Take Advantage of Your Local Farmer's Markets!

You might think that making your own preserves and canning vegetables is just for those who grow their own produce, but you are wrong! Summer time is great for everyone to stock-up on fruits, veggies and herbs for the rest of the year, whether you have a garden or not (I know that not everyone has the space or time to devote to a garden). So what can you do?...Head to the Farmer's Market!

On top of helping support local agribusiness, buying from a Farmer's Market will get you great prices and great quality, and don't feel bad about cleaning them out! Buy up all the Berries, Basil and Tomatoes you can carry! The growers will be grateful and you can save money in the long-run while stockpiling for the winter.

If you are planning to make a LOT of these for canning or freezing, just double, triple, quadruple the ingredients. Remember, plastic is great for the freezer, and glass is needed for sterilized canning. I know we've had previous posts about Pickling and making Preserves, so here are some other ideas you can save for the veggie-less winter months...


PESTO: These are very easy to make, and will do great in the freezer! Pesto also leaves plenty of room for experimentation (try using different herbs, cheeses, nuts, or spinach). Late-Summer is the tastiest and most cost-effective time to buy these herbs (if you've ever tried to buy Basil in January you'll recall spending an arm and a leg for it, on top of it being flown in from the other side of the globe). These will also be a no-brainer later on, just cook up a batch of pasta and toss with your thawed Pesto for a fast and delicious meal to remind you of summer.


Classic Basil Pesto:
*enough for 1 lb. of pasta

Ingredients:
1.5 c. fresh Basil
1/2 c. Pine Nuts (as a less-expensive, but still delicious alternative, try Walnuts)
1-4 cloves of Garlic (depending on your love of Garlic)
1/2 c. grated Parmigiano cheese
2-3 tbsp. fresh-squeezed Lemon Juice
3 tbsp. Olive Oil
2 tsp. Salt
Black Pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Coarsely chop the Basil and Garlic, and combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend into a coarse paste, adding extra Olive Oil or Water if the mixture is too thick to blend properly...That's it!


Cilantro Pesto
*enough for 1 lb. of pasta

Ingredients:
1.5 c. fresh Cilantro
1/2 c. Walnuts, Pine Nuts or Almonds
1-4 cloves of Garlic (depending on your love of Garlic)
1/2 c. grated Asiago or Pecorino Romano Cheese
2-3 tbsp. fresh-squeezed Lime Juice
3 tbsp. Olive Oil
2 tsp. Salt
Black Pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Coarsely chop the Cilantro and Garlic, and combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend into a coarse paste, adding extra Olive Oil or Water if the mixture is too thick to blend properly.

*If you taste the Pesto from the blender, they should be on the salty side...Remember, your going to spread this out over a whole pound of pasta, so the flavor will be diluted.


DRIED (or Frozen) HERBS: Another way to save summer Herbs, is to dry them yourself. This is easily accomplished by simply letting them air-dry at room temperature. This works the best with herbs that have a lower moisture-content (i.e. oregano, sage, marjoram, dill, thyme, bay leaves, rosemary, parsley). The high-moisture herbs (i.e. basil, mint, tarragon) can be dried with care, or frozen. Chives are best if frozen.Air-Dried Herbs
Directions:
1. Allow the leaves to remain on their stems for now, removing any leaves that look wilted or otherwise poor.

2. Run stems under cold water to clean, and thoroughly dry the leaves. (The most common mistake with air-drying herbs is that they mold before they have a chance to dry out, so remove as much water as you can with dry cloths or paper towels).

3. Take small bunches of stems and tie together, hanging upside-down in paper bags (cut some holes in the bags to allow air circulation). Hang in a warm and well-ventilated space for about 2-3 weeks.

4. After they are dried, check the herbs for signs of mold. If you see any, throw away that bunch, and try again...it's not worth saving. At this point, you can remove the leaves from their stems, crushing the leaves if you prefer.

5. Store in jars or sealed plastic bags. As with all herbs and spices, a dark place is best.


TOMATO SAUCES: These are another freezer-friendly item, or they can be canned for long-term room-temperature storage if you don't have the freezer space. Most tomatoes bought in winter will be flavorless lumps (on top of costing a fortune), so stock up while the going is good!

Basic Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
3 tbsp. Olive Oil
3 lbs. Paste Tomatoes (including Amish Paste, Roma, and many of the "Italian" varieties)
*Paste Tomatoes have a lower water content, and are used for making sauces and, as the name implies, pastes. Other varieties will also make great sauces, but may need longer cooking times to get rid of the excess water...I recently made one out of Brandywines that was divine!)

1. (This step is optional) Remove skins from Tomatoes. Bring a med. pot of water to a boil. Score a small "X" in the bottom of each tomato. Drop them a few at a time into the boiling water for 10 seconds or so, then remove with a slotted spoon. After they have cooled enough to be handled, peel off the skins (if they do not come off easily, put them back in the boiling water for another 10 seconds.

2. Quarter the tomatoes and place in a large heavy-bottomed pot with the Olive Oil. Heat over med-high heat until the tomatoes start to bubble. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally (the tomatoes will become very soft and start to break apart). The simmering will also evaporate a good deal of the water, leaving you with a more concentrated sauce.

At this point you have a good tomato base for making Soups, Chili, Pasta Sauces, Indian dishes, etc. (similar to the unseasoned canned tomatoes that you can buy at the grocery store).


Simple Marinara
Ingredients:
1 batch Basic Tomato Sauce (above)
*1 sm. can Tomato Paste (if you like a thicker consistency)
3 tbsp. Olive Oil
*1 tbsp. Butter (optional)
1 lg. Onion, minced
3-5 cloves Garlic, minced
1 (2") stick Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper
1 tbsp. dried Basil (or 6-8 leaves fresh, chopped)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Heat the Olive Oil (and *Butter) in a large heavy-bottomed pot, over Medium-High heat. Add the Cinnamon Stick & Crushed Red Pepper and fry them in the Oil for 10-15 seconds.

2. Turn the heat down to Medium, and add the Onion and Garlic. Saute for 5 minutes until the Onion becomes translucent.

3. Add the Tomatoes (and *Tomato Paste) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes. Add in the Basil and simmer another minute or two.


Understandably, spending an August day standing over a hot stove is not ideal. However, a day or two sacrificed in the kitchen will be well worth it when you can enjoy these summer treats throughout the year!