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Janna Anderson: Posted on Monday, August 08, 2011 5:17 PM
  One of the things that grows the best at this time of year is basil and we find ourselves with more than we can use until the weather cools down and we start wishing we had some again! It is easy to save some of the bounty though, and if you just take a little time now, you won't have to pay big bucks for it in the winter.
Short Term Storage-My customers tell me that basil always seems to go black really fast in the fridge, but often times, it is a case of the fridge being too cold! Basil is a warm season crop and prefers it a little warmer than the other veggies. I find the best way to store it is in a plastic baggie in the warmest spot in the fridge, and it will last for up to a week that way! And don't forget, unlike lettuce, basil prefers to be dry.
Drying Basil-One of the easiest ways to store basil is to dry it, especially now that the weather is so hot, you have an automatic food dehydrator right outside! Hang basil in bundles upside down out of the sun until it is completely dry, then bring it in and crumble it into a jar for safekeeping.
Basil Infused oil- Like pesto, you can put an Extra Virgin Olive oil and some basil in the blender and use it on meats or pasta or anywhere else you might mix Olive Oil and Basil. The oil will preserve the basil for a while if it is a preserved type of oil like most of those you find at the store. You can also freeze the basil infused oil for a longer term. Here's a link to a website with more info and ideas on infused oil. Also try this with vinegar or peppers. Try this Basil Oil recipe for other uses like salad dressings and veggies you can use the oil on.
Freezing basil- My mother chops basil and ties it up in small tootsie roll sized plastic wrap packages, then freezes several of the bundles in a ziptop bag. This way, you can just defrost a roll at a time and toss the rest of the bag back in the freezer for next time. This method also works well with ginger. Alternatively, freeze a few leaves in an ice cube then wrap them up.
Good times and happy cooking, because before you know it, the summer will be over and we'll all be pining away for a little bit of a warm day to get our summer crops rolling again! Every year I am sure it will never happen, but it always does and then I am glad I put a few things aside for the winter!
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Janna Anderson: Posted on Monday, July 25, 2011 4:49 PM
 I have always resisted the "Blog" idea, for lack of things to say that others might be interested in, so here goes our great experiment! I hope you find it useful and handy to have a little insiders view on the happenings at the farm.
Award Winning Photo! My photo which was randomly taken a couple of weeks ago to be used as a quick text is a WINNER! See my Anna Apple in action here! Many thanks to Joe for helping me get it out of my phone in a usable format!
Preserving the Harvest As many of you who have shopped our stand for years already know, the value of buying seasonally is undisputed. Weirdly, when I have lots of any one thing at our stand like cantaloupes or Swiss chard or hot peppers, it is usually a really great price! That's the best time to stock up for the days when you just won't be able to find certain items.So here's a few of my favorite tips for storing the summer's bounty.
 FreezingWe have sweet corn in abundance this year, locally grown and really sweet! There is a really long winter season where you simply can't get good sweet corn and when you do find it, is coming from a long ways away! The solution-cut it off the cobb and freeze it. I love my Foodsaver that I got many years ago because you can literally suck all the air out of the bags and store it for years! Every year, I save at least 6 or 8 lbs of it in my chest freezer and feel so decadent when I cut a bag open for some nice hot potato soup at a time when you normally are so sick of the in season greens!
 We also have abundant strawberries, nice looking okra, and onions that are all awesome when frozen. Just cut the tops off and wash like you were ready to serve it and freeze. I find that the Foodsaver is worth it's weight in gold because I never have to throw anything away that I can freeze. Tomatoes can be oven dried or frozen too. Follow this link for a recipe
 DryingI use my food dehydrator for onions, because you can usually rehydrate them very easily in whatever sauce or soup you might be working with. Sweet onions are harvested in June and will hold in the pantry or refrigerator for several months, but sweet varieties are not as long lived as their storage counterparts. The hot ones are usually all you can find in the cold winter months, but not if you have some socked away in the freezer or pantry. Here's a link to how to dehydrate onions.
Hot Cayenne peppers are really easy to dry, and can just be laid out on a counter until they are totally dry, then I put them in a blender tops and all to make chili peppers flakes. These will stay indefinitely in your spice cupboard and you can pull out a little at a time. Here's a link to dehydrating peppers and you can try an assortment of them. I especially like to roast Anaheim peppers and then freeze them for the winter. Sweet red bells work well this way too! No need to pay big bucks for those little ones in a jar.
With a little planning you can freeze, dry, can or pickle almost anything, and have year round AZ harvests from your own bounty. We have bulk items available for purchase at the stand or on the website in case you want to try your hand at some of these easy ways to keep eating local year round and keep an eye on what really goes into your food.
Hey and feel free to send us some of your favorite ways to save abundant produce throughout the year.We'd love to share them too!
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