The freeze dryer has basically become the background noise of our house lately.
It has been running nonstop as I work my way through peppers, onions, and everything else that needs to be preserved while the garden is still producing. This time of year always feels like a race between me and the produce, and I’m not entirely sure I’m winning.
But every full jar that gets added to the pantry makes all the work worth it.
The Freeze Dryer Isn’t Getting a Break
We’ve been processing lots of peppers and onions lately, and the freeze dryer has barely had a chance to rest between batches.
I love knowing that all of this work now means we’ll have homegrown vegetables ready to use throughout the colder months. Freeze-dried peppers and onions are so easy to grab for soups, chili, casseroles, and just about anything else I’m cooking.
And apparently the freeze dryer thought it might get a break soon.
It was wrong.
Turning Last Year’s Tomatoes Into Pasta Sauce
Yesterday, I dug into the freezer and pulled out tomatoes that I had frozen from last year’s garden.
I let them thaw and turned them into homemade pasta sauce, which will be the next thing heading into the freeze dryer.
Some years the tomato harvest can seem overwhelming, I’m thankful that it’s easy enough to pop them in the freezer and pull them back out when needed. Also, I figured it was a good time to use up last year’s harvest incase this year’s harvest needs a spot in the freezer as well.
I’ll be sharing exactly how I made the pasta sauce and how I freeze-dry it in an upcoming post, so stay tuned!
Preserving last year’s garden while simultaneously trying to keep up with this year’s garden is where we’re at in life right now.
Rain, Sunshine & a Happy Garden
The weather this week has given us a little bit of everything: some rain mixed with plenty of sunshine.
Honestly, I haven’t minded the rain one bit.
Any day that nature volunteers to water the garden for me is a win.
The garden is still in full production, and I’m incredibly thankful for it. After all the planting, watering, weeding, and waiting earlier in the season, this is the time of year when we really get to enjoy the reward.
Of course, “enjoying the reward” also means bringing baskets of vegetables into the kitchen and immediately figuring out what on earth I’m going to do with all of them.
But that’s a problem I’m thankful to have.
A Late-Summer Blueberry Haul
My daughter and I also managed to squeeze in some late-season blueberry picking at a local farm this week.
In about an hour, the two of us picked seven pounds of blueberries!
It was such a simple, fun way to spend some time together while taking advantage of one more summer harvest before the season comes to an end.
Most of the blueberries went straight into the freezer so we can enjoy them throughout the year. Sometimes they’ll get tossed into smoothies, sometimes they’ll end up in desserts, and I’m sure plenty will disappear for other recipes along the way.
I’m Not Ready for Fall Yet
As much as I love many things about fall, I’m having a hard time accepting that it’s right around the corner.
The days are getting noticeably shorter, and I’m not a fan.
We’re trying to soak up every bit of summer and sunshine that we have left. Most evenings you’ll still find us outside around 7:00, trying to catch those last rays before the sun disappears.
None of us are ready to give up those long summer evenings that we enjoy so much around here.
Soon enough, the garden will slow down, the temperatures will drop, and our evenings will move indoors.
But we’re not there yet.
Soaking Up the Last of Summer
For now, the garden is still producing, the freeze dryer is still humming, the freezer has another seven pounds of berries tucked inside, and there’s still enough evening sunlight to keep us outside a little longer.
So that’s exactly what we’re going to do.
We’ll keep harvesting. We’ll keep preserving. We’ll keep finding ways to store away a little bit of summer for the colder months ahead.
When the sun starts going down, we’ll probably stay outside just a few more minutes.
Fall may be around the corner, but I’m certainly not inviting it in early.
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” — Psalm 24:1
Here’s to full gardens, full freezers, full pantry shelves, and squeezing every last drop out of these beautiful summer days.
From our homestead to yours,
Eliza
