Food Preservation: Jams & Jellies

Posted on July 20, 2012 by diary of a tomato

I came away from our first hands-on lab with a new-found appreciation for homemade jams and jellies, the topic of our next class in the Master Food Preserver Program. Timed to coincide with strawberry season, flats of fragrantly ripe strawberries … Continue reading →

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Mastering Food Preservation: An Introduction

Posted on July 13, 2012 by diary of a tomato

Here in Maine, eating locally year round requires some familiarity with the art of preserving food. Through experience — mostly trial and error — I’ve built up a working knowledge of canning, drying, freezing and storing these past few years, … Continue reading →

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Quick Summer Pickles

Posted on July 6, 2012 by diary of a tomato

Preserving a bit of summer really doesn’t get any easier than this. I’ve been pickling for some years now, but usually the canned or lacto-fermented versions. I’d shied away from making refrigerator pickles with the fear that they wouldn’t store … Continue reading →

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Shelling Peas, Independence Day, and Lobster Salad

Posted on July 4, 2012 by diary of a tomato

Few farmers bother to grow shelling peas any longer. The ones that still do, grow them for an older relative or for customers like me that don’t consider them too much work. Sugar snaps and snow peas have their own … Continue reading →

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