Larder

My daughters were big fans of Beatrix Potter when they were little.  And there were other animal-themed stories, like Jill Barklem's Brambly Hedge.  The lure of these idyllic countryside communities, populated by bunnies and mice and ducks, fascinated my girls.  In later years, the Hobbit tales had a similar effect.  Well, they did on me, anyway.  In reading these charming stories, there was usually a reference to a larder.  Simply put, a larder is a room or place where food is kept.  Or a pantry.  But it can also just refer to a supply of food.

I thought about that word (and its comforting meaning) today as I began preparing food for my own winter larder.  Yes, I was stocking my larder today.  Sexy, huh?

One of my most successful crops has always been green beans.  (Or purple beans.)  I could eat beans at every meal and still have some left over.  So I try to keep up with putting some beans up for winter consumption.  I prefer to do a large batch at one time, then freeze them in smaller portions.  It's a very simple process, really.  After trimming and cutting the beans, toss them in boiling water for three minutes, then immerse them in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.  (This is called blanching.)  Drain the beans, then spread them out on some paper towels to dry them off.  Put them into small zip-lock bags and freeze.  I think I have enough green beans to enjoy them three times a week for the entire winter.  And there are more to come!

I also dealt with the tomatoes today in three different ways.  I used paste tomatoes, green zebra tomatoes, and a few regular Rutgers tomatoes to make sauce to freeze.  (It's still simmering on the stove.)  I also tried something new with the yellow cherry tomatoes, and it's a keeper!  Olive oil, a tablespoon of raw sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt gets whisked.  Toss in a whole bunch of halved yellow cherry tomatoes and mix.  Spread out on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes.  Oh.  My.  God.  Are these tasty!  Another new thing I tried is simply freezing more of those yellow cherry tomatoes.  They're spread out on a cookie sheet in the freezer right now.  When they are frozen, I will pop them into a zip-lock bag and toss them into the larder for sauteed veggie dinners in the depths of winter.

I ran out of time to deal with the black cherry tomatoes.  Tomorrow, I'll make a special sauce with them, and freeze it.  And this is only the beginning.  I will be able to make and freeze some basil pesto (although not as much as usual, thanks to the blight), and also freeze tomato and squash soups.  I'll make a few yellow squash casseroles and eggplant parms to freeze.  I can freeze shredded cabbage and carrots for future slaws.  

In essence, I will try to put up as much of my garden produce as I can.

I am in love with my larder!