There are so many vegetables and fruits that grow abundantly during summer. Lets learn how to make use of the various produce we get from our country by preserving them as they are still fresh, and at good prices, in order for us to be able to use them later on in winter. I will be posting tips about how to preserve different summer produce throughout the coming week so make sure to stay connected.

During this post, I will be sharing tips on how to preserve: vine leaves, okra, and tomatoes.

Vine leaves:

Since our great grandparents’ ways, the method of preserving vine leaves has developed. Long ago, they used to preserve the leaves the traditional way that I will discuss in details below. However, you can use a much easier and less time-consuming method which I will also discuss. You can then choose which method you would like to use. I personally still go for the traditional way because according to my experience it preserves the taste better, and in the back of my mind, the image of my elderly doing so gives me a warm feeling during the whole process.

Picking vine leaves to preserve them for winter in brine.

• pick the ones that are in the middle of the branch, not the tiny ones, nor the hard ones
• wash them well in clean water
• adjust and stack them in bundles as shown in the picture

• in a large pot, boil water, add a hand full of sea salt, start dipping each bundle at a time, leave them in for a few minutes

• arrange the bundles in a sieve
• after all are done, leave them to cool

Meanwhile, prepare your glass jars, prepare the brine

brine:

(hot water and sea salt, 1 cup of water add one generous table-spoon of sea salt, leave to cool completey, then it is ready for use) do not use the brine while it is hot or warm, it is not good for the leaves.

as our brine and leaves are ready, we need to start the stacking.

• add one cup of the brine to the bottom of the jar
• start arranging each bundle in the jar, by also adding water until you reach the top
• add two branches of the vine tree in a cross shape to make sure the leaves are totally submerged in the brine

• place the jar in a plastic container because in a few days, fermenting process will begin, and the overflow of the brine might damage your surface

after a few days, fermentation will stop, but keep an eye on it from time to time. If you find that it needs more water, add some more brine.

shorter and simpler method for vine leaves:

after following the first few steps from the above method, until you reach the point where the vine leaves are boiled and left on a sieve to cool down, place the leaves in a freezer bag, label the bag, and keep in the freezer for later use.

the smell of the boiled leaves always reminds me of my late grandma asking me to run outside and get some vine leaves from the clay jars, as I was always fiddling around in the kitchen and my hands were small enough to fit.

Okra:

Now is a good time to buy Okra and enjoy them, since they are in season and still fresh. What I usually do is buy extra batches for me to be able to freeze some so that I can cook them in my winter meals.

• trim the tops of the Okras in a cone shape (as shown in the pic below) this might take a bit more time to make them into cone shapes, but believe me it is worth it, this way it looks better, and it will prevent the Okras from becoming gooey after washing them.

• wash the Okras (always add sea salt while washing, it helps in getting rid of any dirt in a more efficient way. (sea salt is my support whenever I wash my vegetables)
• place them on clean dry kitchen towels and leave them for a few hours

• put them in freezer bags (label the bags)

• Add them to your collection of frozen goods

Your freezer will start to look like it is getting ready for many recipes that you will use in your winter meals.

This method applies to many other vegetables  for example, Mulukhiya

Tomato:

• quarter them either with the skin on or without, it is optional. I myself keep the skin on as it is less work and most nutrients are usually in the skin.

• Place the tomatoes in a pot, without adding water, as they will release their own water, bring to boil

• Mash the completely boiled tomatoes using either a liquidizer or any masher

• transfer the tomato liquid into a glass container and place it under the sun for extra drying – if you have no time for this step, omit it and give it an extra boil instead, the more you boil, the more water evaporates, the better the paste you get.
• leave the paste to cool

There are 2 ways to preserve the paste:

1- Either fill the paste in glass bottles (put some olive oil on top to keep it from rotting and going bad) Place them on shelves in your pantry or in your fridge

2- Place the paste in freezer bags (label the bags) flatten the bags in your freezer in order for them not to take up a lot of space

*Essential tip: always make sure to arrange you freezer in a way that makes it easy for you to find your products and to be able to fit as many items possible.

It is such a busy time of the year, but yet so beautiful. enjoying the fresh harvest, preserving the extras for winter, and just by looking at my freezer and shelves getting fuller by the days, the feeling measures to none. Just like the ants in my garden, we are all collecting and preserving for winter.

Here is a gift from me to you for your summer barbecue side dishes, recipe:

• place the Okras and cherry tomatoes in a bowl
• dice some yellow or green peppers
• green onions
• slices of garlic
• coriander
• black pepper
• salt
• plenty of olive oil
• pomegranate molasses or balsamic vinegar
• chilli flakes

Mix all the ingredients together using both your hands, feeling the beauty of summer, place them in tray, cover it with foil, and bake it in the oven for 30-40 minutes depending on the quantity. Enjoy !!