I thought it would be fun to daydream and come up with a list of 10 things I want to preserve but haven’t done yet. I don’t know how many of these things I’ll eventually make but I know I’ll be doing several of them this year.
This isn’t a complete list but it’s the first 10 things that came to mind. Most of them have percolated for a few years – just not enough time to get to them!
10 THINGS ON MY PRESERVING BUCKET LIST
- Fish sauce. I’ve been ‘threatening’ to make this at home for years. I don’t cook with fish sauce very often but I’d really like to make it even though I’m a little afraid of the potential fragrance.
- Sourdough. I’ve made plenty of bread but I’ve never made sourdough. I’m not sure it counts as a preserve although it does involve fermenting so I’ll say it does!
- Charcuterie. I’ve made jerky, bacon, prosciutto and some other cured meats but I’d like to take these skills to the next level.
- Tanning hides. You can’t eat them, but tanning hides (such as deer or moose) is definitely a form of preservation and I’d like to learn how.
- Ume Boshi. I fermented some plums that were inspired by this Japanese ferment but would love to take it further and closer to the actual product.
- A giant batch of hot sauce (i.e. 100 gallons). We make lots of hot sauce and I have no idea what I’d do with this much hot sauce but I’d really love to try to ferment a big batch of hot peppers to make sauce. I don’t know why the volume is such an appeal but I’d really like to give it a shot!
- Cheese. Making Ricotta was easy but I’d love to learn mooch more about fermenting cheese.
- Frozen food. This one is a bit of a cheat because I already know how to freeze food but I’ve put it hear because we have the tiniest freezer. I’d like to have the space for a deep freeze one day – we’d freeze a lot more food than we do now.
- Canned Fish. Mrs Wheelbarrow inspired me with this recipe and I will pressure-can tuna or salmon soon!
- Fermented ‘something’ in a pumpkin. Like beer. I love the idea of using a pumpkin or a large squash as a fermenting vessel.