Tips will help preserve summer year-round

Harvest is still awhile off for most things in my garden, but I’m already making plans.

I’m eyeing eggplant chutney and pickled cantaloupe recipes, and testing fruit leathers on the little noshers in my house.

Last summer and fall, we rolled out a series on canning basics after I was trained as a Master Food Preserver through Washington State University Extension. The stories covered canning basics, fruit, vegetables, pickling, jams and jellies and tomatoes and salsa. If you missed the series, it can be found at: www.spokesman.com/tags/canning-series/

This summer, we’ll offer stories on more ways to preserve the flavor of summer. Here’s the plan:

Next Wednesday: Drying foods

July 29: Canning for special diet, including low and no-sugar preserves and low-salt recipes

Aug. 19: Pickling beyond cucumbers, including ideas for relish and chutney

In September, we’ll answer your canning questions and concerns and fill requests for preserving recipes. Send your questions and requests to lorieh@spokesman.com or The Fresh Sheet, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.

Flourgrrrl contest

You can follow former Spokesman-Review features writer Heather Lalley and her adventures in baking at the Washburne Culinary Institute in Chicago on her blog: http://flourgrrrl.blogspot.com.

Lalley is working on her first cookbook, the “Chicago Homegrown Cookbook.” She recently launched a contest those who get CSA shares (community supported agriculture) won’t want to miss. Lalley challenged other food bloggers to share their best CSA-based recipes once a week starting Monday.

She says Eating Well magazine is getting in on the action, too. Editors there are making plans to post the best recipes at www.eatingwell.com and may give prizes.

Check it out.