Josh Alsberg Shares Tasty Ways to Preserve Summer Produce

Summer produce is so good, wouldn't it be great if it could last all year? Maybe it can... Produce expert Josh Alsberg joined us to share tasty ways to preserve the best of summer's bounty! For more produce inspiration, follow Josh on Instagram and Facebook.

Preserving summer

Summer is waning, there's a chill in the air, but there is still time to take home a souvenir from our time with the sun. If you have ever thought about canning, freezing or preserving some perfect summer produce to brighten up your winter nights, now is the time! What you find at the market ripened in the sun earlier this week, so let's save some for a rainy day - literally.

Back to tomato school

It takes all summer to really ripen the best cooking tomatoes. Classic "paste" varieties like roma and San Marzano are only available from local farms right now - but they can be available for you all winter long if you buy a case, peel them and put them away in the freezer. Just grab a couple and chop into your favorite soup or sauce all winter long!

Then there is our favorite cooking tomato - the Astiana. This tomato, bred from seeds saved on a trip to northern Italy, has been refined for over a decade to become the best expression of what a Willamette Valley cooking tomato can be. We slow roast it into a simple sauce that we freeze in jars. One key fact about all cooking tomatoes: you have to cook them! Astianas don't actually taste good, raw.

Melons are marvelous.

Looking for something refreshing and kid-friendly for an afternoon snack? Look no further than local melons. From petite, rich Charentais to classic, juicy watermelons - melons make everyone in your family happy. Make them last by turning them into popsicles! Just blend melon, a squeeze of lemon and a bit of mint, taste for sugar and freeze. A whole watermelon's worth of popsicles can last until October, one healthy treat at a time!

Pick a pepper!

From hot heat to mild and sweet, pepper season is upon us. We're having a lot of fun with just-a-bit-hot Anaheims and Poblano, but whether you think spice is nice or heat makes you retreat, there's a pepper for you! Try the flaming hot habanero, or grill skewers full of rich, sweet Jimmy Nardellos. Cubanelle and Italian peppers are perfect for roasting or sauté.

Whatever your pepper preference, consider putting some up for your future sandwiches: roast them in a hot oven or blister them directly over a gas flame, then peel, seed and jar up with a bit of good vinegar and olive oil. They'll last for weeks and keep you feeling that summer vibe!

Beautiful beans and Juicy Corn

Often overlooked among the summer bounty are the beautiful beans - delicate haricot vert, pretty pink barlotti, meaty Romano beans and even fresh shelling beans. These tasty, crunchy veggies are surprisingly high in protein. Use them to make your very first cool weather soups - a minestrone, maybe, with ripe summer tomatoes and zucchini? Or a soupy succotash with corn. Sweet summer corn is still here - and so easy to cook you shouldn't miss it. Corn after September just isn't worth your time, so try it now! Freeze some for later and thank yourself!