One of my favorite things about summer is the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. There is nothing better than opening the refrigerator and having these foods readily available.
After a summer of growing and enjoying so much produce, there’s nothing more dispiriting than not having fruits and veggies of the same quality for a special recipe. Winter trips to the grocery store make it worse, where that same produce grows pricy because it is no longer in-season and had to be flown in from South America.
Over the last few summers, my husband and I have been learning about various ways to preserve food so that we can enjoy it far into the winter months. There are so many different ways to preserve food.
As soon as any food is harvested, it begins to spoil. The goal of food preservation is to slow down or eliminate the spoilage. Some examples are dehydrating, salting, smoking, freezing, vacuum packing, sugaring, pickling, canning, bottling and jellying. Whatever your method may be, all are helpful in preserving food.
This year, I tried a vacuum-sealing system to help preserve my favorite summer fruits. I spent one afternoon blanching, peeling, slicing and lightly sugaring Michigan peaches that my husband brought back to store for the winter. We use peaches in a lot of recipes, including peach pie, peach cobbler, peach freezer jelly, peach ice cream and for our morning smoothies.
Vacuuming is so easy, I'm not sure why I never tried it before. With a FoodSaver machine, the bag used for food storage can be opened and resealed again as many times until the food is eaten.
This storage method removes and locks out air and moisture, which prevents freezer burn and crystalizing and allows food to stay fresher longer. I think my food should last in my freezer all winter long. I already have so much packed a stored.
The FoodSaver can be used to vacuum seal mason jars, reseal store packing bags or even seal household items (like silver), important documents and old photos. I am so glad this gadget is in my kitchen. Happy eating!
