Preserving the kai of Raumati

It's that time of the year when the māra kai is abundant and all the hard work from Spring is paying off.

The season of Raumati - summer in Tāmaki Makaurau brings us tomatoes, corn, beans, cucumbers, courgettes, lu, kamokamo, onions, capsicums, chillis, eggplant, berries, avocado, stone fruits just to name a few!

Abundant summer harvest.

There is nothing better than eating straight from the māra, however if you find yourself having a glut of something you may like to try one of these preserving methods below:

Plum jam here we come!

Jam

If you are lucky to have a glut of berries, rhubarb, or stone fruit, have a go at making jam that can be stored in your pantry for all round use. Jam is great to add to baking and of course on toast! This Basic Jam Recipe from our friends at Love Food Hate Waste is easy, you will soon learn how simple and delicious making your own jam is. 

Seed and herb pesto.

Pesto

Sorrel, garlic weed, parsley, corriander, mint, basil are just some of the herbs you can use to make pesto. Pesto is a green sauce/dip that is delicious added to stews, soups and pizza. It is a tasty dip and spread and you can keep it in your fridge for up to a week or you can pop it into the freezer to use within the month. Pesto is traditionally made with herbs, parmesan cheese and pine nuts, however to keep it simple and low cost here is a Sunflower and Herb Recipe from Garden to Table that uses seeds instead of nuts and feel free to go without the cheese. 

Freezing

Use your freezer to freeze fruit and vegetables that you can use throughout the year. Whole tomatoes can be frozen to be added to stews and soups or to make into a pasta sauce or passata once you have enough. Chop up your bananas and freeze them to use in smoothies and baking, likewise with stone fruit and berries. Beans and corn can be blanched and frozen.

Save tomatoes in the freezer until you have enough to make a pasta sauce or passata.

Stewing

Stewed fruit is an oldie but a goodie. Stone fruits and berries can be stewed by simply chopping up and adding to a pot with a little water, adding sugar is optional. Store in the fridge and eat with your porridge or cereal or add to baking such as a crumble, or eat with yogurt or ice cream. Yum! 

Chutney

Chutney is a delicious condiment that goes with many dishes - roast meats and veges, add a dollop to your homemade burger or have with cheese and crackers. Fruits and vegetables can be used to make chutney, this courgette chutney will make the most of your courgettes or if you have a huge marrow use that instead! Chutney is stored in sterilised glass jars and will last a long time in your pantry unopened. Once opened, keep refrigerated. 

Marrow chutney with courgette fritters - delish!

Drying

A dehydrator is a good investment and a handy piece of kitchen equipment. However you can air dry a few things without a dehydrator. Chillies can be left to dry in a warm and dry place. Once dried crush in a mortar and pestle or in a blender to make your own chilli flakes or powder. Make fruit leather by blending fruit with a squeeze of lemon until smooth and spread flat on baking paper, bake at about 90 degrees celsius for 2-3 hours or until evenly dried. Cut into strips with scissors, these make a great lunchbox snack. Are you overrun with beans? Keep a harvest of beans to dry out in a warm and dry spot, once dried pop open the pods to get the dried beans out. Store in glass jars. Dried beans need a bit of preparation before cooking, the most common method is to soak the beans in water overnight before cooking. Herbs, flowers, leaves can be dried also by leaving in a warm and dry place and then stored in glass jars, these can be used for teas or for medicinal purposes.

Dried lavender, kawakawa, olive leaf and calendula.

Juicing

If you own a juicer it is the time to get it out and juicing! Juice summer fruits with leafy greens and a knob of ginger! Get creative with your juice flavours and don’t be afraid to add some vegetables. You can freeze juice, just make sure that you don’t fill the bottle to the top, allow at least a quarter space from the top of the bottle before freezing. You can also freeze juice in ice cube trays and pop them out to add to hot or cold water. 

If you would like to know more about preserving kai check out one of our Fill the Pantry workshops on our Facebook page.

Please let us know in the comments about other ways of preserving kai that you do.