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Home » Preserve

Preserving Day Tips for Less Overwhelm

Posted September 25, 2024
in Canning, Dehydrate, Fermenting, Freeze Drying, Freezing, Preserve, Pressure Canning, Thrive, Water Bath Canning

Carolyn Thomas

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Here are my top preserving day tips for preventing overwhelm on a busy harvest day! It's easy to see the harvest come in and quickly get overwhelmed at how much preservation has to happen. With these six tips, you can remain calm, stay upbeat and get through the day with joy.

A woman standing behind a counter full of produce waiting to be preserved.

Preparing for the Preservation Season

There are many things I do to prepare for preservation season throughout the year. Here are some other posts that you may find helpful:

Below I'm sharing what a typical preservation day looks like in the kitchen. We have a lot of helpers now that the children are growing older, but these tips will help you whether you've got helpers or are preserving on your own.

A woman adding fresh potatoes, carrots and cabbage to a crockpot with a corned beef brisket.

Get Dinner Started Early

My first preserving day tip is to plan dinner ahead of time and, if possible, get it cooking first thing in the morning. Make it something that's no-fuss and requires very few dishes (or even use paper plates, if possible).

For us, this often looks like a roast that I slow-cook in the crockpot. A few hours before dinner, I'll toss in some new potatoes, and we'll have some veggies on the side. Everyone will love this meal after a long day of work.

Start with a Clean Kitchen

You don't want to have to clean the kitchen before you can even begin preserving the harvest. It's always best if you can jump right in! So do yourself a favor and, the night before, get that kitchen nice and tidy.

If you didn't clean your kitchen the night before, clean it up before heading out to the garden to harvest, or before you head to the Farmer's Market to grab your produce.

Homestead Hack - Clean as you go! As you're preserving, be sure to clean up as you go! This can either be done by you, a spouse, or a child, but you'll be much more productive if the kitchen stays as clean as possible as you move from project to project.

Do a Little at a Time

This may not be possible if you're trying to save your crops from a freeze, but if you're able, bring in only what you can process at the same time.

For instance, make up a batch of fermenting brine and pack your homemade sauerkraut or fermented ginger carrots as you slice up each cabbage or batch of carrots. This will be easier than bringing in every head of lettuce and all carrots at once.

Process as you go, and the day won't seem quite as overwhelming.

Pick First Thing in the Morning

Get out to the garden or to the Farmer's Market as early as you can. The reason for this is that the sugars are going to be at their height in your fruit and vegetables first thing in the morning.

You want to be picking your produce at their sweetest and their best, then bringing them into the house and keeping them cool so they don't start wilting before you have a chance to preserve them.

This is especially true of cucumbers! So start with your homemade pickles first!

A woman putting the insulation cover onto a Harvest Right freezer dryer.

Utilize Everything in the Kitchen

When you're working with a lot of produce, be sure you're utilizing all of your appliances, all the preservation methods, and all the people available in your home.

Get that food processor, blender, mixer, dehydrator, and freeze dryer working for you. Put all the extra hands to work harvesting, washing, cleaning, and tidying up behind you.

Two small children picking apples off the ground and putting them into a wooden crate.

Include Your Children

This goes along with tip #4... be sure to get your children involved, it's so great for them! There is something kids of all ages can help with. They can pick up fruit off the ground, clean up spills, fetch jars, snap beans, or slice veggies.

If they're older, teach them how to preserve, how to use the pressure canner or water bath canner. Get them stirring or blending the fruit puree for homemade fruit leather. If nothing else, make sure there's always someone washing dishes to help keep an empty sink.

A man and woman looking at Clyde's Garden Planner.

Use a Planner

Planning is key! Hopefully your garden was planned to harvest at different times instead of all at once. You can have several big harvest days instead of just one or two.

Clyde's Garden Planner is a great tool for knowing when to plant and estimating when your crops will be ready to harvest. Use code "HOMESTEADINGFAMILY.COM" at checkout for a discount on your planner!

A woman holding up a jar of home canned food pointing to it. More canned food on the counter in front of her.

Remember Why You're Doing This

It's easy to get overwhelmed on a busy preservation day and to lose sight of why you're doing this. But try to remember how thankful you'll be when your pantry shelves are lined with healthy, home-grown, and home-preserved food.

Put on some great music, and remember to have fun! Maybe even do some dancing, get your kids laughing, and enjoy your day together. If you're having fun it will make your work go a lot faster and your day much more enjoyable.

Now go ahead and start building up those food stores for winter!