farmersmarket365

In keeping with the Olympics,  I would say- Let the freezing begin!  This week the markets began pouring out the peppers, tomatoes, corn, peaches, eggplant and beans, to just name a few.  I headed to the market with my trusty list, but I also keep an eye on what I can get to freeze.  I have learned the hard way that trying to just buy in bulk and process all at once for everything can be exhausting.  So I now have learned that combining a little over time and whole day go wild works best for me.  How I choose what to do varies from food to food; peppers I can process a few at a time, tomatoes almost always in bulk, and corn a little of both.  It might also depend on what cooking show, or NCIS marathon might be on t.v. that particular day.  Whatever I do it is never a tedious chore, always fun, and I like to challenge myself with what I can do with a particular food.  Warning, when you first start, oh heck even after you have been doing this for some years, there will always make some mistakes on just how much to put up.  In her book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle– Barbara King Solver did admit that perhaps they had put up just a few too many tomatoes.  Spaghetti squash was my tomato this year, by the end of May we were tired of what is normally a yummy vegetable.  Note to self, only process two spaghetti squashes and don’t wait to eat them.   The reality is that it is good to run out of something, the anticipation of the next crop makes the taste that much sweeter.

So today I began working with Peaches: I bought some beautiful yellow and white peaches for eating during the week but then also purchased about 3 bags of seconds*.  I took out those that are very ripe, peeled and then sliced them for the freezer bag.  Peaches are one of those fruits that turn brown when exposed to the air (oxidizes). Fruit fresh is a product that curtails this process so when peaches are thawed they still have their good color.  If peaches do have some dark colors don’t worry it doesn’t mean they are bad, just maybe not so sweet.  Alas I had forgotten to restock at the end of last season so before I could cut I headed out to the grocery store.  As luck would have it they didn’t have any-but “don’t despair I told myself, go to plan B”.  For you see, Fruit fresh is actually a combination of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) and citric acid (found in citrus); so with vitamin C and lemons in hand I headed back up the road to proceed.  Problem solved.  I crushed the vitamin C in my grinder and added a sprinkle over the peaches.  I am careful with the amount of lemon as I don’t want to add too much more liquid.

One note about Fruit fresh because some people get nervous- there are usually two other ingredients, dextrose, which is another name for glucose and something to keep the product from caking or becoming solid.

If you read about putting peaches up you will no doubt come across the instructions for peeling.  When I am doing only a few I will resort to the peal with the knife routine.  If I have a lot of peaches or if I feel like it I will put the peaches in hot water the blanch them, making the skins fall off,  It is nice when the do that- no real difference in the methods, just your personal choice.  If my grandchildren were helping I would most likely go the blanching routine as they could then peel the peaches without a sharp knife.  I did try something last year which didn’t turn out too well but I might have to tweak it.  I left the skins on, cut slices, froze the slices on a cookie sheet than bagged them hoping I could take out a handful every now and then.  I think there was just too much water and it didn’t work like I hoped it would.

What do I do with all I freeze?  Mostly I use them for jam, ice cream and for having fruit for my oatmeal or yogurt.    Sometimes I’ll make a peach cobbler in the winter and the kitchen smells soooo good. Pint bags are the best size for what I use them for, though one or two quart bags do get used.  In the spring if there are any left they usually get combined with my other berries to make a killer mixed fruit jam.  When that jam gets made you know that strawberry season is on its way.

*Note about seconds: This is a skill everyone should learn to master.  When you think of it, ask the farmer for seconds. These are fruits and veggies that would most likely go to the chickens, pigs or compost.  But don’t be fooled, what I remember as seconds when I was growing up are nothing like those today thanks to the marketing of fruits and veggies as being perfectly round or all the same size; the operative word is perfectly.  The peaches I got varied from some with a bruise, to others that were not perfectly round, and then there were a few that were well on their way to compost.  When you buy these it means the farmer doesn’t have to cart them home and you get more food for your money.  Though I have at times gotten seconds for free, don’t expect that to happen, ask how much and if you think that is fair then go for it; I look for something close to 50% off.  I ask so much that they know what I want when they see me coming.  If I do get some for free I always reciprocate with a homemade item. Early in the spring I got a lot of basil for free and then gave the farmer some of the pesto I made with it.  One word of warning: because some of the crop is bruised or a bit older it will degrade much quicker and if you wait more than a day to process you will not only have to cut around lots of mushy spots but you will also have your very own heard of fruit flies.  There will be a few times when you will end up with more waste than food but after one or two times you will know when to make the purchase that is right for you.

Seconds etiquette

When you ask for seconds be sure that you also show the farmer you are willing to buy the “good” stuff.

Don’t go looking for seconds in the box and then wonder what you can get for it.

Don’t haggle the discount they need to make money.

If a vendor treats you well – always repay with a bit of something you made.

Today’s take home tips:

• Find your own way to process: all at once, a bit at a time or a combination
• Make sure you have fun
• Know that you will make mistakes with amounts to freeze, that’s ok; after all it is still better than most processed foods.
• Try to find seconds when you can.