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season: late-spring
section: putting up
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- strawberries are at their peak from mid-april to the end of may. jam them, syrup them, or freeze whole on a sheet pan before bagging.
- asparagus pickles well in a salt-vinegar brine. blanch and freeze whatever doesn't get pickled.
- rhubarb keeps every way you ask of it. jam, chutney, sliced and frozen for winter pie.
- garlic scapes from last fall's planting curl up now. pickle them, or pesto them with parsley and walnut.
- spring peas blanch two minutes, then ice down, then freeze flat. they hold a year.
- pesto starts now. basil isn't here yet, but parsley, mint, and sorrel make a green sauce that freezes well in cubes.
- strawberry-rhubarb jam is the old reason both crops happen at once.