Fall Garden Preservation: How We Harvest, Share & Store Our Backyard Bounty.
Updated: 19 hours ago
As late summer crashes into the crisp autumn air, I'm reminded of how special the seasons are here in NJ. I'm also presented with our annual garden preservation challenge: what do we do with our abundance of ripe peppers, crazy tomato vines, and overflowing herbs?
Before we even pull out the jars, our absolute favorite first step is sharing the abundance. Curating baskets of fresh produce and flowers to gift to friends and family is one of - if not the greatest joys of having a garden.
If your garden is overflowing, I always encourage you to start there: bless the people around you with the overflow first! It turns a simple backyard garden into an ongoing act of love and community.
If you’re curious about how we set up our garden space, check out How We Built Our DIY Organic Backyard Garden in NJ. Nurturing healthy, chemical-free soil from day one makes this autumn harvest so deeply rewarding.
Stewarding the Season’s Bounty
Preserving isn't just a practical kitchen project for us; it's a practice of gratitude and intentional stewardship. God provides so abundantly through our garden and taking the time to carefully harvest and store that bounty honors the time, effort and gifts He has blessed us with. When I look at a kitchen counter piled high with fresh produce, I’m reminded of a few verses that speak to intentional living and honoring the seasons:
"For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest." Ecclesiastes 3:1–2
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9
"You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." 2 Corinthians 9:11
Part 1: Dehydrating & Blending Custom Seasonings
I promise you, there is nothing quite like skipping the spice aisle at the grocery store all winter long and opening a jar filled with your own homegrown herbs, harvested and preserved at peak freshness!
In September, we harvest bundles of rosemary, thyme, oregano, chives, mint, parsley and basil, then dry them completely either hanging upside down or laying them in our dehydrator. Once dried, we break them down with our food processor and funnel them into jars of custom-blended seasonings that stock our spice cabinet for the year.
How We Do It: After drying completely, we pop our herbs into our KitchenAid Food Processor or NutriBullet Blender for a quick pulse. This gives that perfect, uniform spice-grind texture without turning it into complete dust. You can also crush them by hand or use a muddler or a pestle and mortar!
Bonus Holiday Gifts: We bottle our custom garden herb blends into mini glass jars with twine to gift during the holiday season to family, friends and co-workers!
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Part 2: Pickling & Jamming the Garden Harvest
Perfect for sandwiches, salads, tacos, or snack plates - pickled peppers and pepper jam are both wonderful and easy ways to preserve your garden!
We pickle our jalapeños, banana peppers, shishito peppers, red onions, and cucumbers with homegrown dill. We also make an awesome sweet & spicy pepper jam perfect for cheesesteaks and hoagies!
How We Do It: Pickles: We simmer one cup of vinegar on the stove with equal parts sugar and salt (1.5 tablespoons each), then pour the brine into a glass mason jar to cool. Next, we pack in our chopped garden veggies, fresh herbs, and whole black peppercorns before topping everything off with filtered water and popping it straight into the fridge!
Pepper Jams: We simmer our finely diced peppers with sugar and vinegar on the stove, low and slow, using our non-toxic stainless steel cookware until it breaks down into a thick, glossy jam that's perfect for spreading on crusty breads or sandwiches.
Storage & Gifting: We store our pickled peppers and pepper jams directly in glass Mason jars to lock in peak freshness, making them ready for easy fridge storage or instant, beautiful holiday gifting!
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Part 3: Freezing Custom Kits
Chopping and freezing is our final step, and it sets us up for fast, non-toxic weeknight dinners long after the harvest season has ended. We build pre-portioned "kits" ready to grab and cook:
Stir-Fry & Burrito Kits: Sliced bell peppers, sweet peppers and onions ready to toss straight into a hot skillet.
Gravy & Sauce Kits: Tomatoes, garlic and fresh basil portioned out for Sunday pasta sauces.
Tomato Pouches & Pepper Packs: Diced tomatoes and peppers ready for winter soups, stews and chili.
How We Protect Our Food: To prevent freezer burn and keep food fresh for up to a year, we run everything through our FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer. For items we use frequently, we love Stasher Silicone Bags and Glass Meal Prep Containers as durable, non-toxic alternatives to Tupperware.
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Start Small: You Can Do This Too!
If you feel overwhelmed by the idea of spending an entire weekend preserving food, here is my biggest encouragement: start small.
You don’t need a massive backyard, expensive commercial equipment, or even a green thumb to begin. You can pick up a bundle of organic peppers or fresh herbs from your local farmer’s market this weekend and try pickling just two small jars or drying a single batch of basil on your counter this week.
Starting small saves money, eliminates food waste, and cuts down on dinner prep time in the long run. But more than anything, there is such deep, grounding joy in learning to steward what’s right in front of you - one jar, one season and one harvest at a time.
Want to browse all of our kitchen gadgets, non-toxic glass storage, and canning supplies? You can shop our complete list on our LTK & Amazon Storefront
Cheers, Meghan
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