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season: midsummer
section: putting up
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- tomatoes are the work of july and august. add bottled lemon juice or citric acid to every jar. some tomatoes sit above the safe acid line and the lemon makes them water-bath safe.
- peaches in july. can in light syrup, peel and freeze, brandy a few jars for winter.
- corn off the cob, blanched four minutes, then frozen. corn cannot be water-bath canned safely. it must go in a pressure canner or stay in the freezer.
- green beans the same way. low-acid foods need a pressure canner. otherwise pickle them as dilly beans.
- cucumbers in the crock now. salt, water, dill, garlic, a grape leaf for crispness. ferment three to ten days.
- hot peppers go three ways: strung on thread to dry, fermented for hot sauce, or whole into freezer bags.
- watermelon rind makes a sweet pickle. the south figured this out a long time ago. nothing wasted.
- basil into pesto, frozen in oil cubes. herbs in oil at room temperature are not safe; the freezer is what makes them safe.
- the first figs come in. jam them, dry them, or bake them into the lid of a tart.
- blackberry syrup for winter biscuits.