Preserving Produce
For years I’ve dreamed of becoming a homesteading heroine. While growing produce proves difficult amidst my transient lifestyle, preserving produce proves completely feasible (Note: even if you don’t grow it, you can still preserve it).
During the summer, it’s not uncommon to be gifted a bag of tomatoes or a bushel of peaches, if you have the right friends, that is. While tomato pies or peach cobblers are certainly a good use of gifted produce, canned tomatoes or peach preserves last a bit longer, especially if you dress a peach cobbler with ice cream.
Try these easy preserve recipes to dress up breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Nothing screams summer more than vine-ripe tomatoes and peak-season peaches. Pair these preserves with something savory, like goat cheese.
Spicy fall flavors meet fresh summer sweetness. Try these Ginger-Pear Preserves at breakfast on an English muffin, or at dinner on a baked ham.
Pepper jelly is a Southern staple. Clothe cream cheese with preserves for an effortless appetizer with equal hints of heat and sweet, culminating with a creamy finish.
Stone Fruit PreservesThis preserves recipe is a dream for the hurried home-cook, as the microwave is the main focus (besides the peaches, that is). Plums and nectarines also make satisfying substitutes.