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MARKET FRESH: Can, freeze and enjoy fresh produce

A s we head into the cooler fall months, the bounty of the market is winding down. September is a great month for one last push through the market to stock up on produce and put it away for winter use.

As we head into the cooler fall months, the bounty of the market is winding down.

September is a great month for one last push through the market to stock up on produce and put it away for winter use. A well-stocked freezer and pantry help make short work of mealtime preparation while still using local ingredients.

If you know how to can, even better. Many of us can wax poetic about the colourful jars of preserves in our parents' and grandparents' basements. Something about opening a jar of peaches in the middle of January transports us back to hot summer days.

If you are thinking about putting food away for the winter, why not make it a communal effort?

Farmers' markets were the community newspapers of the past. Farmers and customers came together weekly to shop, share news and socialize.

So, gather a couple of friends and meet at market. You can browse the selection of produce, sip a coffee and decide what to freeze or can. If you've really got your A-game on, an hour or two spent browsing the web or your cookbooks for freezer meals can really help focus your purchasing.

A couple of years ago I spent a fabulous day with two friends prepping a freezer full of meals. At the end of the day, we went home with 15 meals each, all made up and ready to put in the oven or slow cooker.

Think in terms of what you can do ahead of time. Tomatoes can be frozen whole in zipper lock bags. Fresh herbs can be chopped, put in ice cube trays, covered with a bit of oil and frozen. Zucchini, with its vivid green or yellow skin, is especially good shredded and frozen for use in baking. Corn comes off the cob and into bags, blueberries freeze beautifully, peaches and pears are canned or made into jams. If you have a dehydrator, you can make fruit leathers, kale chips and dried fruit.

And that's just for starters. You can also turn all those ingredients into prepared meals. Soups are especially easy to make from scratch.

And if you know how to can, homemade salsa is amazing. Visit Ken at the Red Barn tent this Sunday at the Coquitlam Farmers Market for all the ingredients. He has all kinds of tomatoes, peppers and onions, so you can truly make a salsa all your own.

Preserving food benefits us in so many ways. It's economical as food is purchased in season at its peak of flavour and best price. You control what goes into the preserved food and additives are up to you and you can tailor them to specific tastes and dietary needs.

RECIPES: MUFFINS & SALSA

In the spirit of community, here are two recipes that make use of the late summer bounty. One is for sharing and the other is excellent to make with friends.

Zucchini Muffins

c melted butter

1 /4 tsp nutmeg

c canola oil

1 cups flour

1 cups brown sugar

c whole wheat flour

2 eggs

tsp salt

2 Tbsp water

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

1 c raisins (or any dried fruit. Blueberries would work too)

1 c. shredded unsweetened coconut

2 cups zucchini, grated, squeezed and tightly packed

Mix melted butter, oil and sugar. Beat eggs and combine with water, vanilla and nutmeg.

Add to sugar mixture. Sift flours, salt and baking soda and add to mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients. Line muffin tins with paper liners and fill. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Makes 18 muffins.

Homemade Salsa

12 lb. chopped tomatoes

2 cups jalapeño peppers, chopped fine (include the seeds if you want hot salsa)

2 cups chopped red peppers

2 cups chopped green peppers

3 cups chopped onion

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp chilli powder

2 Tbsp salt

2 Tbsp Tabasco

2 packages taco seasoning

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 tbsp cumin

1 cup chopped cilantro (You can leave this out if you don't like cilantro)

Combine all ingredients in a heavy stock pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Ladle into pint jars and seal. Process 20 minutes in canner.

Notes:

If you do not know how to can, this can be frozen in small containers.

The size of chopped vegetables depends entirely on how chunky you like your salsa. You can chop the vegetables fine or coarse.

PRESERVING INFO

Check the Coquitlam Farmer's Market website for the dates of our food preserving workshops. We will be hosting information sessions at market in September and October.

Karen Curtis is the Lemonade Lady (www.kicslemonade.ca and kicslemonade.blogspot.ca) at the Coquitlam Farmers Market. Her column runs once a month during market season.