Preserve fruit and flowers for long enjoyment.
Many gardeners enjoy making pretty bouquets from their flower gardens and creating dishes that use produce and herbs from other plots. When gardeners have a surplus of produce or flowers, some give them away as gifts, compost them or try to use them all. Others, however, take a more practical approach and preserve their fresh fruits for the coming cold season. Some may also want to preserve fresh flowers, especially if they are a gift for a loved one or the arrangement took a lot of time and patience. Fortunately, there are ways to preserve both fresh fruits and flowers so that gardeners and recipients can enjoy them for a long time to come.
Instructions
Flowers
1. Preserve your flowers before they begin to wilt. If you try to preserve them after petals start to wrinkle and leaves begin to yellow, they will not absorb the glycerin fast enough to preserve.
2. Mix about two parts water to one part glycerin when you first cut or receive the flowers. Glycerin is a liquid preservative present in children's bubbles and liquid soaps. It is available at craft stores.
3. Slice one-inch vertical lines into the base of each flower stem before placing them in the glycerin. This helps the flowers absorb the solution. Place the flowers in the solution.
4. Replace the glycerin water solution as often as necessary for about two weeks. Remove the flowers from the vase and watch them for signs of wilt. If they begin to wilt, tie their stems loosely together and hang them upside down in a dark, cool place for a few days to allow the glycerin to reach the leaves and petals.
Fruit
5. Wash, dry and pit your fruits before preserving; prepare them as if you are getting ready to eat them. Berries like blueberries, grapes and raspberries don't need to be sliced, but you should pit cherries and slice up apples, pears and peaches before preserving.
6. Crush two 500 milligram vitamin C tablets per pint of water you need to cover your prepared fruit. These tablets, available at grocery stores, will help keep fruit from darkening and make sure the flesh stays firm.
7. Soak your fruit in the vitamin C water for about 10 minutes. Gently pat the fruit dry and pack each kind of fruit in its own freezer-safe plastic container. These containers should be airtight for best results. Slip the containers into the freezer to enjoy them all year long.
Tags: before preserving, begin wilt, enjoy them, fresh fruits, they begin