I don’t know about you but I’d like to hold onto Summer as long as I possibly can. I truly feel like we were cheated with our Summer here in New England this year. It was cool and wet all the way through June and even July was on the cool side. Though I do miss cooking stews, chili’s and those delicious Fall dishes I’d still like to preserve my Summer food so I can enjoy it all Winter long. Today the Sunday Supper tastemakers are talking about everything from canning, freezing and dehydrating to infusing and pickling! Todays event is being hosted by Stacy of Food Lust People Love and Heather at Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks. We had the same theme last year too and it’s one of my favorites. Last year I had a lot of Rosemary so I made Rosemary Butter that I used in skillet meals, pasta dishes and even soup. These Summer Veggies that I worked on this past week are so perfect for this theme. I’m a HUGE squash lover! Yes give me zucchini and summer squash all year round please. Summer veggies are the best in soups and stews, I sneak them into chili too. My kids love zucchini (yes they think it’s cucumbers cooked and cucumbers are all they will eat this summer) so I’m all about preserving it and making it last as long as I possibly can.
For my birthday my sister gave me a package of mason jars. I know what your thinking, what an odd gift. However, my foodie friends will agree with me on this one. It was a fantastic gift! My sister knows that I love making my own sauces, stews and dressings. I’ve never put a gift to such good use before. I decided to pull out these jars and preserve my favorite Summer Veggies in sizes that worked for my family and I. Freeze them for a later date, thaw, and pour into dinner!
I went to the Farmers Market and stocked up on plenty of zucchini and summer squash. I cut them into bite size pieces for soups, I cut some up into slices for a night that we just want something different for a veggie side and then I also decided to julienne a few to put in soups and other dishes throughout the winter. I got a pretty neat julienne tool a few years so it took me no time to slice and dice these beauties. I also sautéed some garlic and shallots in a frying pan to add to some of the jars to add some additional flavor. I figured this was a fantastic way to throw together a vegetable soup, chicken soup or even a hearty chili this winter without going through some of the hassle of chopping and dicing. I’ll just pull out a can of veggies and stir it into whatever I’m making or pull out a can and sauté it for a nice veggie side dish this winter!
- Zucchini
- Summer Squash
- Shallots
- Garlic, minced
- Olive Oil
- Slice the shallots and sauté them in a few tablespoons of olive oil on low heat for 10-15 minutes adding the garlic the last few minutes.
- Dice the zucchini into rounds. Put some rounds aside and cut the remaining rounds in half and in half again making 4 pieces to each round. Julienne one zucchini and one summer squash.
- Open mason jars and fill them to the top leaving a little room on top. Place a few tablespoons of the sautéed shallots and garlic on top. Close the lid tightly and mark the date and what is in each jar on the cover.
- Freeze!
Are you ready to start preserving your Summer? Below you will find plenty of recipes, ideas and tips on making Summer last all year long!
Canning
- Black Radish Picklesfrom A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Blackberry Chia Seed Jam from Books -n- Cooks
- Cherry Lemon Jam from Food Lust People Love
- Chocolate Blackberry Preserves from The Redhead Baker
- Gilded Bluebarb Jam from What Smells So Good?
- Hamburger Dill Chips from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Piri Piri Hot Sauce from Curious Cuisiniere
- Southwestern Salsa from The Freshman Cook
- Spiced Peach Jam from Cosmopolitan Cornbread
- Spiced Vanilla Rhubarb Jam from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Strawberry Balsamic Syrup from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Watermelon Butter from Palatable Pastime
Dehydrating
- Blueberry Peach Fruit Roll-Ups from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
- Dried Pineapple from Take A Bite Out of Boca
Fermentation
- Fermented Spicy Daikon Spears + A Cocktail from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Freezing
- How to Freeze Blueberries from Pies and Plots
- Peach Crisp from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Roast Tomato Soup with Basil-Butter Croutons from Caroline’s Cooking
- Summer Veggies from Momma’s Meals
Infusing
- Raspberry Vinegar from Magnolia Days
Pickling
- Bread & Butter Pickles from Adventures in All Things Food
- Homemade Bread and Butter Pickles from Life Tastes Good
- Mustard Pickles from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
- Pickled Cherries with Five Spices from Nosh My Way
- Simple Pickled Cabbage from Simply Healthy Family
Preserving in oil or butter
- Garden Herb Butter from An Appealing Plan
- Spinach and Pistachio Pesto from Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
And for even more help and support: 5 Food Preservation Tips from Sunday Supper Movement
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Now that sure is an easy way to save those lovely garden fresh vegetables for the winter.
I’d love a stash of your summer veggies in my freezer to use all winter long! Great storage idea!
Well now, it doesn’t get much easier than that. No one has any excuse not to preserve their excess bounty.
I never tried freezing veggies this way. So easy!
I’m hanging on to summer as well, since ours was a little lackluster just like yours. I love vegetables like these – they are so summery.
Nifty idea! My squash always gets soggy when I freeze it, but it’s ok for soup