Opal’s homestead hacks: Easy preserves
If you’ve been following Opal Harbert’s brand of “lazy” homestead tips, you see cardboard in a new light, and your garbage can is getting lighter. Birds sing your praises in thanks for their recycled snacks. (That hokey forest scene from Sleeping Beauty comes to mind: Too far, Sholeh. Too far.)
Opal was raised to make do, so even when her own family’s been relatively flush, she still saves and stretches darn near everything — with as little effort as possible. Quite handy in these bizarre times.
So now that fruit is coming in season, instead of letting it go bad try this:
“Whenever I have fruit that needs using, I chop it up and put it in a pan with a tiny bit of water, maybe a few tablespoons just to keep it from sticking,” she says. “I cook it down into a sauce and add sugar to taste.”
Opal says it’s good for compote too, a delicious addition to pancakes or waffles. When they’re berries, I like mine drizzled over cheesecake.
“If I want to turn it into jam, I just add the correct ratio of fruit pectin and put it in one of the (repurposed) jars I have rinsed and saved. Then I put it straight in the fridge. This way I don’t have to bother with canning, which can be a lengthy process,” she adds.
If you’re like me and have never used pectin, the “correct ratio” is explained at Bit.ly/3bkVpBO.
Don’t like the way some fruit turns brown while cooking?
“A little lemon juice will keep it from discoloring. It never bothered me though,” she says.
Opal says she’ll preserve any fruit this way.
“Strawberries and rhubarb are some of the earliest (crops), so soon we will be making up batches of strawberry rhubarb sauce, jam, and crisp.”
How long does it last in the fridge? Opal is quite frugal, keeping hers until she sees mold. But generally it lasts a few weeks, and jam lasts longer. Just make sure the lid’s sealed tight. Better yet, freeze it right away — it defrosts pretty quickly and lasts months.
Still better, share.
“If I don’t think I’m going to go through the entire batch before it goes bad, I put some small jars together for neighbors,” Opal says.
