Accetta-Scott Ann. The farm girl’s guide to preserving the harvest: how to can, freeze, dehydrate, and ferment your garden’s goodness

The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc., 2019. — 265 p.It’s hard to believe there was a time in my life when I wasn’t homesteading. Though the transition wasn’t that long ago, it seems like a lifetime. I went from being a suburban housewife to a self-sustaining mother and wife, all in the blink of an eye. I can barely remember the woman I was, and I’m in awe of the woman I have become. The strength and knowledge I have now has led my family to living a healthier, happier life and has taught us the values of living simply. The woman I am now has inner strength and drive, an individual who seeks to encourage others to bring back and live through small family farming. I am a self-taught homesteader, and with my husband by my side, we are returning to a world that many do not know or have no desire to know. Our ability to live by example allows us to impact the lives of those around us, and in truth, that is how change begins.
When I think back to our time in the suburbs, the quality of the foods we consumed was not something I spent much time thinking about. How it was grown, where it was grown, or what it took to reach our table were afterthoughts. Snacks for the kids were rarely healthy, processed foods filled the pantry, and a meal generally contained at least one box item or frozen food. Fresh vegetables came from the market, with the only concern being that they looked fresh. More times than not, fruit went to waste once the kids were bored of it because there was no garden in which to compost and no chickens or pigs to consume it. I didn’t have the knowledge or the energy to take unwanted fruit and transform it into jam or jelly. I was wasteful. That, my friends, was once how we lived our lives. I wasn’t a bad mother or wife; I had other priorities more important than our food source.
I often wonder if this was due to not being born into the homesteading or farming life, and in truth I had no idea what it meant to homestead. I grew up as a military brat and, as an adult, assumed the role of suburban housewife. Never once did I think I would spend my days mucking out a goat pen or maintaining a large garden, and nothing I ever imagined involved cleaning poop from the coop or barn daily. And I can promise you, life certainly did not include raising our own meat. During that season of life, the concept of preserving foods meant placing it into plastic containers and consuming it within a few days. I can honestly say I was oblivious of the ability that one could live off the land and what it meant to live simply.
Growing up on military bases left little room to maintain a garden when I was a child, yet I watched as my mother tried. She managed a small mint garden while living in Massachusetts and a container garden while stationed in Hawaii. Generally, our food came from the commissary or the open markets when they were available, and there was never a dinner that wasn’t homemade. I remember the time she spent sprouting bean sprouts, and there was often a jar of homemade pickled mangos in the fridge, but I think my most favorite memory was watching her forage. Being Thai, she taught us how to collect a spice that grew in the grass while living in Panama, and we’d often find wild mango and guava trees, which we happily gleaned from. Harvesting fiddlehead ferns in Massachusetts after the rain is still fresh in my mind, but it wasn’t until we lived in Hawaii that I learned about foods that even the islanders never would have thought to harvest. My mother did not realize then that the simple things she did would prove to be such important examples in how my husband, Justin, and I would end up living our lives.
The world I grew up in was completely opposite of Justin’s. From the moment I met him, he made it clear he had no desire to live in town; it was a stepping stone until he found a piece of land that he could call home. His heart desired space away from prying neighbors, the constant traffic, and restrictions of city living. You see, unlike me, Justin grew up with the memories of large gardens, canning, and meat provided through hunting and fishing. His family processed the game, and the meat was then preserved, often being divided among family members. He remembers trips to the cellar to gather canned goods or vegetables, which would be used to make their daily meals. This is what he sought to return to. All it was going to take was convincing me that his dream was also mine. Convince me he did, and everything the kids and I knew was left behind. He took us to a single-family home on two acres in the mountains, and our lives changed forever.
To this day I can remember the season when I felt empowered to live a more sustainable life. It began with a few tomato, cilantro, jalapeño, and zucchini plants that grew inside a little greenhouse in the pasture. Then there were fifteen chicks that would grow to free range and live as they should. The next shift occurred the moment we collected our first warm eggs from those little feathered dinosaurs.
The final shift occurred on the hottest day of the month when a canning jar pinged, then another, and another, until every jar of freshly canned raspberry jam was removed from the canner and vacuum-sealed itself. I was able to take freshly harvested raspberries that I grew and cared for and turn them into a shelf-stable item. In that instant, I became my own grocery store. Not really, but it felt that way. Can you even begin to realize how empowering that feels?
You see, it took a growing season of 3 short months for me to comprehend that the small amount of produce we grew, the farm-fresh eggs we collected, and the first jars of food we preserved had the power to free me. Those accomplishments led us to dream of living a truly self-sustaining life. They freed us to learn what real food was about and to realize how important food preservation would be to live sustainably. But more importantly, our food sources became free of the use of chemicals, preservatives, and hormones.
And so the journey began. We have been able to expand the garden and fruit trees yearly, taking us one step closer to growing food year-round.
Much of what is harvested between spring and fall is consumed fresh. Any excess is preserved for later use by being canned, frozen, fermented, dehydrated, and even freeze-dried.
Though the garden is bountiful, there are often times when it doesn’t provide the quantity needed to be preserved for the year. For this reason, we’re extremely thankful for the relationships we have formed with local farms in the area. These farms compensate for what we can’t grow or for what did not grow well. Maybe a section of the garden failed due to a certain blue-eyed Nigerian goat who decided it would make a delicious snack. Whatever the reason, a good relationship with local farmers is necessary and one you will come to value.
Aside from the garden, having livestock was always in the plans. And to the person who said that chickens are the gateway to keeping livestock, well, they were right. Onto our homestead came chickens, ducks, goats, guineas, rabbits, turkeys, and quail. Soon pigs and Boer goats will be added for meat, giving us the ability to truly own our food source.
We believe in homesteading as our forefathers did, meaning that each livestock animal that joins the property is loved, respected, well cared for, and treated humanely. Our journey to keeping livestock began with fifteen chickens for egg laying. When molting caused their egg production to dry up, we knew we needed a plan to continue receiving eggs. We smartened up and began freezing eggs in preparation for molting season. Eggs that are frozen are excellent for baking and cooking foods such as scrambled eggs, frittatas, and quiche. The frustration of not having eggs on hand was no longer an issue, and we could continue to enjoy farm eggs while our flock was on a break. Looking back, I realize that a simple step such as freezing eggs when they are bountiful set us up to begin our life as sustainable homesteaders. Bread and pasta making couldn’t happen without eggs, making me aware that we needed to plan ahead.
It wasn’t until we began raising our own meat that we finally understood the phrase “know where your food comes from.” This was the last step for us to be considered a self-sustaining homestead, and man, were we ever thankful to finally make it to this point. We went from butchering a rooster here and there to raising enough meat to be consumed throughout the year. By the end of fall, the freezer is filled with chicken, turkey, duck, quail, guinea, and rabbit, which are all raised and butchered on our homestead. Livestock which we did not raise, such as beef and pork, was purchased from a friend’s farm, allowing us to once again know where our food came from. We gained confidence in learning how to preserve various types and cuts of meat through curing, canning, and freezing. If you’ve never cured your own bacon, you’re truly missing out; and I hope you’ll use this book to help you learn how.
So, exactly what does all this mean? It means we have successfully reclaimed our source of food. We own it, and it no longer owns us. This one-time suburban housewife now knows where her food comes from, how it was grown, whether it was raised humanely, when it was harvested, and, most importantly, how to preserve it.
The fruits of our hard labor are put up to be consumed during a time when we allow our bodies to rest. Winter becomes the season in which we can appreciate the bounty of the harvest. It is also the time when we begin canning much of the meat and vegetables that were frozen after they were processed as soups or stews, or cut into pieces to be preserved as canned meat.
The ability to put food in jars, cure meat, dry food, and freeze-dry just about anything under the sun allows us the freedom to do so without the use of chemicals or preservatives.
Not to mention, foods that we preserve ourselves are done in a manner in which we like to consume them. If you have children, I know you understand how important that is. We can control the type of sugars used (and how much) as well as the amount of herbs and spices we add to canned or cured foods. This is empowerment—even something as simple as this.
Society has taught us to be afraid of handling meat—heck, panfrying a steak comes with a list of safety instructions nowadays. But once you know the process for curing your own meat and fish, you will wonder why you ever hesitated. Something as simple as smoking garlic allows you the opportunity to increase how foods can be flavored as well as how they are preserved.
There is legitimate fear for those who are new to preserving foods. Maybe it’s because there is no mentor available to walk them through the steps, or maybe they are afraid they will do it incorrectly. Many who are new to the world of canning are terrified that they are going to make someone extremely ill, so they hesitate to begin. More individuals are comfortable with the process of hot water bath canning, but the moment a pressure canner is mentioned, they tend to freeze up. I was once terrified of using a pressure canner, but I ended up putting my fear aside and taught myself how to get it done. My family was depending on me being able to preserve food.
Preserving foods in no way should be intimidating, and that’s exactly why I needed to write this book. You’re on your way to becoming your own grocery store. Get ready to be freed, to be empowered, and to enjoy the process along the way.
Together, we will get you to where you need to be. Our family has been able to achieve so much, and because of this we are now living as self-sustaining homesteaders. I am here to help and cheer you on along your journey, regardless of what phase of home preservation you are currently in. Be prepared. We are going to talk about the basics of how to begin, the dos and don’ts, along with the hows and whys. I have included our favorite recipes for each method of food preservation that our family and friends have come to love, allowing you to give them a try as well.
Of course, being the farm girl that I am, one who loves farm-fresh eggs, I include tips on preserving and cooking with fresh eggs in every chapter. Consider this an ode to the little feathered dinosaurs that bring us joy each day.
My goal is to guide you on the journey—consider it a foundation of knowledge. Build on the information you find here to be confident in how you preserve the harvest.
Alright y’all, grab a cup of coffee and let’s get started! From one farm girl in the making to another, you’ve got this.Foreword by Joel Salatin
Introduction
One. Where to start?
Two. Let’s talk water canning
Three. Let’s take the pressure off pressure canning
Four. Dehydrating everything good
Five. The art of curing and smoking meat and fish
Six. The basics of fermentation
Seven. Root cellar and cold storage
Eight. Freezing and freeze-drying
Afterword
Acknowledgments
Resources
Index