I remember, back when I was a kid, my family used to can a lot of fruit – peaches, pears, cherries, and apricots, especially. It was a big deal, with friends and family members coming over to help out, juggling boxes of fruit, sinkfuls of fruit, steaming jars and the bubbling, speckled blue canner on the stove. It was a big ordeal, and whenever a new fruit was in season, the process would start all over again. When it was finished, and the last jar had popped, tightly sealed, the jars were lined up neatly on shelves in “the cold room,” downstairs. It was always nice to have preserved fruit on hand throughout the year.

When I grew up and went out on my own, I still enjoyed the fruits of this labour, both from my mom and my grandmother, who would generously share their stash. When I started my own family, my mom so kindly volunteered to help me start canning my own produce. For a few years, I tried to do the grown-up, motherly thing and can a few dozen jars of peaches for my kids. They enjoyed having them in oatmeal, and sometimes just by the bowl. As I recall, I tended to can about two dozen jars, which would give us a ration of two jars a month which would be plenty, I assured my mom (who was convinced I really should do more).

But the fact is… I hate canning. Oh the steam, right in the hottest part of summer, the fiddly peeling of fruit, the fussing over sterile jars and lids… Okay, I admit I’m a culinary wimp. But I quickly swore off of canning, much to my mother’s chagrin.

Instead, I switched to freezing, which is still a bit fiddly when it comes to preparing the fruit, but is much quicker and more straight forward than canning. After cleaning, cutting and peeling the fruit I usually measure 1-2 cupfuls into a freezer bag, pop them in the freezer and Bob’s your uncle! 

I started this summer off with about 20 cups of frozen cherries. This year they’re in ginormous  bags (five cups of cherries per bag!) because they only had the big bags in stock at the store at the time. Five cups frozen together is a bit unwieldy, and I recommend measuring smaller amounts like 1-2 cups per much smaller bag, as that’s more likely what you need for a recipe.

Sadly, I missed our Okanagan strawberry season this year, but they are wonderful to slice and freeze as well. Next week I will have 20 pounds of blueberries to freeze, and by the end of the month the peaches should be ready. That will give us a nice stash of fruits to use in smoothies, pancakes, sauces and other treats, through the fall and winter until the next year of fresh fruits are ready.

What will you preserve this summer, and what’s your favourite way to do it?