Saving the Harvest for Processing Later

The harvest season waits for no one, but that doesn't mean the canning season can't.

Cherries are coming in season, and finally on sale here in the Northeast (yay!) so I usually stock up. But sometimes, even when the harvest is here, it is way too hot outside to fire up the canner.

     

This week the outside temps were boiling so I packed away my cherries to process later in the year when things are quieter and it is cooler inside and out.

I washed all the cherries, pitted them, and laid them in a single layer on a baking sheet, and froze them for a few hours. Once frozen I transferred them to a bag and sealed them with my vacuum sealer, then labeled (make sure to label with at least a date!) and back in the freezer until I am ready for them. They'll taste as fresh as they were today.

This is a really great tip for the tomato harvest as well when cukes, squash, and tomatoes are coming at you faster than you can say Tomato. If you're making sauce out of most of them, freeze the clean tomatoes in vacuum-sealed bags until you're ready to deal with them. An added bonus, they peel really easy after as well!

Happy preserving!