Storing the Harvest

Summer really is in full swing on the farm, and it's keeping us all terribly busy! It seems like there aren't enough hours in the day to plant as much as we would like, much less keep on top of the weeds. One thing that is vital, however, is watering - with no rain in weeks and only scattered thunderstorms in the forecast, we're all prone to wandering around the garden with a moisture meter on a daily basis. The intense heat at the end of June prevented the tomatoes from setting fruit for a while, but it seems like they've gotten back on track now that we're not pushing 100 degrees on a daily basis.

The market traffic has been relatively light the past three weeks, so we've been focused on preserving what we end up not selling on Saturdays - blueberry jam and jelly, zucchini bread, tomato sauce, and pesto are the big ones right now. I took a couple of pounds of basil home last night and started processing it. As you can see, I like my pesto a little on the chunky side:

Freezing the pesto in ice cube trays is absolutely the way to go, and a lot of the folks who stop by our booth at the market agree! It's very easy to make - I made three batches last night, and I would have made more but I ran out of olive oil.

So what happens when you have an abundance of herbs, but you can't use them all in one day? Well, here are some tips for storing what you buy from us at the market to maximize its lifespan:

Basil: Along with tomatoes and garlic, basil is something you should NEVER REFRIGERATE. Basil is one of the most fragile herbs and refrigeration destroys the plant's cells, leading to brown, mushy leaves. Instead of refrigeration, set your basil stems in a little jar of water and simply leave the jar out on the counter (and away from direct sunlight). The basil will stay nice and fresh for up to a week. If it starts to look sad, spritz it with some room temperature water in a spray bottle - basil likes foliar watering.

Parsley: Set parsley stem ends in a jar or glass of water. Cover the glass and parsley with a plastic bag and place in the fridge, where it will keep up to two weeks. The plastic bag traps moisture, which will keep the parsley leaves firm and green.

Thyme: Set thyme stem ends in water and refrigerate. A small plastic bag will increase the thyme's shelf life, but it's not as vital as it is for the parsley. Lasts one week easily, sometimes as long as two.

Rosemary: Same as thyme, including projected shelf life.

Mint: Set stem ends in water, cover with a plastic bag and refrigerate. Lasts up to one week.

Sage: Sage should NOT be placed in water - it will rot very quickly. Make sure your sage is completely dry, then store it in the fridge in a small plastic bag. Lasts up to one week.

Dill: Same as sage. Lasts 3-4 days.

Garlic: NEVER REFRIGERATE EATING GARLIC. Without going into too much detail, refrigeration will actually reduce the shelf life of garlic because it prompts the cloves to sprout. Store your garlic at room temperature, either on the kitchen counter or on a shelf in your pantry - whichever has better air circulation. Store the garlic in a single layer in an open bowl or basket or in a plastic or ceramic keeper with multiple ventilation holes. Garlic stored this way will last about 6 months, depending on its variety.

That's all I have time for now, but I'll definitely be posting more about post-harvest handling in the future!