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Short-term storage. Store small amounts of fruits and vegetables in a refrigerator or ice chest. Place berries in colanders when refrigerating.

Short-term storage in large cans. To make good containers for extra produce, punch drainage holes in large plastic or metal garbage cans. Put a layer of ice in the bottom, and cover with folded newspapers. Place the fresh fruit or vegetables in plastic bags on the newspapers, then place another layer of ice on the bags, and cover with more newspapers to keep in the cold. Set the can in a shady, protected spot. This will keep produce fresh for 2 to 3 days. Add fresh ice daily.

Short-term storage in appliances. Fruits and vegetables, along with large ice packs or plastic jugs of ice wrapped in plastic bags to pre vent leaking (condensation forms on the outside of jugs of ice), can be stored temporarily in your dishwasher, electric clothes dryer, or electric oven. (Do not use gas ovens with pilot lights.) Place a heavy towel in the bottom of the appliance; add the ice, then the fruits or vegetables. The insulation that prevents heat loss from these appliances will also keep in the cold. If you must store the produce for longer than 24 hours, change the ice. Return the melted ice packs or jugs to the freezer and refreeze for another time.

Washing. Do not wash fruits and vegetables that will be stored before processing. Wash when you are ready to freeze, dry, or can.

Sixteen Preserving Tips

YOU WILL FIND MOST OF MY TIPS FOR SAVING TIME in chapters 3, 4, and 5 where I talk about specific ways of preserving food. Here are just a few reminders.

Tray-freezing vegetables. If you find yourself faced with mounds of vegetables and not enough time to process the lot of them, try tray-freezing them. Wash and drain or dry the vegetables, and then dice or chop. (The smaller the pieces are, the faster they will freeze.) Spread the vegetables out on a few cookie sheets, place in the coolest part of your freezer, and allow to freeze. Once frozen, pour the vegetables into plastic bags. Chopped fresh vegetables can be frozen without blanching to be used within 2 months, if they are to be used in relishes or sauces. The crisp texture of the relish will suffer a little loss, but few people will notice it. Make sure when defrosting that all the juices are collected in a bowl and used in the recipe as part of the liquid.

Tray-freezing berries. The fastest way to preserve berries is to wash them in cold water, lift the berries from the water, place in a colander, and drain well. Tray-freeze without sugar. When frozen solid, pack loosely in freezer bags. These berries can be used as you would use fresh berries for jams, jellies, pies, puddings, and sauces.

Applesauce. The fastest and easiest method of making apple-sauce is with a hand-cranked strainer. Apples need not be peeled or cored, just cooked until soft and puréed in the strainer. Applesauce can be frozen or canned.

Quality fruit. Use only firm, unblemished fruit to freeze for pies, fruit compotes, and shortcakes. Soft, overripe fruit will turn to mush when defrosted.

Purées. Overripe, unblemished fruits can be frozen sliced or whole (if small) to make quick purées when defrosted. Pop the defrosted fruits into a blender or food processor to make a smooth purée in an instant. Strain only if a very smooth purée is desired.

Juice into jelly. Another way to deal with mounds of fruits that have ripened all at once is to freeze or can them as juices to be made into jellies when you have the time.

Pumpkins and squash. Even if you don’t have a proper root cellar, you can store pumpkins and winter squash until late in the fall or winter when you have more time for processing. Keep the squash and pumpkins on a closet floor after curing, and they will keep well for 2 to 3 months in these dark, cooler places.

Tree fruits. Apples, peaches, and pears should be sliced into a bowl of water containing lemon juice or ascorbic acid to prevent darkening. When