What Should I Do With My Glut?

Tap what you have too much of for the best way to keep it.

Tap the crop you have too much of for the quickest safe way to keep it, using USDA and extension-tested methods.

Tomatoes: Can with 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid per pint (double for quarts), freeze peeled, or dry at 140°F.

Best methods: Canning & jam · Freezing · Dehydrating

Cucumbers: Quick dills (10 minutes for pints at low elevation), fermented dills, or refrigerator pickles. They do not freeze well except as freezer pickles.

Best methods: Canning & jam · Fermenting

Cabbage: Sauerkraut: 3 tablespoons canning salt per 5 pounds, 70 to 75°F for 3 to 4 weeks.

Best methods: Fermenting · Freezing

Snap beans: Blanch 3 minutes and freeze, pressure can (pints 20, quarts 25 minutes), or make tested dilly beans.

Best methods: Freezing · Canning & jam

Zucchini: Blanch slices 3 minutes and freeze; steam grated zucchini 1 to 2 minutes for baking.

Best methods: Freezing · Dehydrating

Sweet corn: Blanch on the cob 7 to 11 minutes by size, or 4 before cutting kernels, then freeze.

Best methods: Freezing · Dehydrating

Peppers: Freeze raw, or pickle from a tested recipe.

Best methods: Freezing · Canning & jam

Peaches: Can hot-packed halves (20 minutes pints, 25 quarts at low elevation), make jam, or freeze.

Best methods: Canning & jam · Freezing · Dehydrating

Berries: Tray-freeze, jam, or fruit leather.

Best methods: Freezing · Canning & jam · Dehydrating

Apples: Applesauce (15 minutes pints, 20 quarts), dried rings, or frozen slices.

Best methods: Canning & jam · Dehydrating · Freezing

Herbs: Dehydrate at 95 to 115°F or air-dry sturdy herbs; freeze wrapped sprigs.

Best methods: Dehydrating · Freezing

Hot peppers: Dry, freeze whole, or use a tested pepper sauce recipe.

Best methods: Dehydrating · Freezing

Greens: Blanch 2 minutes (collards 3) and freeze.

Best methods: Freezing

Eggs: Refrigerate at 40°F or below: 3 to 5 weeks in the shell. Freeze beaten eggs for longer.

Best methods: Storing eggs

Winter squash: Store whole somewhere cool; freeze cooked puree; pressure can cubes only, never puree.

Best methods: Freezing

Sources we checked (October 2026): USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning and the National Center for Home Food Preservation; USDA FSIS (eggs); Colorado State and Montana State University Extension.

The full method guides: fermenting, dehydrating, freezing, bottling & jam, and storing eggs.

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