Preserving garden fruits

The shelf life of fruits

Not all fruits have the same shelf life:

• Damaged or fallen fruits: these should be consumed first, either fresh or processed (jams, compotes…) if too damaged.
• Short shelf-life fruits: most red berries can be kept for about 2 days at room temperature (or in the fridge if needed) and should be eaten quickly or processed (purées, ice creams…).
• Medium shelf-life fruits: some fruits can be picked slightly before ripeness, as they continue to ripen after harvest. This applies to apricots, peaches, nectarines, figs and plums. You can store them for about one to two weeks, preferably at room temperature, checking them regularly. Avoid the fridge if possible, as it tends to alter the fruit’s flavours. To speed up ripening, place these fruits next to apples, which naturally release ethene.
• Long shelf-life fruits: apples, pears and kiwis can be stored for several weeks or even months. Spread the fruits (healthy and dry) on wooden crates lined with newspaper, with the pedunculate end down for apples and up for pears. The fruits should not touch each other and should be arranged in a single layer. Store these fruits in a cool (6 to 10°C), dark and well-ventilated place. Hazelnuts and walnuts, once dried, can be kept in the same location.

Long-term preservation methods

Freezing:

This method works perfectly for most fruits, though some precautions should be taken:

• Use only healthy, washed fruits.
• Remove the stone from stone fruits and cut them in half if necessary.
• Peel, remove the pips and cook pip fruits before freezing, especially pears.
• Add lemon juice to prevent peaches and apples from browning.
• Small fruits can be frozen whole, after removing the stems for strawberries.
• If you want frozen fruits to separate easily, freeze them first spread out on a tray before placing them in freezer boxes or bags.

After thawing, the fruits will be slightly softer and can be used in various culinary preparations (pies, coulis…).

Jar preserves:

This very traditional preservation method can be used for most garden fruits: apricots, pears, peaches, cherries, mirabelles, strawberries…

• Use only healthy, washed fruits.
• Cut them into pieces (except cherries, mirabelles and red fruits), peel, remove pips or stones if necessary.
• Fill glass jars previously sterilised with boiling water.
• If adding boiling water or sugar syrup, leave a 2 cm gap at the top of the jar. Otherwise, fill the jar entirely with fruits, packing them tightly.
• Seal the jars airtight and sterilise them (pressure cooker, steriliser…).

Preserving fruits by transforming them

Whatever the transformation, the fruits will first be washed, then depending on the case, peeled, deseeded, stoned before being cut into pieces

• jams, compotes and jellies: homemade preparations are an opportunity to try new fruit combinations and add some spices according to your taste! For jam, cook the fruit and sugar, adding lemon or apple juice if necessary to provide some pectin. After skimming, fill the jars previously sterilised with boiling water and immediately turn them upside down. Jellies are made in the same way, using the juice of fruits rich in pectin (currants, apples, blackberries…). For compotes, cook the fruit plain or with sugar and water. Purée and blend if needed. Consume the compote quickly or jar it.
• coulis, ice creams and sorbets: red fruits and peaches can be blended raw while apricots and plums should be cooked in sugared water before blending. Add a little sugar or lemon if necessary in the coulis. Consume them quickly or freeze them, for example in ice cube trays or silicone moulds to obtain small portions. Ice creams and sorbets can be made with or without an ice cream maker. Ice creams contain dairy products (milk, cream) and sometimes eggs, while sorbets are made from a mixture of fruit, water and sugar.

You can also make fruit pastes, candied fruits or simply fruit syrups, by cooking the fruit juice with sugar.