Interested in learning traditional methods of food preservation? Check out this roundup of must-have tips from 20 experts!
Now that you are harvesting loads of veggies, fruits, and herbs from your kitchen garden, it is time to set some aside for winter meals!

Maybe you are a farmers market shopper and just brought home an entire bushel of some seasonal delicacy. This post will give you plenty of ideas for various traditional ways to preserve your bounty.
Check out the expert round up below!

What is food preservation, exactly?
Food preservation, any of a number of methods by which food is kept from spoilage after harvest or slaughter. Such practices date to prehistoric times. Among the oldest methods of preservation are drying, refrigeration, and fermentation. ~ Britannica
Why do I need to know how to preserve food?
Knowing and mastering traditional food preservation techniques is a radical act of self-sustainability.
Modern homes rely on supermarkets and restaurants to enjoy tasty meals in winter months. This is a costly and unsustainable practice. Winter foods from these sources have less nutrition and high carbon footprints.
Mastering traditional food preservation techniques allows you to create a seasonal kitchen that offers locally sourced meals every month of the year.

Who preserves food?
Do you fall into one of these categories of food preservationists?
- Homemakers
- Homesteaders
- Seasonal Cooks and Chefs
- Foodies
- Gardeners
- CSA Members (farm shares)
- Farmers Market Shoppers
- Environmental Activists
All kinds of people preserve foods for all kinds of reasons! Better flavor and nutrition, lower carbon footprint, affordability…these are just a few of the reasons. Consider yourself a part of a growing interest in traditional methods of food preservation.
I’m glad you are here!
If you want to learn even more, why not join the FREE 5-Day Food Preservation eCourse? It includes 5 lessons with recipes on food preservation delivered right to your email inbox! Click here to sign up!

Budgeting and Meal Planning with Preserved Foods
Budgeting and meal planning with preserved foods is a frugal act of self-care. I’m a firm believer in using preserved foods up within one year. This helps keep my kitchen safe and ensure the greatest nutrition from my food stores. Plus, it keeps me from having to organize my pantry by date label.
In winter months I’m often planning meals based on what’s in my pantry, freezer, fermentation closet, and root cellar. To help you be a little more organized than that, I am recommending this article from Prepared Housewives. It is a meal planning encyclopedia!
Enjoy, and let me know what you think in the comments thread below.
Just want to jump right into food preservation? Click the image below to learn how to ferment dilly beans. They are addictive good!
Traditional Methods of Food Preservation | 20 Experts Advice
Traditional Methods of Food Preservation
Traditional methods of food preservation include a long list of techniques that extend fresh summer harvests into winter meals. I've distilled the traditional techniques down to a list of 20 and offer these tips, tricks, and recipes for food preservation experts. Review, given them a try, and let me know how it goes in the comments below!
Boiling and blanching foods is a simple, easy and safe method of traditional food preservations. It sanitizes, brightens, and sweetens most vegetables and prepares them for freezing and/or dehydration.
Long before refrigeration, burying food was a safe and effective form of traditional food preservation.
Canning using a hot water bath is a safe and simple way to preserve foods for winter meals. It's my favorite method for preserving tomatoes as it preserves their flavor with perfection.
Pressure canning is a must for low acid foods like soup stocks and squashes. For years I used the huge metal pressure canner. Now, I use an Instant Pot for pressure canning. It is much safer, doesn't heat up the kitchen, and great for small batches of any preserved foods.
Confit is simply meat cooked slowly in its own fat. This traditional method of food preservation creates one of the best presentations of meat you'll ever enjoy. I've made many a confit, but the dishes never lasted long enough to preserve!
My absolute favorite cured meat is Prosciutto, salt cured and aged ham. Curing meats is another traditional method of food preservation that got our ancestors through harsh winters in days before refrigerators, grocery stores, and fast food shops.
Dehydrating herbs, fruits, tomatoes and so much more is a safe and affordable way to ensure winter meals are made with fresh and local ingredients. Learn how with this Dehydrating 101 post!
I keep a gallon of salt brine on hand all summer long. Fermentation is the fastest, safest, and most effective food preservation technique available. I also preserve fruits and herbs with kombucha and water kefir. Check out the basics of this traditional food preservation method now!
I have a big, upright freezer. I could not manage winter meals affordably without it. Freezing is not an optimal food preservation technique because power outages can create a lot of spoilage. It also is not all that traditional. But, it is a safe, cheap and effective way to preserve foods.
Using steady heat to preserve foods is a long standing traditional method of food preservation. Called a perpetual stew or hunters stew, this bit of cookery involves constantly adding ingredients to an ongoing pot of stew that can be kept simmering all winter long.
Jellying is a traditional food preservation method near and dear to many a home cook! Even with a low-carb, no sugar diet I make jellies. They are good for more than just spreading on toast! Jellies can be added as flavoring to many a dish. Check out this apple jelly recipe from one of my favorite food preservation follows!
Jugging is a traditional food preservation method from France and England. It involves marinating the meat in wine or brandy for at least 24 hours, so I'm in already! Who doesn't love a bit of drunken rabbit? This recipe, from another one of my favorite follows, is inching its way to the top of my kitchen to-do list as fall approaches.
Overwintering: Crops that can withstand the cold and how to help them thrive
Overwintering crops is a very satisfying food preservation method for kitchen gardeners everywhere! It is certainly one of mine! There is absolutely nothing better than traipsing out to the garden on frigid January mornings to harvest kale and carrots for satisfying winter meals. I'm in zone 6a, which gets very cold and always have fresh veggies in my winter garden.
Preserving foods in olive oil is a flavorful preservation method. Of all the techniques we're reviewing this is probably the most susceptible to contamination. I'm including this post in the round-up because it recommends refrigerating the preserves. It is also a beautiful article. Enjoy!
Pickling is a traditional food preservation technique that requires soaking fruits and vegetables in a brine. The brine, either vinegar or salt, can be flavored with herbs and spices. The creative flavor options are endless. Check out this post for the basics on pickling.
Root cellaring is a low-cost, low-maintenance traditional food preservation method that requires some skill building. Because this method relies on natural maintenance of temperature and humidity, many a new preservationist will need to study up on how to work with nature to preserve foods. I liked this comprehensive guide because it speaks to the beginner.
Sugaring is a traditional food preservation technique from the 18th century. While it is not one of the more stable methods, it is quite tasty. I recommend storing sugar preserves in the refrigerator. This video covers all the bases for the technique.
Smoking is a traditional food preservation technique probably as old as fire itself. This method uses wood smoke to remove moisture and bacteria from meats, cheeses, eggs, and vegetables. It is an effective and flavorful technique that is quite popular in the backyard BBQ community.
Vacuum sealing is not a traditional food preservation technique. Honestly, it is not affordable either. But, no list would be complete without mentioning this trendy way of keeping food stored safely in the seasonal kitchen.
Vinegar is a very safe and affordable way to preserve fruits, vegetables, and herbs. We've already explored pickling with vinegar, so I thought I'd close with a post about making flavored vinegars. Skies the limit of flavor combinations once you get this food preservation technique down. For you fellow kombucha brewers, this is a great way to use the more vinegary brews that are inevitable in the summer months.
Traditional Food Preservation Techniques and the Seasonal Kitchen
So now you have it! A comprehensive list of traditional food preservation techniques explained by 20 experts.
In the kitchen, we clean, store, prepare and preserve, but mostly we learn. The kitchen is the place to learn about the foods we grow. What makes them sweet? How do I bring out their colors?
The seasonal cook is skilled and curious. She has the basic skills to create weekly meals and meal plans with what the garden and farmer’s market provides. She’s smart enough to put up extras for winter meals. And, she’s frugal enough to eat well on a budget.
Having a reliable store of preserved local vegetables, fruits, herbs, and meats allows the seasonal kitchen to flourish every month of the year.
Don’t be a slave to the local supermarket. Don’t give away all your hard earned cash to restaurants! Preserve food and conserve your cash, all while eating more healthy and nutritious meals!

Quick Guide to 6 End-of-Summer Food Preservation Techniques
The Quick Guide to 6 End of Summer Food Preservation Techniques with Recipes from Lorrie Season and Stony Ridge Farm is a 14 page eBook with 6 DIY kitchen projects to preserve the best of summer flavors for winter meals. It is a seasonal living must-have resource.
The Quick Guide to End of Summer Food Preservation includes 6 recipes using each of the basic techniques described The Traditional Methods of Food Preservation post. Lorrie Season is a learn-by-doing resource. The best way to practice traditional food preservation is to begin using the techniques at the end of summer when food is so plentiful and affordable using these safe and simple techniques. Get the eBook and use the recipes to learn how to:
- Freeze
- Dehydrate
- Acidify with Vinegar
- Ferment
- Use Oil
- Make Alcoholic Cordials
You’ve worked hard all summer in your garden, with your farm share, and managing all those farmers market hauls! Now, make sure you get to enjoy the results with these simple and safe food preservation techniques!
Click here to purchase yours for $0.99!

Let’s stay connected!!!
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If you want a loving community to be a part of your seasonal life, please do anyone (or ALL!) of the following:
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You should always use tested recipes from trusted sources when preserving foods with a hot water bath.
Fermentation is the safest of the food preservation techniques.
When preserving foods in oil, they should be refrigerated and used within the first 3 months.


What a wonderful post, Lorrie. It’s packed full with everything one would ever want or need to know about food preservation! Admittedly, I am one of those people who find myself shopping the supermarkets during the winter time for all kinds of groceries and produce. I do spend a fortune and what’s worse is that the quality isn’t even anywhere near where it should be. You’re totally motivating me to get my rear end in gear. Thank you.
HI there! Thanks for your kind words. I awoke this morning thinking I might find you here and I remembered that I forgot to add my Pin! See, you motivate me even in my sleep!
What a fantastic list. I’m really interested in preserving food and this information will really help