Food Preservation

Once the food has been grown, it is important to know what to do with it. Proper harvesting and post-harvesting procedures are important in order to keep food fresh, able to be sold, or kept around for later. This list includes information on how to can, dehydrate, ferment, freeze, and store food. This list also includes ways to add value to what is produced such as turning tomatoes into salsa (which can be sold for profit or eaten as a tasty snack).

Post Harvest Practices

Beyond Fresh: A Food Processing Guide

Overview of the Decision Process, Self-Assessment (Is Value-Added Right for Me?), Product Development, Recipes, & Production, Storage & Distribution, Can I Make Money?, Regulations, Labels & Packaging, Selling, Market Trends, Running Your Business, and Funding

beyond-fresh_web-version

Roxbury Farm Harvest Manual

Gives a short overview of harvesting common plants including procedures, quality, and more.

Harvest+Manual

A Planning Guide for Postharvest Handling Workshops

A presentation about how to set up workshops on postharvest handling

Planning PostHarvest Handling Workshops

Wholesale and Retail Product Specifications: Guidance and Best Practices for Fresh Produce

The grade standards system is a key tool used in fresh produce marketing to simplify transactions in the marketplace. This guide is intended to be a resource for the day-to-day handling of fresh produce and as a training guide for small to mid-sized producers and food hubs.

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Adding Value

Adding Value to Farm Products

Capturing Value and Creating Value, Starting a Food Business, Farm and Food Business Profile, Non-Food Options, Keys to Success

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Canning

The Basics of Canning Foods At Home

Basic principles and typical steps in home canning

CanningatHome_web

Food Acidity Chart

Chart on levels of acidity in common fruits and vegetables

Food Acidity Chart

The USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning

Selecting, Preparing, and Canning: Fruit and Fruit Products, Tomatoes and Tomato Products, Vegetables and Vegetable Products, Poultry, Red Meats, and Seafood, Fermented Foods and Pickled Vegetables, and Jams and Jellies

USDA-Complete-Guide-to-Home-Canning-2015-revision

Dehydrating

Food Dehydration Options

Types of dehydration, Added value strategy, Product development and marketing, and assorted resources.

dehydrate

Allegheny Mountain Institute – Dehydrating 101

Why dehydrate, Steps for drying produce, and dehydration chart

Dehydrating 101

Fermentation

How to make and sell Fermented Vegetables

What are they, How to stop fermentation, How to monitor PH during fermentation, Guidelines, How to sell, and Additional Resources

Fermented Foods

Make your own Kombucha

What is Kombucha, Kombucha benefits, Make your own Kombucha

Kombucha Recipe

Sauerkraut Recipe

Directions and Cabbage variety explanation

Sauerkraut Recipe

Freezing

Allegheny Mountain Institute – Freezing 101

All about Freezing, Steps for Freezing, Chart on Freezing, Freezing Fruit, and assorted resources

Freezing 101

Freezing Fruits and Vegetables at Home

Advantages, Disadvantages, Advice, and more

Freezing

Storage

Food Preservation Basics

Recipies including Freezing, Blanching, Canning, Pickling, Sauce, Canning, Sauerkraut

Food Preservation Basics

Produce Storage Guide for Common foods

Produce Storage Guide

Storage Temperatures for Fruits and Vegetables

Root Cellar Info

Temperatures for Food Preservation, Canning

Vegetable Preservation Chart

Vegetable Storage & Preservation