My parents were avid gardeners.
Daddy grew up on a Mississippi farm and had a degree agriculture from Alcorn State University. Every summer, he grew bushels of vegetables and fruit in our south side Chicago backyard and gathered baskets of produce from you-pick-it farms.
Momma had a green thumb as well, and one of my favorite memories was watching and later helping her ‘put up’ fresh produce. Canning tomatoes and peaches, freezing beans, greens, and peppers, making pickles and chow chow.
That home preserving my momma learned from her momma allowed us to enjoy summer’s harvest all year long.
It also helped our health.
Antioxidant levels in frozen produce can be higher than in fresh fruit and vegetables. Canning/freezing produce shortly after it is picked ‘freezes’ nutrient loss, which means you can easily have more vitamins in a frozen fruit or vegetable than in its ‘fresh’ counterpart.
Our freezer is always stocked with frozen produce.
Bought from the store, or ‘put away’ in the freezer by my hand – when I open a package, I often think of (and sometimes talk to) my Momma (don’t judge…). I’m thankful for memories and know that like her, I am doing something good for my husband and children.
Truth moment: The canning process is a process. I have not done that in years.
But freezing is a breeze.
Check out this article that outlines how and why you should freeze summer produce.
#templecare
More resources at http://veganish.today