As the harvest season winds down, pickling and canning is a great way to preserve home grown treasures for many months to come.
So, what’s the difference between pickling and canning?
- Pickling is the act of preserving food in a salt, sugar or vinegar solution. Pickled vegetables are not shelf stable and generally need to be kept in the refrigerator and used somewhat quickly, up to 2 months.
- Canning is a method of preserving food in jars at high temperatures and then sealed with heat. The vacuum sealed lid acts to keep bacteria out. Canned vegetables can have shelf life from 1-5 years.
Here are a few of our best tips if you’re trying your hand at pickling or canning vegetables or other delicious food items at home:
- The best foods for canning are seasonal fruits or vegetables. Our favourites include: green beans, tomatoes, cauliflower, stone fruits like peaches or berries.
- Pick ripe, fresh produce at the peak of their season; that way their flavour is locked in when canned AND it wil be more delicious when you dive in to enjoy months or years later.
- Especially when pickling vegetables, choose vegetables that are more firm. They stand up better and stay more crisp to the bite when brined in the pickling liquid.
- You can pickle almost anything and pickled items are increasingly used as snacks on their own vs as a condiment on burgers or sandwiches. (Kimchee is a great example of this!)
- Like to think out of the box? Strawberries, beets, watermelon rind, jalapenos, asparagus, mangos or eggs are some unique foods that are being pickled! Try a tangy, pickled strawberry to top a salad to spark up the taste buds.