The end of summer food

Bright Leaves by bowena, on Flickr

I saw it yesterday. The first colored leaf of autumn. I stood and stared at it for a while, reveling in the promise that the heat of summer would eventually be over. Suddenly it struck me like a thunderbolt from a spring storm: The huge bounty of summer foods is almost over too! No more peaches, nectarines and plums. No more zucchini, cucumbers and pattypan squash. What will I do without tomatoes?

True, I can make some relishes, chutneys and other ferments to extend the season a little. I’ve done a bit of canning in my day, but for the most part I don’t can foods. There are a lot of nutrients that are destroyed in the heat of the canning process. I might live to regret that decision, especially as I strive to focus on eating only that which is available to me locally and in-season. It could be that in February, a can of chopped tomatoes I put up in August would be just the right touch in my meatloaf. But money is not so abundant right now as to afford a case of tomatoes for putting up anyway, and the tomatoes in my container garden never flowered.

My freezer space is limited as well. The small freezer on my kitchen fridge holds 5 gallons of milk between CSA deliveries, and my once-a-month meat CSA order. I have a few bags of shredded frozen zucchini, a bag or two of collards and kale cut in chiffonade for adding to winter soups, meal-sized leftover portions and several ice packs for aching backs and knees. It’s just as well I never invested in a separate freezer for the garage, the electric bill would not be a pleasant thing.

I have taken to dehydrating some foods. Dried foods are lightweight and don’t take up much storage space. I am comfortable storing them in the plastic I try to avoid for fresh or frozen foods, which avoids the broken jars we get occasionally in storage. I’ve dried some zucchini and summer squash and some of spring’s kale. There is some nutrient loss in dehydrating as well, but my machine keeps the food rather cool, so it’s not as drastic a loss as in canning.

Since I didn’t think to put up any strawberries, blueberries or raspberries, I think I’ll send the girls out for some wild blackberries this week before the birds and deer get them all. I’m beginning to see lots of apples at the farmer’s market and probably should start thinking about drying or canning some of those. A winter without fruit would be long, indeed.

This post is part of the Real Food Wednesdays blog carnival, hosted this week by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.