These are the final days of harvest before winter comes and we’re all in the same boat. What do we do with our bountiful harvest? We’ll also dive into harvesting more than just food and how you can bring the beauty of nature into your homes.
Harvest Fruits & Veggies
You’ve grown your crops and are maybe feeling a little overwhelmed with what to do with it all. The good news, is there’s lots of resources out there including YouTube, Facebook groups, and good old Google.
Preservation Method
One of the best ways to buy time with your harvest is to preserve it. There’s canning, jellies, freezing, dehydrating and more. It’s important to research what you can do with specific fruits and vegetables because some don’t preserve as well as others. For example, lettuce should be used right away and perhaps grown indoors over the winter. Some fruits and vegetables emit strong ethylene gases which speed up the ripen process, so you’ll want to keep them away from other foods. We found this great resource to hopefully help shorten the research time so you can just get on with it
https://www.almanac.com/storing-vegetables-over-winter
Charitable Organizations
Besides preserving, harvest time presents a great opportunity to gather and support your community. While we can generally count on the availability of food at local grocery stores this winter, inflation will no doubt create a greater need for local food programs. That’s why, donating a portion of your harvest to local food banks is a great way to help. The Calgary Food Bank runs their annual “grow a row” campaign which encourages Calgarians to grow a little extra and donate it to support the community this winter.
https://www.calgaryfoodbank.com/give/
Harvest Traditions
Here are some of the traditions we explored on the podcast today:
- SOUPALICIOUS, HIGHFIELD REGENATIVE FARM | https://www.highfieldfarm.ca/soupalicious
- MOONCAKE FESTIVAL, CHINA | https://www.discoverhongkong.com/ca/explore/culture/mid-autumn-festival.html
- CROPOVER, BARBADOS | https://barbados.org/cropover.htm
Harvest Foliage
This is Brandi’s flower press which isn’t available in store anymore, but they’re easily accessible online. A flower press kit like this one is best when pressing flowers and foliage because the screws allow you to tighten as the plants flatten. You could absolutely use a heavy book for a different effect. Make sure to place wax paper or tissue with paper towel around the plant to avoid damaging books with the oils.
Harvest Memories
Get out and enjoy the season! Take the photos and have fun!
BRANDI’S HUSBAND, BRAD, BEING A BASIC WITCH 😉
COLIN’S PHOTOGRAPH OF HIS SON, HARRY, PLAYING IN THE AUTUMN LEAVES
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