Easy Preserving Recipes, Tips & Resources
Whether you’re looking for a way to use up a load of green beans or try your hand at canning jam, there’s something for you in this list of preserving recipes, tips, and the best resources.
It’s no secret I love preserving food from our garden since I’ve written about canning, freezing, and drying produce since the beginning of this site in 2009.
But what you might not know is this:
I didn’t grow up learning about canning and preserving, and didn’t really know many people who did.
It was only when I started growing our own food that made me want to find ways to preserve this garden goodness – no way was I going to let it go to waste!
I started to check out books from the library to learn what I could about preserving food, but I still remember being so scared the first time I canned something! (Which was jam – the best thing to start with, by the way.)
And you know what?
I discovered that canning and preserving was easy, safe, and produced a beautiful “I made this” feeling that turned out to be kind of addicting.
It was so empowering to make my own foods that passing on what I’ve learned and helping you to preserve your own food is one of the main reasons I started this blog (along with Pantry Basic recipes which we’re also empowering and enlightening to me – yes, you CAN make mayo and ketchup at home!).
So preserving foods is a cornerstone of An Oregon Cottage and my goal is for you to be inspired and armed with both knowledge and tried-and-true recipes that are safe and easy to do.
Consider this page as all-in-one resource for everything preserving: recipes, tips, and needed supplies.
This will be continually updated, so pin this for future reference when you’re surrounded by baskets of tomatoes, berries, or whatever produce you love.
(Note: You can also hop over to the preserving recipe visual index, too, if you’d like to see pictures of the recipes listed here.)
TIP! Subscribe to grab your Preserving Record Notebook from the VIP Library to keep track of all the food you put up:
Preserving Recipes: Freezing
Vegetables:
- How to Freeze Green Beans Without Blanching
- How to Freeze Green Beans Without Blanching – The Video
- How to Freeze Snap Peas Without Blanching
- How to Freeze Peppers {Sweet, Hot & In Between}
- How to Roast & Freeze Beets
- How To Freeze Corn Three Ways: Blanched, Unblanched and Whole
- Garden Harvest Roasted Tomato Sauce (our absolute favorite sauce and super easy, too!)
- Lemon-Garlic Roasted Vegetables to Freeze
- Easy Freezer Plain Roasted Tomato Sauce
- Balsamic Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce
- 6 Ways to Freeze Basil
- 22+ Ways to Preserve Basil {& Pesto Isn’t One of Them} (includes more than just freezing)
- Frugal Homemade Basil Pesto (with ‘secret’ ingredient) to freeze
- Hot & Sweet Carrot Relish Freezer Preserves
- Easiest Way to Freeze Tomatoes (No Blanch)
- How to Cook & Freeze Dry Beans
- How to Freeze Broccoli – Blanched & Unblanched
Fruits:
- How to Freeze Strawberries for Smoothies
- Easy No-Cook Freezer Jam
- Easy Rhubarb Barbecue Sauce to freeze
- Chia Seed No Cook Blackberry Freezer Jam Recipe
- Three Ways to Preserve Strawberries by Freezing
- How to Freeze Cherries – and How to Use Them
Preserving Recipes: Drying
- How to Dry Tomatoes and Store them In Olive Oil
- Dry & Store Tomatoes in Olive Oil – The Video
- How to Dry Plums (Not Your Mother’s Prunes)
- Dried Cherries 2 Ways + How to Dry Cherries
- How to Dry Blueberries found in the Ultimate Blueberry Guide
- How to Dry Basil in 22 Ways to Preserve Basil
Preserving Recipes: Refrigeration
Fermented Recipes to store in the Refrigerator:
- 5-Minute Foolproof Fermented Corn Relish Recipe
- Easiest Fermented Pickled Vegetables Ever
- Best Mild, Easy Homemade Sauerkraut Recipe
- Super Easy Fermented Pickled Jalapeños Recipe
Preserving Recipes: Canning
Vegetables:
- Pickled Asparagus
- Mustard-Garlic Pickled Green Beans
- Addictive Tomato Chutney- Regular and Less Sugar Options (This is our must-have condiment!)
- Favorite Salsa Canning Tutorial | Updated Tip For Easier Salsa Method
- Canned Tomato Bruschetta Topping
- Tomatoes & Chilies (a Rotel copycat recipe)
- Pizza Sauce (using fresh or frozen tomatoes)
- Roasted Red Peppers in Wine
- Sweet and Spicy Canned Onion Marmalade
- Honey Sweetened Jalapeño Jelly (Jam) for Canning
- Easy Chipotle Canned BBQ Sauce
- Roasted Tomatillo or Green Tomato Salsa (to can or freeze)
- Canned Roasted Tomato Sauce (water-bath safe)
- Roasted Chipotle Salsa (Can or Freeze)
- Canning Diced Tomatoes – Easy Fire Roasted Water Bath Method
- Easy Pickled Beets for Canning or Refrigerator, Jar-by-Jar
Fruit:
- Spicy Plum Sauce (lower sugar)
- Honey-Lemon Rhubarb Butter
- Spicy Rhubarb Chutney
- Sour Apple Canning Recipes
- Low Sugar Berry Syrup & Topping
- Black Currant Juice for Italian Sodas
- Slow Cooker Maple-Sweetened Apple Butter
- Small Batch Honey Rhubarb Ginger Jam
- Spicy Honey Sweetened Cherry Chutney Recipe
- Smokey Cherry BBQ Sauce Recipe- Easy & Honey Sweetened
- Easy Blueberry Syrup Recipe – Maple Sweetened to Can or Freeze
Must-Have Canning Supplies & Resources
CLICK HERE to see my favorite canning supplies & resources – both what you need and some that just make preserving easier.
General Preserving Tips
- How to Peel Tomatoes the Easy Way
- Ripening Tomatoes at the End of the Season
- Electric Sauce Maker Video Review (revolutionary!)
Ultimate Vegetable & Fruit Guides (how-tos + lots of recipes in each!)
