Amidst the fruitful abundance of this season, critters big and small are bulking up for winter. As squirrels are snacking on hazelnuts, deer on apples and bears on blackberries, many locals are storing up for the winter as well in order to keep summer bliss going all year long.
Preserving local berries and fruit is an ideal way to celebrate nature’s generosity and plan ahead for our pantry’s needs while also reducing our planetary impact.
You might be nursing a belly full of fruit at any given moment this time of year. Having passed through cherry harvesting, we’ve moved on to apples, plums, pears and figs. More exotic choices grace some yards with mulberries and even lemons and peaches.
Blueberries and blackberries are still in a giving mood, inspiring fruit crumbles, smoothies, jam sessions and fruit leather. While there is nothing quite like a sun-warmed berry fresh from the bush, opening a jar of raspberry jam mid-winter has its own charms. Whether it’s your first attempt or your 50th season of fruit preserving, there is something inherently satisfying when we behold jars of colourful summer preserves on our shelves.
If this is your first foray into lengthening the life of your harvests, you will find plenty of knowledge keepers nearby willing to offer more tips than you could imagine. Sharing food preservation equipment and recipes is a great way to befriend a neighbour, newcomer or preservation newbie.
Cider press parties are a fun late summer activity where apples that can’t be stored get upgraded. Peels and cores can be made into the ever useful apple cider vinegar, and there are plenty of storage tips to extend the life of unprocessed apples. Those who want to get adventurous can explore making the now popular fermented drink, kombucha – the only unusual ingredient being a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY), which any kombucha brewer will be happy to share.
Some of the simplest ways to keep fruit – freezing and drying – offer the most diverse uses over the months to come. Frozen berries can be thawed and made into wine when the bustle of summer has ebbed and dried pears can be cut up and added to a homemade granola or rehydrated and added to muffins or pancakes.
We’re not the only ones interested in a fruitful indulgence. Being aware that we share the harvesting with other creatures helps keep us all safer. Pick fruit with friends and be mindful of bear activity in the area, noting the presence of fresh scat. Remove windfall fruit from the ground around trees in your yard to minimize the temptation for wildlife to come into closer contact with your household than intended. Bears can smell up to one mile away. Minimizing odours goes a long way to keep them at a safe distance.
In the middle of the harvest season we can lose sight of the long winter ahead and the moments that a nourishing sweet treat will be appreciated by all. Putting some time aside to lengthen the life of the summer’s gifts lightens our footprint by localizing our food source and is well worth the investment.
Let’s Talk Trash is contracted by qathet Regional District to deliver its waste reduction education program. For more information, email [email protected] or go to LetsTalkTrash.ca.
Join the Peak's email list for the top headline right in your inbox Monday to Friday: prpeak.com/account/mailinglist.
