10 Easy Ways to Preserve Your Garden Harvest (Freezing, Pickling & More)

10 Easy Ways to Preserve Your Garden Harvest

1. Freezing Fresh Herbs (Mint, Basil, etc.)

Preserve your mint harvest by freezing the herb in ice cubes. Spoon 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs into each compartment of an ice cube tray. Add about 1 inch of water to each compartment and put the tray into the freezer. Remove it when the herb cubes are frozen. Lift the cubes from the compartments and put them into a plastic freezer bag. Label the bag and put it back into the freezer!

See how to freeze and dry all your herbs. You can also preserve your vegetables by freezing. See how to freeze spinach and greens, freeze peppers, and freeze Brussels sprouts.

2. Got Basil? Make Pesto!

If you have a couple of healthy basil plants, harvest all the leaves and make pesto! See how to make pesto. 

3. Quick Refrigerator Pickles

Got an abundance of cucumbers? Just make fridge pickles. No canning needed. Enjoy delicious pickles in no time! See how to make refrigerator pickles.

We have many more pickling tips and recipes! For best results when pickling, use white distilled or cider vinegars with 5 percent acidity. Use white vinegar when a light color is desirable, as with fruit and cauliflower. Use pickling salt, not iodized salt.

“On a hot day in Virginia, I know nothing more comforting than a fine spiced pickle, brought up trout-like from the sparkling depths of the aromatic jar below the stairs of Aunt Sally’s cellar.”
–Thomas Jefferson, 3rd U.S. president (1743–1826)

4. Freeze Summer Berries

Spread unwashed berries in a single layer on a cookie sheet and put the sheet into the freezer. When the berries are frozen, transfer them to a plastic container or freezer bag. See our post on how to freeze blueberries.

5. Bake & Freeze Zucchini Bread!

Zucchini isn’t always great when frozen. We love to bake mini loaves of zucchini bread and freeze them! Remove a loaf whenever you need it. It’s great for last-minute gift ideas! See our recipe for zucchini bread and more zucchini recipes.

To just freeze zucchini, wash and grate the squash. Quickly dip grated zucchini in boiling water, then drain and cool. Pack premeasured amounts into freezer bags or plastic containers, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Seal, label, and freeze. Use for zucchini bread, soups, and stews in winter.

6. Oven-Dry Tomatoes

Dry your tomatoes and other produce to keep them longer! Dried tomatoes add color and flavor to salads, pizza, soups, pesto, and sauces. 

7. Easy Refrigerator Jam

With just two ingredients—fruit and sugar—you can make a fridge jam in no time! This recipe does not require canning. See our easy berry jam recipe.

8. Freeze Sweet Corn

Wouldn’t it be divine if we could have truly sweet, summertime corn at our fingertips year-round? Now you can! See how to freeze corn.

9. Homemade Herbal Vinegar

Herbal vinegar is inexpensive and easy to make. Make with any herb, including basil, oregano, rosemary, dill, garlic, thyme, and sage, to add pizzazz to salad dressings, soups, and sauces. They also make great gifts for friends! See how to make herbal vinegar.

10. Store Long-Lasting Crops

Little or no special equipment is required to put these goods away until you want them:

Apples: Apples keep well for about 6 months at temperatures above freezing but below 45°F. If you don’t have a root cellar, a double cardboard box in a cool basement can approximate the conditions.

Carrots: After harvesting, remove the green tops and brush off any excess dirt. Put the carrots into a cardboard box and pack dry sand around them. Store the box in a cool basement.

Onions and Garlic: Hang mature, dry-skin onion bulbs in a mesh bag in a cool, dry, airy location. Braided onions and garlic can also be hung.

Root Vegetables: If covered with a thick layer of mulch (hay, dried leaves, straw), carrots, garlic, horseradish, leeks, parsley, parsnips, radishes, and turnips can be left in the ground well into the winter and harvested into the spring.  

See our full list for storing fruits, vegetables, and herbs!