Make Now, Enjoy Later: Autumn Preserves from the Garden

With the cooler nights and shorter days, the message couldn't be more clear: winter is on the way!

It's the season for snuggling up, staying cozy and eating delicious food (to be fair, that last point is true for every season!).

Bring the taste of autumn with you into the upcoming cold season by preserving the last of summers bounty - because there's nothing better than opening a jar in July and tasting March!

Not only will today's preserves delight your future self, they make great gifts - I mean, who doesn't want a thoughtful, homemade jar of delicious treats?!

The trick is to keep it simple: small, manageable batches that don't take the entire day to prepare. If you're new to preserving, starting with quick pickles that live in the fridge and last a few weeks are a great way to learn!

Here are a few preserving ideas for this autumn glut:

• Tomatoes: Oooohhhhh the options are enormous! Tomato pasta sauces, passata, relish, chutney, dried tomatoes in oil - and, if you make enough, they might last until next tomato season… Ok, that's a lie. They probably won't!
• Beetroot: It doesn't get much more classic than pickled beetroot - a tangy, sweet, sour and overly delicious way to enjoy this earthy root crop.
• Cucumbers: Slice them, salt them, brine them, pop them into sterilised jars and violá! Pickled cucumbers to make any sandwich or burger so much better! Bread and butter pickles are another delicious way to make these short-season treats last a little longer.
• Jalapeños: While jalapeños aren't all that spicy compared to other chilli's (although I've certainly consumed some that have induced tears and copious amounts of snot), pickling them will help take the edge off and make them a little sweeter - and they'll certainly warm you up on a cold evening.
• Corn: Chop corn off the cob, pop the kernels into a zip lock bag and leave in the freezer for a cold, wet day - when the taste of summer is sure to cheer you up!
• Herbs: Hanging woody herbs like sage, thyme and rosemary will help them store for months. Another idea to preserve fresh herbs is infusing them in olive oil. For delicate herbs like basil, we recommend blending them into a paste with a touch of oil, then freezing in ice-cube trays.
• Strawberries: Any day one gets to appreciate the taste of organic strawberries is a good day! Keep this delicious fruit current in your diet by cooking them into jam with a touch of lemon juice. Yum!
• Apples: Convert them into apple sauce, chutneys, dehydrated apple rings, or freeze for future apple crumbles.
• Pears: Poach them, freeze them or transform them into spiced jars of earthy warm delights!
• Feijoas: Boil them into a jam or cook them into a flavourful syrup - otherwise, freezing is always a fantastic option!

When preserving, be sure to properly sterilise your jars - and follow a recipe!

Don't skimp on the sugar and/ or vinegar, as these are natural preservers… and you don't want all your hard work to go mouldy!