Tips for Harvesting and Preserving: Reaping the Harvest
Tending to your garden is fulfilling in its own way, but the real reward is when everything is ready to be harvested!
September 1, 2023 | Source: Chelsea Green Publishing
The following is an excerpt form The Regenerative Grower’s Guide to Garden Amendments by Nigel Palmer. It has been adapted for the web.
Tips for Harvesting Crops
The most pleasurable challenge for gardeners is keeping up with the harvest and bringing it to the table. Oh my! How many green beans can be eaten at one time! This a most wonderful problem to have, as long as there is enough time to do all the processing.
Some crops, like beans, won’t keep well in the garden, and there may be a lot of them that need picking. Using a dill pickle brine recipe, fill up 1⁄2-gallon jars with those extra beans and the brine for delicious eating all winter and even into the spring if the harvest is bountiful enough.
Experimenting With Herbs
Be sure to include garlic, a hot pepper perhaps, black peppercorns, a horseradish leaf or grape leaf to keep things crisp, and of course the dill that has self-sown throughout the garden. Try experimenting with other herbs, too. Pickling is a good storage method for any root crops.
It is always a surprise to realize how good pickled vegetables taste during the winter months. And save that brine when the beans are gone. It makes a great addition to salad dressings, soup stock, potato salads, and more. I water the asparagus bed with the brine a couple of times a year. They like the salty, herb-flavored water as much as I do.