At this time of year, when backyard gardens and farmers’ markets are bursting at the seams with a bounty of nutritious produce of all shapes and colours, it’s easy to feast like a king or queen. Faced with the bushels of produce you harvested from your garden or scooped up from the local market, you may be left pondering where it can all go. While enjoying freshly harvested veggies, fruits, and herbs is hard to beat, it’s an even better idea to also put some away for future joys.
Preserving food connects us to all that our lands provide and reminds us of the generations that once gathered in kitchens for the annual ritual―a way to bring us back to simpler times. Also, using height-of-the-season fruits and vegetables soon after harvest conserves their health-giving nutrients and glorious flavours―a delicious reminder of why home grown and seasonal food is so marvelous. When you’re heading home from work, the question may spin in your mind: What’s for dinner? Food preservers can say: It’s in the jar.
We’re sure to feel all warm and fuzzy when savouring those luscious peaches, extra-sweet beets, crispy green beans, and juicy tomatoes when their growing season is a distant memory. Is there anything more enjoyable than punching up your meals with your very own pickles?
Home preserving is all about maintaining the vibrant qualities of peak produce, whether from the farmers’ market, the supermarket, or your own garden. To do this, you don’t need to master the art of canning. Thankfully, putting up the season’s harvest needn’t involve traditional canning procedures, which not all of us have the confidence or equipment for. It’s okay to think “outside the can” when building your home preserves.
From salsas and chutneys to tapenades and pickles, these preserves are a delicious and nutritious way to honour the excess of the season. The journey is sure to be especially fruitful (pun intended), requiring nothing but a modicum of prep and a few jars without the need to go near the canner or buy loads of pectin.
With these smaller-batch home-preservation recipes, you’ll be a can-do wizard of your kitchen―and learn that stashing away the season’s bounty doesn’t have to be complicated.
This collection was originally published in the September 2025 issue of alive magazine.