June 4, 2025 • 28 mins
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Episode Transcript
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(00:01):
Welcome to the PerfectlyPreserved Podcast.
I'm your host Jenny Gomes.
And I'm Anna Cash.
Here we come together to bringyou a podcast all about
preserving food safely, easily,and dare I say, perfectly.
At home.
We are master food preserversmoms wives, and we love talking
about canning.
ready to can like a masterpreserver.
(00:21):
Let's get into today's episode.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-202 (00:23):
Welcome back to another episode of the
Perfectly Preserved podcast.
I am your host Jenny, with myco-host Anna, and we are master
food preservers, and this isseason three.
We are so excited to be backwith another episode that is
going to be super helpful andactionable for you guys.
today we are gonna talk abouthow you can clean out your
(00:45):
pantries to avoid food waste,save money, and really get ready
for a productive season of foodpreservation ahead.
First of all though, a fewhousekeeping items.
Thank you so much for everyonewho's left a review.
We just had such a good stringof really beautiful reviews that
were just so lovely.
Anna and I love to share them onsocial media and thank you that
(01:06):
way.
But if you haven't left areview, go to the purple podcast
icon where or wherever youlisten and leave us a review.
It really helps new listenersfind the show.
This is our first season that wewill be on YouTube search
Perfectly Preserve podcast onYouTube, and then you can watch
us do this podcast and get yourinformation that way.
If you love video, be sure tosubscribe there.
(01:29):
Anna's doing an awesome job ofediting video and editing this
podcast so big.
Shout out to her.
Be sure that you're following uson Instagram.
I am at the domestic Wildflowerand Anna is at Smart Home
Canning.
Ask your local bookstore or findit on Amazon.
Find my book, the PressureCanning Cookbook.
And if you are interested inhaving Anna and I speak at your
(01:51):
event, we are very interestedin.
Speaking at your class,traveling and we love teaching
live classes.
Email Perfectly Preservepodcast@gmail.com.
Okay, Anna, let's dive intotoday's episode.
anna_1_05-15-2025_12435 (02:06):
Hooray.
Okay.
So I don't know about you guys,but I tend to overbuy when it
comes to groceries and I findmyself looking in my pantry or
my freezer and just wondering,why did I buy that?
What was that for?
And maybe not using it.
Also, one of the most importantthings for me as an Artisan Jam
(02:27):
producer is freezing Fruit inorder to extend the life and
season of the harvest.
And so when I look in my freezernow, I still have bags of
cherries or apricots,blackberries, things that I can
use now for jams and jelliesbecause.
(02:48):
After Christmas, I usually takea little bit of a break'cause
I'm really tired and a lot ofthat frozen fruit just kinda
sits there waiting for me to useit.
And so it's spring it's time toclean out that freezer and
prepare for the upcoming season.
I have about a month before.
I would say, yeah, about a monthbefore cherries and apricots
(03:11):
come into season where I live.
And so now is the time to cleanout my freezer.
And Jenny and I were Aboutcleaning out our deep freezers
and figuring out what to do withall of that.
Jenny, are you like me?
Do you have tons of stuff inyour freezer that you need to go
through?
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_ (03:27):
Great question.
So that's the phase that I amin, just both in life and the
time of the year in terms ofdeep cleaning.
And deep figuring out what isthere, what's still good, what
do I do with excess, and justtaking stock.
That I think something thateveryone might need a nudge to
(03:51):
do is defrosting your freezer.
If you have a freezer that needsto be defrosted, it's so awful
to do, but just make yourself doit.
It is great because it gives youa little bit more storage space
if you get rid of that big hunkof ice that's growing on the
side, and then it forces you tolook and see exactly what you
still have relabel.
(04:11):
so the phase that I'm in rightnow is the deep.
decluttering, the defrosting ofthe freezer.
And I think that if you need anudge to do it, this is your
sign.
It's a horrible chore, but it'sreally valuable, I think, to
take everything out and figureout what it is that you have,
what you don't have, andprobably toss some things that
(04:32):
maybe are super freezer burntor.
Realize, hey, I need to work upthis fruit or do something with
this particular piece of meat,whatever the case may be.
It just forces you to face allthe decisions, all the food
purchase decisions you've made.
And then once you're freezers,you frosted a good heavy duty
clean on the inside.
(04:52):
And then once you're puttingthings back in, that's your
opportunity to reorganize.
So things are like with so likeI buy my butter in bulk when I
drive across the border intoOregon and buy like I'll get a
flat of butter at a bulk foodstore or whatever, usually
Costco.
But I'll buy a lot of butter allat once and then, make sure all
the butter is together so I knowexactly how much butter there
(05:13):
really is out there.
And I just, it's a terriblechore and it's such a nuisance,
but it is so valuable becauseyou end up having a really good
sense of what you have.
And what you don't have.
So that's what I've been workingon and I'm really glad that
we're doing it because it forcesyou to figure out what it is
that you've been using and whatyou can be sure to buy more of.
(05:35):
Or if you're like, wow, I don'tactually cook a whole lot of
lamb, or we don't, we haven'tgone through this thing, then
that will inform your decisionsgoing forward.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (05:42):
Okay, so as an adult, anytime, I'm
like, I have never defrosted.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_ (05:48):
What?
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (05:49):
What does that entail?
Like you take everything out.
I never have, I don't know.
I just never have.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1 (05:55):
What is, I'm not judging.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (05:56):
if my freezer is just so full of food
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_11 (06:00):
No.
anna_1_05-15-2025_12435 (06:01):
Doesn't get a giant block of ice.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_11 (06:03):
You probably have better appliances
than I have, and you probablyhave a, like you wouldn't put an
indoor refrigerator or freezeroutside in a garage, which is so
common where I live, like Iguess it makes me sound like I'm
a hillbilly.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (06:18):
Oh, I do that.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_11 (06:20):
Why do you not get a big block of
ice?
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (06:22):
that's where my freezers are.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1143 (06:24):
I don't know what this means.
Our air's pretty dry here too.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (06:27):
my.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_ (06:29):
Mean?
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (06:29):
know.
We will have to do some
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_11 (06:31):
Oh,
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (06:31):
but I got an upright freezer For
freezing all of the fruit fromthe summer for my big Christmas
market.
And I've noticed that there islike definitely ice on the
shelves in there.
but I've never taken everythingout and unplugged it.
Is that what you do?
And then
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_ (06:50):
Yeah.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (06:50):
just put a towel down?
What do you
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1143 (06:52):
I haven't done it half as often as
I should have because it is ahuge chore.
The bigger the freezer,obviously the bigger chore it
is.
So the idea with defrosting afreezer is you take everything
out and unplug it.
So all the built up ice melts,then you soak up the moisture
probably with a towel.
A chest freezer has a littledrain on the bottom.
And as we found out, it's nothelpful if your floor isn't
(07:15):
even, and thus the drain is onthe uphill side.
In our situation, just literallythis week, we were like, wow,
that's a lot of liquid and wecan't drain it because the
garage floor's not flat anyway.
You just soak it up with bathtowels and go on about your
life.
But the defrost is definitely.
Just this big chore because youhave all this stuff that you
(07:36):
have to keep cold and presumablyyou don't have other empty
freezers to put them in.
So it's ideal if it's at a timeof your shopping schedule where
you're running low on meat oryou haven't stocked up on a lot
of things.
So late winter or spring isprobably a good time to do it.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (07:54):
Okay.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1 (07:55):
Take everything out if you have your
family's ice chest or you like,let's say you have a neighbor or
a friend or a sister nearby, youcan go put your food in their
freezer for a little while.
Like we had to haul my stuff upto my mom's freezer.
And then just fill up otherfreezers in our house.
Get it defrosted clean, probablywith the strongest cleaning
agent you feel comfortableusing.
(08:17):
And then dry and then plug backin.
Then put all your food back in.
So it's not a fun process, butit frees up space if you have a
block of ice and it forces youto look at every single thing
you had in there.
We have a big chest freezer.
We bought it years ago becausemy husband went, he had a tag to
get a moose in Alaska and Ithought we better get a freezer
(08:39):
'cause you're gonna come homewith all this meat.
And the joke was on me becausehe didn't get a moose that year.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (08:43):
Yeah.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_11 (08:44):
But we, that's how big the freezer
is.
That's life, right?
That's hunting.
But yeah.
So here's your sign,
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (08:50):
I know people that have tons of chest
freezers.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025 (08:53):
Right?
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (08:54):
I have friends with tons of chest
freezers, maybe three or fourand they use it for hunting and
all of that.
But I have one chest freezerthat's small and then a bigger
upright freezer that I use justfor my business.
Fruit and the occasional likebags and packages of salmon that
I bring
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025 (09:13):
Right.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (09:14):
And that's something that my family
did every year.
whatever you haven't eaten overthe winter, then you can it and
used canned salmon throughoutthat year.
And the fresh salmon you get,that's what you eat fresh and
from your freezer.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_114 (09:27):
So
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (09:28):
that's
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1 (09:29):
it's a big chore, but it's really
good because it cleans out whatyou need to eat up, right?
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (09:34):
Yeah.
that we've talked aboutfreezers,
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1 (09:38):
Yeah it's just like the meal planning
before the meal planning, butnow that we've talked about
freezers, Anna, what's next?
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (09:43):
So let's talk about our pantries.
I have a small little pulloutpantry in my My kitchen is very
small, but downstairs I have astorage room and that's where I
put most of my canned stuff, Andit's a good time to go through
those as well.
And I was just talking withJenny that.
This would be a perfect exampleof a time when you could look
(10:04):
through your pantry and say,I've not eaten this risoni.
Could I donate it to a pantry,Church affiliated group that
distributes food for underservedcommunities?
And I think that's a reallygreat thing to think about this
time of year, either eating itor donating it if it's within
the expiration dates.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_11 (10:24):
And it's awful to feel like you have
to make a mess of your housewhen you're probably trying to
do the opposite, but takingeverything off the shelf.
Forces you to assess what youreally do have and put things
back in categories.
We have a great article by thecooperative Extension Illinois,
and they suggest to organizeyour pantry, put items by
(10:47):
category like pastas together,grains together, and beans
together.
And then, I would say Anna and Iare probably not necessarily
pro.
Store-bought organizers, butsometimes they can be really
helpful in terms of getting ariser.
So like little jars of thingscan be visible from the back and
it's hard to say what might bemost useful for you.
(11:09):
Maybe that cupboard really needsa lazy Susan and you can score
one at a thrift store becausejust being able to see what you
have can make a difference in.
Overbuying or just using up whatyou already have.
And I think when it's time forthis season, right?
Usually for me personally, italigns with Lent.
And for my Lent observance, Iusually try and give up extra
(11:30):
spending.
So I combine the ideas of likespring cleaning and then like
spiritual readiness just intoone thing where I'm just trying
to eat up the food we have inthe house, trying to clean out
what, get rid of the things Idon't need and donate what I
don't need and just notshopping.
'cause it's oh, I'm at thegrocery store and that's on sale
and that looks good and thatwould be good for dinner and
that like little dopamineshopping.
(11:52):
I try and give that up in thespringtime and trying to just
use up the things that we haveand that's, we happen to have a
lot of rice, so that's whatwe're having for dinner.
Even if it's not like everyone'sfavorite or the most exciting.
Meal, but that's how I approachit.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (12:08):
I love that idea.
Even though I'm not Catholic, Ilove the idea of Lent and trying
to do something.
Is the premise behind Lent thatyou give up something?
Or what is the premise behindLent?
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1143 (12:20):
I wanna say that anyone can
practice lentin if you don'twanna align yourself with.
Any particular religiousaffiliation, then just call it
like a month of spring cleaningor 40 days of spring cleaning,
because it is so much betterthan a weekend.
It is so much harder andchallenges are really good for
us.
As a progressive Catholicperson, the idea with Lent is to
(12:41):
give up something in order toready yourself for Easter.
And usually like with littlekids, it's okay, we're gonna
have no dessert for they usuallychoose something little like
that or adopting.
An attitude of prayer or likeadding in something to your
life, but generally, most peoplegive up something for Lent.
For adults, a lot of times it'slike giving up scrolling or
screens or social media, givingup alcohol, giving up red meat
(13:05):
people choose.
A lot of things to abstain from.
And I started doing this severalyears ago, I felt like I was
doing a lot of dopamine shoppingin terms of oh, that looks like
it'd be fun to make, or the kidsmight like that for their
lunches just grocery shoppingfrom this not place of
practical, but more like I'm nota frivolous person, but I just
feel like I was starting todopamine shop.
(13:25):
I'm not sure how else todescribe that.
So during this season ofspringtime, I try really hard to
combine the observance of givingup with the practical sense.
It's really good to eat up thefood you already have in your
house.
And I combine the two into one.
Long answer.
Sorry.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (13:43):
Yeah.
No, I love that.
I think for those of us thatlove food and love cooking, Is
very much a thing.
And that's what I meant when Isaid, when I looked in my
cupboard and I was like, why didI buy capers?
What is the point of that?
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1 (13:57):
What was I?
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (13:58):
For that?
Yeah.
What was that?
But yesterday I looked in mypantry and I had gotten dry red
beans on sale.
I had two pounds and I keptthinking, oh yeah, I'll use that
in a recipe.
But like for me, I don't use drybeans very often, have them
soaking right To can a bunch ofdry red beans.
(14:19):
I'm not canning dry.
Like you
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_ (14:21):
Yeah.
anna_1_05-15-2025_12 (14:22):
definitely want to soak them or cook them a
little bit before you do that.
But yeah, just making thingsavailable that is front of mind.
You're thinking Going to eat inthe future.
I love thinking about that and Ilike that you pair it with
spring cleaning or lent orwhatever.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_ (14:39):
Yeah.
You can package it, howeverworks for you, I think.
But it's fine and dandy to cleanfor a weekend.
But if you put yourself, that'swhat I think is the valuable
about the Lent idea, is if yougive yourself like every day of
June, I'm gonna be thoughtfulabout this.
I'm not a person who has everbeen a budget person.
I'm not really a number focusedperson.
(15:01):
I'm more of like a big pictureperson.
However, something that has beenvaluable for me is writing down
what I spend on groceries, likeafter I go to the grocery store.
For us, let's say all of June,I'll do it, write down what I
spent on groceries on that date,and then the next time I go to
(15:21):
the grocery store it's okay,I've already spent this much and
I'll have a number in my mind.
I'm like, I'm gonna try and getit under this many dollars for
this month and just really tryand challenge myself, which is
different than a budget.
It's more like I just set it uplike that because to me it
almost seems like a competition,and to me personally, that's.
I feel more moti or it's likemore fun or more motivating or
(15:42):
more gamified or somehow, Idon't know.
I don't know how fun it is, butthat's how it makes sense in my
brain.
So maybe if someone out there isnot really a budget person or
doesn't like, like keeping tracklike that, it's not even like
keeping track.
It's just okay, I'm gonna tryand keep it under this big
number, or let's see how low Ican go or how long I could wait
in between the dates.
That's the other part of it.
I like to see how long can I gowithout going to the store.
(16:03):
That's just, we gotta try andget ourselves to do the hard
things, but
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (16:07):
And I do feel like we're very lucky in
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_ (16:10):
yeah.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (16:10):
have pantries that we can go through
out what exactly we're eatingand not eating.
But it does keep it front ofmind for me anyway, just
deciding I'm not, we haven'treally been eating a lot of To
remember that the next time I goto the grocery store that I
don't need to stock up on.
I dunno.
Shredded wheat
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1 (16:30):
This article from Illinois State
Extension also had good, quicktips for the refrigerator, which
I thought.
I just got a new refrigerator,the first new refrigerator of my
life, and I thought this wouldbe helpful for some of our
listeners.
So crisper drawers are great forproduce, which probably most of
you know, and it's great forextending the life of your
(16:51):
produce.
The refrigerator drawer is thewarmest part of the
refrigerator, and you shouldstore items that are least
likely to spoil in the door.
Condiments and beverages are agreat choice.
Bottom shelf is the best placeto store any raw meat fish in
case your package leaks.
And then it said that if youhave a mini fridge, the back of
(17:13):
the fridge is the and getswarmer closer to the door.
So avoid storing produce towardthe back, or it may freeze,
which in my experience, that hasbeen a hundred percent the case.
I just thought that was useful.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (17:24):
Yeah.
That's a great tip.
I have noticed that as well,that.
We have two little refrigeratorsout in our rental and people are
always like, oh, the lettuce Ibought is frozen near the back.
And I'm like, oh yeah, I shouldhave mentioned
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_ (17:40):
yeah.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (17:41):
that you should store your produce a
little closer to the front ofthe door.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_11 (17:45):
And it's hard.
And of course if it's like anewer and better appliance, then
you'll have less likelihood ofthat happening.
But we can't always just likemagically get the new appliance.
So it's good to know those typesof details.
So the other thing withspringtime is the seasonality
and the wonderful things thatare available for us to eat or
preserve or think about in thespringtime.
(18:07):
And Anna, tell us what you'recanning right now.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (18:11):
Oh, okay.
So for those of you that can'tsee those on the podcast, that
can't see the video, I'm sittingright next to a giant, gorgeous
basket of lilacs and some jarsthat are filled with lilac
blooms.
I am making lilac jelly.
Lilac syrup, and then I'm alsodrying lilac blooms.
Lilac are the blooms are 100%edible and so the dried lilac
(18:37):
you can put in baked goods or ontop of a cake.
I thought it would be so cute tocreate the lilac lovers bundle
for my business.
And so I've been making jellyand like I said, the dried lilac
sugar and lilac blooms.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_11 (18:53):
How are you doing?
The blooms.
how are you doing?
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (18:55):
You mean drying
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_ (18:56):
Yeah.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (18:57):
Oh yeah.
So I have a dehydrator and Ihave I think I wanna say 10
trays on my dehydrator.
And.
put'em on the trays and theytake usually about like 12 hours
at 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
flowers, you have to be verygentle with dehydrating them.
(19:18):
You can also lay them out onparchment, but like to preserve,
I don't know the color and theshape, and I feel like a really
heat Tray is the place to dothat.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025 (19:32):
That's amazing.
That's the tip I needed to hear.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (19:35):
what do you dry flowers,
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1 (19:37):
I've never done it.
But my daughter is a superenthusiastic little baker.
She's 13.
And she loves baking.
Beautiful and complicated anddifficult baked things like, our
favorite show is the GreatBritish Baking Show, so I
definitely need to dry her someflowers.
We need to do that because Ididn't even think of doing that.
That's such a seasonallydelightful thing to do.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (20:00):
Yeah.
And in our first episode of thePerfectly Preserved podcast of
season three, we did talk aboutthe Meghan Markle Netflix
special documentary thing, andshe sprinkles little dried
flowers over everything.
It's oh, it just needs a littlebit of whimsy.
And so there's blends that youcan get off Etsy or Amazon from
(20:21):
people drying flowers.
And I was like, huh, I think Icould do that.
I could literally dry flowerspeople could use on their edible
goods.
So that's what I'm doing rightnow.
I'm doing lilac, but then Ithink I will also do calendula
or, I don't know.
I need to think about it, but.
(20:42):
Those are just some of theflowers that I'm doing right
now.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1 (20:46):
That sounds awesome.
anna_1_05-15-2025_1243 (20:47):
daughter would love it.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_11 (20:48):
She would, she really would, and I
need to probably do that becauseI think that's, think of that
for our listeners.
If you don't know, dehydratingis probably one of the least
labor intensive foodpreservation tasks.
Wouldn't you agree, Anna?
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (21:04):
Yeah, it's really easy.
For this project it is a littlebit more time consuming because
I do have to take the blooms offof the stems, and sometimes if
the flowers are really small, itcan be time consuming.
But other things like apricots,dried apricots are super easy to
dehydrate cherries.
I don't know, like I've, I usemy dehydrator all the time.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_114 (21:26):
I.
I am hoping to use it more oftennow that my kitchen edition is
done and I have the spacebecause they are very beginner
friendly.
I feel like they are very verypractical, very low likelihood
of screwing something up ormaking a mistake, and I feel
like people could be reallysuccessful with them.
Definitely check out our episodeall about dehydrating in season
(21:47):
one.
Because we go over a lot ofreally great best practices for
dehydrating, but I never eventhought of dehydrating flowers.
That's such a great idea.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (21:55):
Yeah and do be careful, like there
are flowers that aren't edible.
Always make sure and Do yourresearch.
I was looking at red Bud Trees.
You ever seen those?
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1143 (22:07):
I think so.
I should google the pictureright now just to
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (22:10):
they make the prettiest red flowers.
They're almost like a fuchsiacolor.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_114 (22:14):
Oh yes.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (22:15):
I tasted one off of my friend's
tree, and it's so beautiful.
I wanna plant a red bud in myyard somewhere.
I need to figure out a placeit's edible.
And I was just like, oh my gosh,I could do that.
Yeah.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_11 (22:27):
oh, they're beautiful.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (22:29):
things like dandelions.
Yeah.
Or foria.
Those are yellow.
Yeah, I think there's a lot ofjoy that you can get from
dehydrating flowers Or using,utilizing flowers from the
natural world that you wouldn'tnecessarily think of.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1 (22:49):
See, we're so practical.
Anna and I are both verypractical people and food
preservation is so practical.
But we also really love thebeautiful, the delicious, the
excellent quality.
We really love both of thosethings, and we believe that you
can do.
Those things together at thesame time.
As you defrost your freezer, asyou clean out your pantry
cupboard, as you clean out therefrigerator, as you go through
(23:12):
the chores of cleaning thingsout before food preservation
season really starts rocking.
You also can think about whatwould be delightful or delicious
or extra special to have on handit's okay if you just can one
batch of one.
Beautiful.
Not super practical thing.
Like we love doing that.
And that's what's so great aboutsmall batches.
(23:33):
You can just, can a few littlejars of chocolate cherry jam is
a weird preserve and I don'twanna eat on every bagel all
year long.
But I try to can one littlebatch every year because ooh,
every once in a while you wantsome weird chocolatey thing
that's, decadent or different
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (23:49):
yes.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_ (23:50):
Yeah, the lemon curd.
Love to, can that'cause youdon't eat it all the time, but
sometimes, man, we love thosedelicious little treasures.
It's really so fun, I think.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (24:00):
Yeah, in one of the delights of
hostessing, I feel anyway, issaying, oh, this one teeny
little jar, Of chocolate cherryjam on a little crostini or
something.
For me right now, it's lilacjelly like crackers and a really
hard cheese.
A little bit of lilac jelly isjust delightful.
(24:20):
If somebody comes over to visit,just being like, Hey, do you
wanna try some of this lilacjelly I just made?
Who would say no to that?
Wonderful.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_11 (24:29):
And it just feels like something
fresh and new and different.
Something you're not gonna getat the store, which is fine if
you buy stuff at the store, andwe all do, but I feel like it
just is extra.
I don't know, extra special.
And this is jumping subjects alittle bit, but thinking about
spring preserving I live reallyrurally and my daughter and I
have detected that there are acouple of stray cats in our very
(24:51):
remote gulch and in our searchfor these kitty cats that we're
pretty sure are out there thatwe want to love and get fixed
and hopefully provide them withsomewhere so that they can stick
around to eat my mice.
I found.
So many great spruce tips thatI'm going to make into a spring
(25:12):
jam.
And I didn't think we had anytrees here that were the right.
Thing and they are.
As we were hiking about andtrying to be not frightening to
any hiding kitty cats that weare pretty sure out there, I was
like, oh, Scarlet, get somethingto put these in.
So we were, I'm gonna try andwork on that in the next couple
days.
So what was that episode called?
(25:34):
We had such a good episodeabout, herbal, floral and
evergreen preserving.
So just all things springy.
And it was this time last yearwe did this great episode and I
feel it was maybe like theunsung hero of season two set so
many good recipe ideas forspringtime preserving.
So be sure to check that out.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (25:54):
Yeah, that was last year was the first
time that I made a Foria jellyand a spruce tip jelly, and I
wasn't sure how they were gonnasell, so I just did a very small
run of it.
And I had some extras and Ibrought'em to that Christmas And
they sold the fastest.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-202 (26:14):
Really?
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (26:14):
People were like, what?
Spruce tip?
And so now I know that next,
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_ (26:19):
yeah.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (26:20):
in the next couple weeks, I need to be
keeping my out for spruce tips.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_ (26:24):
Yeah.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (26:25):
a lot of this lilac jelly because it
is so seasonal.
It's like it, I wanna say in mybackyard.
My lilac lasted three weeks.
And I'm lucky enough where Ilive that if I just go 30
minutes up into the valley, it'sabout a thousand feet
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_11 (26:42):
oh.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (26:42):
in elevation.
So once I get done in my yard,luckily I can go up to the
valley and I have some friendsthat have lilac bushes and
they're like, oh sure, come getwhatever.
So it's a real treat and a realgift, and I don't take it for
granted that I live in a placewith such drastic elevation
changes.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_114 (27:00):
So if you are curious, you can
Google.
Spruce tip jelly recipe.
And there's a good one on SouthDakota Public Radio.
And this is the one wereferenced in the episode last
season.
It talks about spruce being notthe only edible conifer.
It has really great, lovelylittle pictures.
It uses pomona's pectin, whichwe have a episode all about
(27:22):
Pomona's pectin, i'll just tellyou what it says.
It's six cups spruce tips, sixcups water, two cups cane sugar,
which is so great.
Many times jelly recipes haveway more sugar, half a cup
bottled lemon juice fiveteaspoons, pomona's pectin, and
a quarter cup.
Good quality honey.
So it's not a crazy ingredientlist.
(27:42):
It gives the canninginstructions.
It's a good little recipe.
So there's your bonus contentyou didn't know you were gonna
get on today's episode was aspruce tip jelly recipe and
inspiration to dehydrateflowers.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (27:55):
All right.
Thank you so much everyone forjoining on this episode.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1 (27:59):
Yes.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (27:59):
this content, please share it online.
Please leave a review and asalways, our episodes come out on
Wednesday morning,
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1 (28:07):
Yes.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (28:07):
catch the next episode.
Wednesday mornings, I try tohave them out by 5:00 AM Mount
Standard time.
So thanks for listening and havea great day.
That's our show.
We don't want you to miss anepisode, so please be sure to
subscribe.
If you found this episodehelpful and informative, please
give our show a rating andreview.
It only takes a few seconds andit really helps our show grow.
(28:30):
Follow us on social media atSmart Home Canning and at the
domestic wildflower.
Email your preserving questionsto Perfectly Preserved
podcast@gmail.com and we will doour best to answer your
questions on the show.
Thanks so much for listening.
Stay tuned for our next episodereleased every week.
Welcome to the PerfectlyPreserved Podcast.
I'm your host Jenny Gomes.
And I'm Anna Cash.
Here we come together to bringyou a podcast all about
preserving food safely, easily,and dare I say, perfectly.
At home.
We are master food preserversmoms wives, and we love talking
about canning.
ready to can like a masterpreserver.
(00:21):
Let's get into today's episode.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-202 (00:23):
Welcome back to another episode of the
Perfectly Preserved podcast.
I am your host Jenny, with myco-host Anna, and we are master
food preservers, and this isseason three.
We are so excited to be backwith another episode that is
going to be super helpful andactionable for you guys.
today we are gonna talk abouthow you can clean out your
(00:45):
pantries to avoid food waste,save money, and really get ready
for a productive season of foodpreservation ahead.
First of all though, a fewhousekeeping items.
Thank you so much for everyonewho's left a review.
We just had such a good stringof really beautiful reviews that
were just so lovely.
Anna and I love to share them onsocial media and thank you that
(01:06):
way.
But if you haven't left areview, go to the purple podcast
icon where or wherever youlisten and leave us a review.
It really helps new listenersfind the show.
This is our first season that wewill be on YouTube search
Perfectly Preserve podcast onYouTube, and then you can watch
us do this podcast and get yourinformation that way.
If you love video, be sure tosubscribe there.
(01:29):
Anna's doing an awesome job ofediting video and editing this
podcast so big.
Shout out to her.
Be sure that you're following uson Instagram.
I am at the domestic Wildflowerand Anna is at Smart Home
Canning.
Ask your local bookstore or findit on Amazon.
Find my book, the PressureCanning Cookbook.
And if you are interested inhaving Anna and I speak at your
(01:51):
event, we are very interestedin.
Speaking at your class,traveling and we love teaching
live classes.
Email Perfectly Preservepodcast@gmail.com.
Okay, Anna, let's dive intotoday's episode.
anna_1_05-15-2025_12435 (02:06):
Hooray.
Okay.
So I don't know about you guys,but I tend to overbuy when it
comes to groceries and I findmyself looking in my pantry or
my freezer and just wondering,why did I buy that?
What was that for?
And maybe not using it.
Also, one of the most importantthings for me as an Artisan Jam
(02:27):
producer is freezing Fruit inorder to extend the life and
season of the harvest.
And so when I look in my freezernow, I still have bags of
cherries or apricots,blackberries, things that I can
use now for jams and jelliesbecause.
(02:48):
After Christmas, I usually takea little bit of a break'cause
I'm really tired and a lot ofthat frozen fruit just kinda
sits there waiting for me to useit.
And so it's spring it's time toclean out that freezer and
prepare for the upcoming season.
I have about a month before.
I would say, yeah, about a monthbefore cherries and apricots
(03:11):
come into season where I live.
And so now is the time to cleanout my freezer.
And Jenny and I were Aboutcleaning out our deep freezers
and figuring out what to do withall of that.
Jenny, are you like me?
Do you have tons of stuff inyour freezer that you need to go
through?
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_ (03:27):
Great question.
So that's the phase that I amin, just both in life and the
time of the year in terms ofdeep cleaning.
And deep figuring out what isthere, what's still good, what
do I do with excess, and justtaking stock.
That I think something thateveryone might need a nudge to
(03:51):
do is defrosting your freezer.
If you have a freezer that needsto be defrosted, it's so awful
to do, but just make yourself doit.
It is great because it gives youa little bit more storage space
if you get rid of that big hunkof ice that's growing on the
side, and then it forces you tolook and see exactly what you
still have relabel.
(04:11):
so the phase that I'm in rightnow is the deep.
decluttering, the defrosting ofthe freezer.
And I think that if you need anudge to do it, this is your
sign.
It's a horrible chore, but it'sreally valuable, I think, to
take everything out and figureout what it is that you have,
what you don't have, andprobably toss some things that
(04:32):
maybe are super freezer burntor.
Realize, hey, I need to work upthis fruit or do something with
this particular piece of meat,whatever the case may be.
It just forces you to face allthe decisions, all the food
purchase decisions you've made.
And then once you're freezers,you frosted a good heavy duty
clean on the inside.
(04:52):
And then once you're puttingthings back in, that's your
opportunity to reorganize.
So things are like with so likeI buy my butter in bulk when I
drive across the border intoOregon and buy like I'll get a
flat of butter at a bulk foodstore or whatever, usually
Costco.
But I'll buy a lot of butter allat once and then, make sure all
the butter is together so I knowexactly how much butter there
(05:13):
really is out there.
And I just, it's a terriblechore and it's such a nuisance,
but it is so valuable becauseyou end up having a really good
sense of what you have.
And what you don't have.
So that's what I've been workingon and I'm really glad that
we're doing it because it forcesyou to figure out what it is
that you've been using and whatyou can be sure to buy more of.
(05:35):
Or if you're like, wow, I don'tactually cook a whole lot of
lamb, or we don't, we haven'tgone through this thing, then
that will inform your decisionsgoing forward.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (05:42):
Okay, so as an adult, anytime, I'm
like, I have never defrosted.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_ (05:48):
What?
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (05:49):
What does that entail?
Like you take everything out.
I never have, I don't know.
I just never have.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1 (05:55):
What is, I'm not judging.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (05:56):
if my freezer is just so full of food
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_11 (06:00):
No.
anna_1_05-15-2025_12435 (06:01):
Doesn't get a giant block of ice.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_11 (06:03):
You probably have better appliances
than I have, and you probablyhave a, like you wouldn't put an
indoor refrigerator or freezeroutside in a garage, which is so
common where I live, like Iguess it makes me sound like I'm
a hillbilly.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (06:18):
Oh, I do that.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_11 (06:20):
Why do you not get a big block of
ice?
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (06:22):
that's where my freezers are.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1143 (06:24):
I don't know what this means.
Our air's pretty dry here too.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (06:27):
my.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_ (06:29):
Mean?
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (06:29):
know.
We will have to do some
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_11 (06:31):
Oh,
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (06:31):
but I got an upright freezer For
freezing all of the fruit fromthe summer for my big Christmas
market.
And I've noticed that there islike definitely ice on the
shelves in there.
but I've never taken everythingout and unplugged it.
Is that what you do?
And then
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_ (06:50):
Yeah.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (06:50):
just put a towel down?
What do you
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1143 (06:52):
I haven't done it half as often as
I should have because it is ahuge chore.
The bigger the freezer,obviously the bigger chore it
is.
So the idea with defrosting afreezer is you take everything
out and unplug it.
So all the built up ice melts,then you soak up the moisture
probably with a towel.
A chest freezer has a littledrain on the bottom.
And as we found out, it's nothelpful if your floor isn't
(07:15):
even, and thus the drain is onthe uphill side.
In our situation, just literallythis week, we were like, wow,
that's a lot of liquid and wecan't drain it because the
garage floor's not flat anyway.
You just soak it up with bathtowels and go on about your
life.
But the defrost is definitely.
Just this big chore because youhave all this stuff that you
(07:36):
have to keep cold and presumablyyou don't have other empty
freezers to put them in.
So it's ideal if it's at a timeof your shopping schedule where
you're running low on meat oryou haven't stocked up on a lot
of things.
So late winter or spring isprobably a good time to do it.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (07:54):
Okay.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1 (07:55):
Take everything out if you have your
family's ice chest or you like,let's say you have a neighbor or
a friend or a sister nearby, youcan go put your food in their
freezer for a little while.
Like we had to haul my stuff upto my mom's freezer.
And then just fill up otherfreezers in our house.
Get it defrosted clean, probablywith the strongest cleaning
agent you feel comfortableusing.
(08:17):
And then dry and then plug backin.
Then put all your food back in.
So it's not a fun process, butit frees up space if you have a
block of ice and it forces youto look at every single thing
you had in there.
We have a big chest freezer.
We bought it years ago becausemy husband went, he had a tag to
get a moose in Alaska and Ithought we better get a freezer
(08:39):
'cause you're gonna come homewith all this meat.
And the joke was on me becausehe didn't get a moose that year.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (08:43):
Yeah.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_11 (08:44):
But we, that's how big the freezer
is.
That's life, right?
That's hunting.
But yeah.
So here's your sign,
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (08:50):
I know people that have tons of chest
freezers.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025 (08:53):
Right?
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (08:54):
I have friends with tons of chest
freezers, maybe three or fourand they use it for hunting and
all of that.
But I have one chest freezerthat's small and then a bigger
upright freezer that I use justfor my business.
Fruit and the occasional likebags and packages of salmon that
I bring
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025 (09:13):
Right.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (09:14):
And that's something that my family
did every year.
whatever you haven't eaten overthe winter, then you can it and
used canned salmon throughoutthat year.
And the fresh salmon you get,that's what you eat fresh and
from your freezer.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_114 (09:27):
So
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (09:28):
that's
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1 (09:29):
it's a big chore, but it's really
good because it cleans out whatyou need to eat up, right?
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (09:34):
Yeah.
that we've talked aboutfreezers,
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1 (09:38):
Yeah it's just like the meal planning
before the meal planning, butnow that we've talked about
freezers, Anna, what's next?
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (09:43):
So let's talk about our pantries.
I have a small little pulloutpantry in my My kitchen is very
small, but downstairs I have astorage room and that's where I
put most of my canned stuff, Andit's a good time to go through
those as well.
And I was just talking withJenny that.
This would be a perfect exampleof a time when you could look
(10:04):
through your pantry and say,I've not eaten this risoni.
Could I donate it to a pantry,Church affiliated group that
distributes food for underservedcommunities?
And I think that's a reallygreat thing to think about this
time of year, either eating itor donating it if it's within
the expiration dates.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_11 (10:24):
And it's awful to feel like you have
to make a mess of your housewhen you're probably trying to
do the opposite, but takingeverything off the shelf.
Forces you to assess what youreally do have and put things
back in categories.
We have a great article by thecooperative Extension Illinois,
and they suggest to organizeyour pantry, put items by
(10:47):
category like pastas together,grains together, and beans
together.
And then, I would say Anna and Iare probably not necessarily
pro.
Store-bought organizers, butsometimes they can be really
helpful in terms of getting ariser.
So like little jars of thingscan be visible from the back and
it's hard to say what might bemost useful for you.
(11:09):
Maybe that cupboard really needsa lazy Susan and you can score
one at a thrift store becausejust being able to see what you
have can make a difference in.
Overbuying or just using up whatyou already have.
And I think when it's time forthis season, right?
Usually for me personally, italigns with Lent.
And for my Lent observance, Iusually try and give up extra
(11:30):
spending.
So I combine the ideas of likespring cleaning and then like
spiritual readiness just intoone thing where I'm just trying
to eat up the food we have inthe house, trying to clean out
what, get rid of the things Idon't need and donate what I
don't need and just notshopping.
'cause it's oh, I'm at thegrocery store and that's on sale
and that looks good and thatwould be good for dinner and
that like little dopamineshopping.
(11:52):
I try and give that up in thespringtime and trying to just
use up the things that we haveand that's, we happen to have a
lot of rice, so that's whatwe're having for dinner.
Even if it's not like everyone'sfavorite or the most exciting.
Meal, but that's how I approachit.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (12:08):
I love that idea.
Even though I'm not Catholic, Ilove the idea of Lent and trying
to do something.
Is the premise behind Lent thatyou give up something?
Or what is the premise behindLent?
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1143 (12:20):
I wanna say that anyone can
practice lentin if you don'twanna align yourself with.
Any particular religiousaffiliation, then just call it
like a month of spring cleaningor 40 days of spring cleaning,
because it is so much betterthan a weekend.
It is so much harder andchallenges are really good for
us.
As a progressive Catholicperson, the idea with Lent is to
(12:41):
give up something in order toready yourself for Easter.
And usually like with littlekids, it's okay, we're gonna
have no dessert for they usuallychoose something little like
that or adopting.
An attitude of prayer or likeadding in something to your
life, but generally, most peoplegive up something for Lent.
For adults, a lot of times it'slike giving up scrolling or
screens or social media, givingup alcohol, giving up red meat
(13:05):
people choose.
A lot of things to abstain from.
And I started doing this severalyears ago, I felt like I was
doing a lot of dopamine shoppingin terms of oh, that looks like
it'd be fun to make, or the kidsmight like that for their
lunches just grocery shoppingfrom this not place of
practical, but more like I'm nota frivolous person, but I just
feel like I was starting todopamine shop.
(13:25):
I'm not sure how else todescribe that.
So during this season ofspringtime, I try really hard to
combine the observance of givingup with the practical sense.
It's really good to eat up thefood you already have in your
house.
And I combine the two into one.
Long answer.
Sorry.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (13:43):
Yeah.
No, I love that.
I think for those of us thatlove food and love cooking, Is
very much a thing.
And that's what I meant when Isaid, when I looked in my
cupboard and I was like, why didI buy capers?
What is the point of that?
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1 (13:57):
What was I?
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (13:58):
For that?
Yeah.
What was that?
But yesterday I looked in mypantry and I had gotten dry red
beans on sale.
I had two pounds and I keptthinking, oh yeah, I'll use that
in a recipe.
But like for me, I don't use drybeans very often, have them
soaking right To can a bunch ofdry red beans.
(14:19):
I'm not canning dry.
Like you
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_ (14:21):
Yeah.
anna_1_05-15-2025_12 (14:22):
definitely want to soak them or cook them a
little bit before you do that.
But yeah, just making thingsavailable that is front of mind.
You're thinking Going to eat inthe future.
I love thinking about that and Ilike that you pair it with
spring cleaning or lent orwhatever.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_ (14:39):
Yeah.
You can package it, howeverworks for you, I think.
But it's fine and dandy to cleanfor a weekend.
But if you put yourself, that'swhat I think is the valuable
about the Lent idea, is if yougive yourself like every day of
June, I'm gonna be thoughtfulabout this.
I'm not a person who has everbeen a budget person.
I'm not really a number focusedperson.
(15:01):
I'm more of like a big pictureperson.
However, something that has beenvaluable for me is writing down
what I spend on groceries, likeafter I go to the grocery store.
For us, let's say all of June,I'll do it, write down what I
spent on groceries on that date,and then the next time I go to
(15:21):
the grocery store it's okay,I've already spent this much and
I'll have a number in my mind.
I'm like, I'm gonna try and getit under this many dollars for
this month and just really tryand challenge myself, which is
different than a budget.
It's more like I just set it uplike that because to me it
almost seems like a competition,and to me personally, that's.
I feel more moti or it's likemore fun or more motivating or
(15:42):
more gamified or somehow, Idon't know.
I don't know how fun it is, butthat's how it makes sense in my
brain.
So maybe if someone out there isnot really a budget person or
doesn't like, like keeping tracklike that, it's not even like
keeping track.
It's just okay, I'm gonna tryand keep it under this big
number, or let's see how low Ican go or how long I could wait
in between the dates.
That's the other part of it.
I like to see how long can I gowithout going to the store.
(16:03):
That's just, we gotta try andget ourselves to do the hard
things, but
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (16:07):
And I do feel like we're very lucky in
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_ (16:10):
yeah.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (16:10):
have pantries that we can go through
out what exactly we're eatingand not eating.
But it does keep it front ofmind for me anyway, just
deciding I'm not, we haven'treally been eating a lot of To
remember that the next time I goto the grocery store that I
don't need to stock up on.
I dunno.
Shredded wheat
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1 (16:30):
This article from Illinois State
Extension also had good, quicktips for the refrigerator, which
I thought.
I just got a new refrigerator,the first new refrigerator of my
life, and I thought this wouldbe helpful for some of our
listeners.
So crisper drawers are great forproduce, which probably most of
you know, and it's great forextending the life of your
(16:51):
produce.
The refrigerator drawer is thewarmest part of the
refrigerator, and you shouldstore items that are least
likely to spoil in the door.
Condiments and beverages are agreat choice.
Bottom shelf is the best placeto store any raw meat fish in
case your package leaks.
And then it said that if youhave a mini fridge, the back of
(17:13):
the fridge is the and getswarmer closer to the door.
So avoid storing produce towardthe back, or it may freeze,
which in my experience, that hasbeen a hundred percent the case.
I just thought that was useful.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (17:24):
Yeah.
That's a great tip.
I have noticed that as well,that.
We have two little refrigeratorsout in our rental and people are
always like, oh, the lettuce Ibought is frozen near the back.
And I'm like, oh yeah, I shouldhave mentioned
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_ (17:40):
yeah.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (17:41):
that you should store your produce a
little closer to the front ofthe door.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_11 (17:45):
And it's hard.
And of course if it's like anewer and better appliance, then
you'll have less likelihood ofthat happening.
But we can't always just likemagically get the new appliance.
So it's good to know those typesof details.
So the other thing withspringtime is the seasonality
and the wonderful things thatare available for us to eat or
preserve or think about in thespringtime.
(18:07):
And Anna, tell us what you'recanning right now.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (18:11):
Oh, okay.
So for those of you that can'tsee those on the podcast, that
can't see the video, I'm sittingright next to a giant, gorgeous
basket of lilacs and some jarsthat are filled with lilac
blooms.
I am making lilac jelly.
Lilac syrup, and then I'm alsodrying lilac blooms.
Lilac are the blooms are 100%edible and so the dried lilac
(18:37):
you can put in baked goods or ontop of a cake.
I thought it would be so cute tocreate the lilac lovers bundle
for my business.
And so I've been making jellyand like I said, the dried lilac
sugar and lilac blooms.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_11 (18:53):
How are you doing?
The blooms.
how are you doing?
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (18:55):
You mean drying
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_ (18:56):
Yeah.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (18:57):
Oh yeah.
So I have a dehydrator and Ihave I think I wanna say 10
trays on my dehydrator.
And.
put'em on the trays and theytake usually about like 12 hours
at 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
flowers, you have to be verygentle with dehydrating them.
(19:18):
You can also lay them out onparchment, but like to preserve,
I don't know the color and theshape, and I feel like a really
heat Tray is the place to dothat.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025 (19:32):
That's amazing.
That's the tip I needed to hear.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (19:35):
what do you dry flowers,
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1 (19:37):
I've never done it.
But my daughter is a superenthusiastic little baker.
She's 13.
And she loves baking.
Beautiful and complicated anddifficult baked things like, our
favorite show is the GreatBritish Baking Show, so I
definitely need to dry her someflowers.
We need to do that because Ididn't even think of doing that.
That's such a seasonallydelightful thing to do.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (20:00):
Yeah.
And in our first episode of thePerfectly Preserved podcast of
season three, we did talk aboutthe Meghan Markle Netflix
special documentary thing, andshe sprinkles little dried
flowers over everything.
It's oh, it just needs a littlebit of whimsy.
And so there's blends that youcan get off Etsy or Amazon from
(20:21):
people drying flowers.
And I was like, huh, I think Icould do that.
I could literally dry flowerspeople could use on their edible
goods.
So that's what I'm doing rightnow.
I'm doing lilac, but then Ithink I will also do calendula
or, I don't know.
I need to think about it, but.
(20:42):
Those are just some of theflowers that I'm doing right
now.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1 (20:46):
That sounds awesome.
anna_1_05-15-2025_1243 (20:47):
daughter would love it.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_11 (20:48):
She would, she really would, and I
need to probably do that becauseI think that's, think of that
for our listeners.
If you don't know, dehydratingis probably one of the least
labor intensive foodpreservation tasks.
Wouldn't you agree, Anna?
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (21:04):
Yeah, it's really easy.
For this project it is a littlebit more time consuming because
I do have to take the blooms offof the stems, and sometimes if
the flowers are really small, itcan be time consuming.
But other things like apricots,dried apricots are super easy to
dehydrate cherries.
I don't know, like I've, I usemy dehydrator all the time.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_114 (21:26):
I.
I am hoping to use it more oftennow that my kitchen edition is
done and I have the spacebecause they are very beginner
friendly.
I feel like they are very verypractical, very low likelihood
of screwing something up ormaking a mistake, and I feel
like people could be reallysuccessful with them.
Definitely check out our episodeall about dehydrating in season
(21:47):
one.
Because we go over a lot ofreally great best practices for
dehydrating, but I never eventhought of dehydrating flowers.
That's such a great idea.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (21:55):
Yeah and do be careful, like there
are flowers that aren't edible.
Always make sure and Do yourresearch.
I was looking at red Bud Trees.
You ever seen those?
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1143 (22:07):
I think so.
I should google the pictureright now just to
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (22:10):
they make the prettiest red flowers.
They're almost like a fuchsiacolor.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_114 (22:14):
Oh yes.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (22:15):
I tasted one off of my friend's
tree, and it's so beautiful.
I wanna plant a red bud in myyard somewhere.
I need to figure out a placeit's edible.
And I was just like, oh my gosh,I could do that.
Yeah.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_11 (22:27):
oh, they're beautiful.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (22:29):
things like dandelions.
Yeah.
Or foria.
Those are yellow.
Yeah, I think there's a lot ofjoy that you can get from
dehydrating flowers Or using,utilizing flowers from the
natural world that you wouldn'tnecessarily think of.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1 (22:49):
See, we're so practical.
Anna and I are both verypractical people and food
preservation is so practical.
But we also really love thebeautiful, the delicious, the
excellent quality.
We really love both of thosethings, and we believe that you
can do.
Those things together at thesame time.
As you defrost your freezer, asyou clean out your pantry
cupboard, as you clean out therefrigerator, as you go through
(23:12):
the chores of cleaning thingsout before food preservation
season really starts rocking.
You also can think about whatwould be delightful or delicious
or extra special to have on handit's okay if you just can one
batch of one.
Beautiful.
Not super practical thing.
Like we love doing that.
And that's what's so great aboutsmall batches.
(23:33):
You can just, can a few littlejars of chocolate cherry jam is
a weird preserve and I don'twanna eat on every bagel all
year long.
But I try to can one littlebatch every year because ooh,
every once in a while you wantsome weird chocolatey thing
that's, decadent or different
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (23:49):
yes.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_ (23:50):
Yeah, the lemon curd.
Love to, can that'cause youdon't eat it all the time, but
sometimes, man, we love thosedelicious little treasures.
It's really so fun, I think.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (24:00):
Yeah, in one of the delights of
hostessing, I feel anyway, issaying, oh, this one teeny
little jar, Of chocolate cherryjam on a little crostini or
something.
For me right now, it's lilacjelly like crackers and a really
hard cheese.
A little bit of lilac jelly isjust delightful.
(24:20):
If somebody comes over to visit,just being like, Hey, do you
wanna try some of this lilacjelly I just made?
Who would say no to that?
Wonderful.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_11 (24:29):
And it just feels like something
fresh and new and different.
Something you're not gonna getat the store, which is fine if
you buy stuff at the store, andwe all do, but I feel like it
just is extra.
I don't know, extra special.
And this is jumping subjects alittle bit, but thinking about
spring preserving I live reallyrurally and my daughter and I
have detected that there are acouple of stray cats in our very
(24:51):
remote gulch and in our searchfor these kitty cats that we're
pretty sure are out there thatwe want to love and get fixed
and hopefully provide them withsomewhere so that they can stick
around to eat my mice.
I found.
So many great spruce tips thatI'm going to make into a spring
(25:12):
jam.
And I didn't think we had anytrees here that were the right.
Thing and they are.
As we were hiking about andtrying to be not frightening to
any hiding kitty cats that weare pretty sure out there, I was
like, oh, Scarlet, get somethingto put these in.
So we were, I'm gonna try andwork on that in the next couple
days.
So what was that episode called?
(25:34):
We had such a good episodeabout, herbal, floral and
evergreen preserving.
So just all things springy.
And it was this time last yearwe did this great episode and I
feel it was maybe like theunsung hero of season two set so
many good recipe ideas forspringtime preserving.
So be sure to check that out.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (25:54):
Yeah, that was last year was the first
time that I made a Foria jellyand a spruce tip jelly, and I
wasn't sure how they were gonnasell, so I just did a very small
run of it.
And I had some extras and Ibrought'em to that Christmas And
they sold the fastest.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-202 (26:14):
Really?
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (26:14):
People were like, what?
Spruce tip?
And so now I know that next,
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_ (26:19):
yeah.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (26:20):
in the next couple weeks, I need to be
keeping my out for spruce tips.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_ (26:24):
Yeah.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (26:25):
a lot of this lilac jelly because it
is so seasonal.
It's like it, I wanna say in mybackyard.
My lilac lasted three weeks.
And I'm lucky enough where Ilive that if I just go 30
minutes up into the valley, it'sabout a thousand feet
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_11 (26:42):
oh.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (26:42):
in elevation.
So once I get done in my yard,luckily I can go up to the
valley and I have some friendsthat have lilac bushes and
they're like, oh sure, come getwhatever.
So it's a real treat and a realgift, and I don't take it for
granted that I live in a placewith such drastic elevation
changes.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_114 (27:00):
So if you are curious, you can
Google.
Spruce tip jelly recipe.
And there's a good one on SouthDakota Public Radio.
And this is the one wereferenced in the episode last
season.
It talks about spruce being notthe only edible conifer.
It has really great, lovelylittle pictures.
It uses pomona's pectin, whichwe have a episode all about
(27:22):
Pomona's pectin, i'll just tellyou what it says.
It's six cups spruce tips, sixcups water, two cups cane sugar,
which is so great.
Many times jelly recipes haveway more sugar, half a cup
bottled lemon juice fiveteaspoons, pomona's pectin, and
a quarter cup.
Good quality honey.
So it's not a crazy ingredientlist.
(27:42):
It gives the canninginstructions.
It's a good little recipe.
So there's your bonus contentyou didn't know you were gonna
get on today's episode was aspruce tip jelly recipe and
inspiration to dehydrateflowers.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (27:55):
All right.
Thank you so much everyone forjoining on this episode.
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1 (27:59):
Yes.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (27:59):
this content, please share it online.
Please leave a review and asalways, our episodes come out on
Wednesday morning,
jenny-gomes_1_05-15-2025_1 (28:07):
Yes.
anna_1_05-15-2025_124356 (28:07):
catch the next episode.
Wednesday mornings, I try tohave them out by 5:00 AM Mount
Standard time.
So thanks for listening and havea great day.
That's our show.
We don't want you to miss anepisode, so please be sure to
subscribe.
If you found this episodehelpful and informative, please
give our show a rating andreview.
It only takes a few seconds andit really helps our show grow.
(28:30):
Follow us on social media atSmart Home Canning and at the
domestic wildflower.
Email your preserving questionsto Perfectly Preserved
podcast@gmail.com and we will doour best to answer your
questions on the show.
Thanks so much for listening.
Stay tuned for our next episodereleased every week.
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