The 10 Best Veggies to Preserve (And How to Do It)
The best vegetables to preserve may not be the ones you think. These varieties are easy to preserve and keep well as long as you follow some simple protocols.
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Harvesting the fruits of your labor from your own vegetable garden is a very rewarding experience, but it is also nice to be able to eat your favorite vegetables even when they are out of season. If you want to make sure that you are always stocked with nutritious meal options every single day, preserving vegetables is the best way to go.
But, with so many options, how do you know which are the best vegetables to preserve, and the best ways to preserve them? Not all of them are great for canning and preserving, so before you go and prepare your mini garden, check out our helpful list below to see which items you should consider.
Let’s discuss how to preserve backyard-grown vegetables and the food preservation techniques best suited to each type.
Potatoes
There are three ways to preserve potatoes: freezing, dehydrating, and canning.
Before freezing potatoes, make sure to thoroughly scrape the skin, blanch it for 3 to 5 minutes, then cool it down in ice-cold water for 5 to 10 minutes. Pack the potatoes into a Ziploc bag, remove as much air as you can, seal, and then freeze.
Another way to save your spuds is by dehydrating them. Scrub and wash each tuber, then refrigerate them overnight. Slice the potatoes without removing the skin so the nutrients still remain. Finally, place them in dehydrator trays, making sure that they do not overlap. You can then dehydrate them at 125 degrees Fahrenheit, then store them in Ziploc bags.
It is also possible to home-can potatoes for later use. Simply wash and peel the potatoes, then soak them in an ascorbic acid solution to prevent darkening. Boil for 2 minutes and place them in a jar. Add in a teaspoon of salt per quart of jar; this helps maintain the taste and texture. Lastly, cover the potatoes in a fresh batch of boiling water. Avoid using the water from the cooking process, as it contains a lot of starch.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are perhaps among the most popular and best vegetables (or fresh fruits, depending on who you’re talking to) to preserve. You have the option to can them, freeze them whole or skinned, turn them into a paste or ketchup, or dry them. With so many types of tomatoes out there, you’ll have lots of preservation options.
Freezing tomatoes is quite easy, and it is the best alternative when you don’t have a canner. Be sure to skin the tomatoes before putting them in the freezer. To remove the skins, drop them in a pan of boiling water, and the skin should start splitting and sliding off. Remove the skin and, optionally, the seeds, then cool them off thoroughly. Squeeze out as much air as you can when placing tomatoes inside freezer bags. Then, enjoy the frozen fruits as needed.
A major reason to preserve vegetables is that they can be of much higher quality than what you find in stores. You can turn your tomatoes into a paste or ketchup, which you can use in future recipes—even frozen fruits work for this. To make a paste from fresh fruits, just cook them over medium heat and add a teaspoon of salt for every 5 tomatoes or so; keep cooking until you get a pasty consistency. Keep it in the fridge or follow the instructions on your pressure canner to ensure shelf-stable storage.
As for dried tomatoes, you can dry them for 12 hours in an oven on the lowest setting or place them in a dehydrator for about 8 hours. If you want to go old school, lay the tomatoes on a mesh screen under direct sunlight for about three days.
Carrots
Growing carrots is a lot of fun, and so is preserving them! If you live in a place with cooler climates, you are in luck. Carrots are root vegetables that do not mind staying in chilly temperatures, so you can just leave them in the ground and they’re good. Cover each row with mulch (leaves and straw will do), then add a layer of plastic or tarp. Add about an inch of mulch on top of the plastic to help insulate them during freezing temperatures.
There is also a root-cellar-style of preserving them. Start by trimming the leaves off, but make sure that you do not wash the carrots. Then, put them inside boxes or containers and surround them with damp straw, sand, or sawdust. Make sure they stay somewhere with temperatures above 32°F and plenty of humidity. Taking this route will allow these root vegetables to last 4 to 6 months. Cool, huh?
Canning, freezing, and drying your carrots also work great as alternative ways to preserve them. If you’re like me, you might have a ton of carrots from local farmers’ markets. Carrots are low-acid food so you will have to use a pressure canner to can them.
A quicker way to preserve carrots would be freezing. First, peel and thoroughly wash them, then slice or dice and blanch for three minutes, dunking them in ice water at the end. Blanching in boiling water prevents the carrots from turning brown in the freezer. After the roots cool down, place them in freezer bags or containers.
Winter Squash
Just like other vegetables, pumpkins and winter squash can be preserved for later use either through drying, freezing, or canning.
If you want to make pumpkin purees, butters, or preserves, the only route to go is to freeze them. A few things that you need to keep in mind: make sure to select full-colored pumpkins that have a fine texture. After washing your pumpkin and cutting it into small sections, cook it until soft, then remove the pulp and mash. Then, cool it off by placing the pan with the pumpkin in cold water. Once thoroughly cooled in cold water, put inside containers and then freeze.
When canning pumpkins or squash, the only option is to use a pressure canner. As for drying, be sure to cut into small strips first, blanch them, then place them inside a dehydrator.
Mushrooms
If you want to keep growing in winter, try one of the North Spore grow kits we have in our shop! You may find you have more mushrooms than you know what to do with. Mushrooms grown outdoors, though, can become quite dirty (and icky), especially after a rain. So, how do you properly clean mushrooms to get them ready for food preservation?
Some people are against putting the mushrooms under the water. Although the debris and bugs will certainly be removed, it could also mean that much of the flavor and nutrients could get washed away in the process. The texture can also become soggy and undesirable. The best way around it would be to wash it with as little water as possible and just cut or scrape away soil particles stuck to each mushroom.
The most common way to preserve mushrooms is drying. Slice up the mushrooms and remove stalks and other tough parts to get them ready. Then, you can place them inside the oven or a dehydrator to take the moisture out. When using an oven, set it to 150°F and keep the door open the entire time. You might also want to go the traditional way and thread the mushrooms on a string to let them air dry.
Other options for preserving mushrooms would be to freeze, salt, powder, pickle or pack them in oil. The beauty to these methods is that they requires very little time and you can be assured that you have your mushrooms ready when you need them.
Cucumbers
Each one of us has their own opinion about pickles; some like them but some do not. There are also those who opt for sweet pickles while others like them spicy. The truth of the matter is growing cucumbers often involves large and continual harvests, and knowing how to pickle is an important way to maximize your efforts.
To can pickled cucumbers and make sure they still maintain that crunch, start off by refrigerating the fruits and then washing them once they are already cold. Whether you want them sliced or whole, sprinkle some salt and cover them with a towel. Place ice on top of the towel to keep the crunchiness intact. You can let this one sit for about three hours or even overnight. Then, add your favorite spices, make a vinegar brine, and follow your pressure canner’s instructions.
Another way to preserve your favorite cucumbers is to ferment them. This involves soaking in a salt-brine solution. Make sure they stay below the liquid line. Start off with cold cucumbers, then store the jar with a layer of cheese cloth over the top in a cool, dry place for about a week or so.
Freezing and dehydrating cucumbers are other alternatives. To freeze cucumbers, you can wash, slice and arrange them on a baking sheet before placing inside the freezer. Transfer to a freezer bag once they have frozen over. Should you decide to dry your cucumbers, you can place them inside a dehydrator for around 6 to 8 hours, or until the moisture has thoroughly been removed.
Cabbage
When it comes to preserving fresh vegetables, cabbage is one of the most popular. Because people have been growing cabbage around the world for so many years, it has tons of associated food preservation techniques. Sauerkraut and kimchi are just a couple of the premiere methods of canning and preserving cabbage. If you’re growing Napa cabbage, you know how important preservation of your cabbage is!
You can lacto-ferment veggies, including cabbage. Using a kit and a mason jar, you can ferment your winter and spring cabbage harvests to make the most delectable sauerkraut. Again, fermentation is somewhat like making pickled vegetables.
Cabbage heads keep for a long time in the refrigerator. An older head keeps for about 3 weeks and sometimes up to a month. Fresher heads keep for up to 3 months. A plastic bag will keep the freshness for longer, and chopped heads, of course, keep for less time than whole heads.
You can wash the cabbage heads, remove the outer leaves, and cut them into wedges. These wedges can be placed in a freezer-safe container or plastic bag and frozen for 4 to 8 weeks. If you blanch the wedges for 1.5 minutes and freeze them on a baking sheet, they will have a longer shelf life in the freezer. After about 12 to 24 hours in the freezer, place the blanched wedges in a freezer bag or container. They’ll keep this way for 9 to 14 months.
Try drying blanched cabbage in a single layer in a dehydrator at 140°F (60°C) for 10 to 12 hours for crispy cabbage chips! Flip larger pieces every few hours during the drying process. Then store your dried cabbage in moisture-proof bags or containers. Keep them in the refrigerator or freezer for 6 to 12 months.
Sweet Potatoes
While many growers cure their freshly harvested sweet potatoes and keep them in a root cellar, they last even longer when canned. Because they are low-acid vegetables, it’s essential that sweet potatoes are pressure-canned to ensure botulism doesn’t develop in your jars.
Begin by washing your yams, and boil them for 15 to 20 minutes, until they’re somewhat soft. Then, cool and peel them, and slice into sticks or quarters. Place them in hot mason jars, remove air bubbles, and secure the lids. Then, pressure can them at the proper pressure for your elevation. Quart jars need 90 minutes, and pints need 65 minutes. Sealed, they’ll last 12 to 18 months. Use opened jars should be used within a few days.
Freezing sweet potatoes is another viable food preservation method. You’ll want to wash and cook them first, either roasting them in an oven or placing them in boiling water in the same manner you would if you’re pressure canning. Then, place them in freezer wrap, and either vacuum seal them or put the wrapped potatoes in a freezer bag. They’ll keep for up to a year!
Drying sweet potatoes is an option too. Steam blanch your potatoes after slicing them into 1/4 inch rounds. Then, dehydrate them in a dryer for 10 hours at roughly 125°F (52°C). Keep the dried rounds in an airtight container, and they’ll keep for about 3 months.
Asparagus
Once you know how to grow asparagus, and you have a consistently-producing asparagus raised bed or plot, you’ll have tons of spears to harvest. Knowing the best ways to preserve fresh asparagus will help you get the most out of your perennial patch.
Asparagus is another low-acid vegetable that absolutely needs to be pressure-canned if canning is your preferred food preservation method. To do this, wash your asparagus spears, and snap off the tough ends. Then, cut your spears down so they’ll fit long-ways in your canning jars. Add enough spears to each jar so they’re packed in, but not too tightly.
Add boiling water, seal the jars, and ensure there are no air pockets present. Pressure can them for 30 to 40 minutes (depending on the jar size) at the proper pressure for your elevation.
Freeze blanched spears of asparagus for up to up to 8 months. After you blanch the spears, cut them into 2 inch sections. Place the frozen sections in a freezer bag or container and store away.
If you have a freeze dryer, you can process your asparagus this way and store it for up to 10 years in some cases! You’ll want to store the dried spears in an airtight container, and a desiccant packet can help keep them dry. It’s nice to have these on hand to throw into soups, or rehydrate and eat as is. The larger spears aren’t the best candidates for this, though, as they can become stringy when they’re rehydrated.
To freeze dry asparagus, blanch the spears, and cut them into 2 inch pieces. Then freeze them for 12 hours on cookie sheets or a large large baking pan. Place the sheets of frozen asparagus in the freeze dryer with the safety seal until dry. Most freeze driers will automatically turn off when the pieces are dry. Those without autmatic sensors should be in operation for 12 to 18 hours.
Cauliflower
If you’re growing cauliflower, having multiple ways of preserving it up your sleeve offers opportunities to sample the heading veg’s full flavor profile. However, there are some methods that aren’t suited to cauliflower. For one, cauliflower becomes discolored and its flavor changes when it’s canned. Therefore, canning isn’t a recommended food preservation technique here.
Instead, try pickling your cauliflower. Pickling vegetables is a lot of fun! You can make a brine that includes onions, garlic, hot pepper flakes, and various whole spices. This is an opportunity to get really creative! Start by washing the cauliflower head and removing the stems. Cut the head apart and boil the florets in salted water for 3 minutes, then drain.
Next, make your brine. The base of the brine should be vinegar and sugar at a 2:1 ratio. You’ll want to have enough brine to fill your jars just below the brim by about 1/2 inch, and cover your 1 to 2 inch florets at least an inch above them. Place your vinegar and sugar in a pan, and add your spices, leaving out fresh vegetables for now. Boil all the ingredients for 5 minutes.
Then, add your florets to mason jars, leaving at least 1 inch above the florets. Add your fresh veggies like sliced peppers, onions, and garlic. Cover these with brine, seal the jars, and boil-can the jars for 10 to 20 minutes depending on your altitude. Let them sit for at least 24 hours before consuming. They’ll keep for up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.
Freeze your florets in the same way you would your asparagus spears, sectioning them into 1 to 2 inch pieces, blanching, draining, and throwing them in a freezer bag or container. They’ll keep for 8 to 12 months.
Get to Preserving!
Preserving fresh veggies is pretty easy, huh?
The processes may sound complicated but they are actually pretty simple recipes to repeat over and over. Don’t be afraid to experiment and give each method a try. Remember to use cold water or boiling water where necessary.
We hope our list of the best vegetables to preserve has helped you decide what to plant in your very own backyard vegetable garden, or how to use up the produce you acquired from local farmers markets. True, some things we have presented here are not really that expensive in supermarkets (ketchup, tomato paste, etc.) but the homemade version can certainly be tastier and healthier!
Plus, wouldn’t it be great if you know exactly what food gets in your table and where it came from? Many commercialized products are loaded with pesticides, artificial flavors, and preservatives that you surely do not want anywhere near your family.
So, go ahead and starting preserving vegetables at home. Have fun and enjoy the fruits (erm, vegetables?) of your labor!
Frequently Asked Questions
What vegetables can keep the longest?
Potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, cabbage, and carrots store extra long in root cellars, refrigerators, and freezers.
What veggies are good for canning?
Tomatoes, pickled cucumbers, asparagus, sweet potatoes, and carrots are great for canning.
How do you preserve vegetables long term?
There are so many methods! Canning, freezing, dehydrating, freeze drying, and refrigerating are all viable preservation methods for most fresh vegetables.
What vegetables are shelf stable?
Winter squashes, onions, garlic, and potatoes of all kinds are shelf-stable after proper curing.
What vegetables can last long without refrigeration?
Root vegetables and alliums are particularly suited to being stored on a countertop or in a hanging basket in a moderate to low humidity environment.
