A Month-by-Month Guide to Season Preserving

the strawbridges

A Month-by-Month Guide to Season Preserving

Dick and James share what to pick and when to get you started on your seasonal preserves. Extract taken from their book Practical Self-Sufficiency.

Winter

January
Mushrooms dry in a solar dryer or oven and then store in jars in a dark cupboard. They will need rehydrating before using for cooking, but they last for ages.
Swede Set up a clamp or store in a sand box.

February
Leeks Freeze them, but they are happy left in the ground – the simplest storage of all.

Spring

March
Rhubarb Stems of rhubarb bottle successfully, retaining much of their flavour.
Thyme Store stems using the traditional drying method, and make salt rubs for barbecues.

April
Asparagus If you have an abundance of spears, blanch them for 2 minutes and then freeze them.
Spinach You could freeze it, but do so as soon as possible after harvesting.
Sage and Rosemary Drying is the quickest and most eff ective method for the majority of herbs.

May
Beetroot Either pickle them or place in sand trays ready for roasting or turning into mash
Radish Slice and pickle them in vinegar.
Gooseberries Frozen berries retain their original, tart taste.
Dill We store dill alongside salmon when we make our own gravadlax.
Mint Consider drying it to make a tin of tea leaves for a refreshing cuppa.

Summer

June
Broad beans, these are best blanched and then thrown into the freezer
Onions dry on a wire tray and then plait to hang up and dry. Don’t leave them in the dark or they will start to sprout.
Peas No contest: freeze them if you have a glut.
Redcurrants Freeze redcurrants or turn them into a deliciously sweet jelly.
Strawberries, making strawberry leather is a nice way to preserve strawberries for a little longer.

July
Cucumber Cucumber pickle is very tasty and worth a try.
Chillies We either preserve our chillies in spicy chutneys or dry them on lengths of string then store in sealed jars.
Potatoes These are best stored in a clamp or in a big paper sack in a dark and dry place.
Runner Beans Top and tail them, slice diagonally into thin strips, blanch for 2 minutes, and when they have been drained and cooled, freeze them.
Tomatoes We add them to chutneys and bottled sauces, and sun-dry them.
Blueberries These freeze particularly well.
Raspberries Turn them into jam or store in the freezer if you have a glut.
Chives Chopping them up and freezing in ice-cube trays works really well.
Lemon Verbena Dry some of this aromatic herb and use it to make a relaxing tea.

August
Garlic Heads of garlic can be stored in plaits that hang just outside the kitchen for easy use. We also pickle some cloves.
Globe Artichokes We like to cook them with herbs and other delicious flavourings and then store in oil.
Blackberries An amazing crop to forage from your hedgerows; they freeze well.
Coriander Seed Simple to dry, and they add huge amounts of flavour to curries, dressings, and oils.

Autumn/Winter

September
Horseradish Around this time of year we make jars of horseradish sauce.
Marrows Using marrow for chutney is a good way to add flavour to and preserve these overgrown beasts!
Apples Cider is one way to preserve apples. Or wrap them in newspaper and keep in the store room, or slice and make sun-dried apple rings.
Grapes The only methods of preserving grapes that we are prepared to consider are adding them to chutney, or using them to make our own wine

October
Squash Just before or straight after the first frost, cut the squashes and store them in nets or on shelves in a dark place; they should last until the following year.
Cranberries We are traditionalists when it comes to cranberries. We try to make our own cranberry sauce and keep it untouched until Christmas day to enjoy with our home-reared turkey.
Chestnuts and Walnuts These nuts are very easy to freeze.

November
Cauliflower Make your own piccalilli year on year.
Parsnips Best stored in clamps or in sand boxes.

December
Brussel Sprouts These can be blanched and frozen, but we try to time the growing season so they are harvested fresh on Christmas morning.
Cabbages Pickling is an effective preserving method, especially for red cabbage.