“Preserving” Local Agriculture

Canning. It wasn’t long ago that the word brought up images of calico-covered kitchens and recipes as musty as the dust jackets that bound them. But as many are discovering, “putting up” doesn’t have to mean flavors as antiquated as gelatin molds. The new wave of preserving books are full of dynamic, right-now tastes. 

And, for those of us dedicated to local agriculture, preserving the harvest is just a natural extension of seasonal eating—it lets you stop summer flavors in their tracks and support local growers even when fields are fallow. 

In this four-part series, I’ll bring you basic preserving techniques paired with recipes to get you started. First up, canning—also called the Boiling Water Method—and some sunny summer salsas. Put them up now and think outside of the chip bag: Serve them alongside roasted meats or vegetables or a piece of sautéed fish and they’ll bring a blast of brightness to those dark winter days.