On Monday’s (8/23/21) Sustainable Living show, we caught up with central Florida resident Delphine
Geraci and talked about food preservation. Geraci, who is originally from Connecticut, has
seemed to master food preservation at her HOA home in central Florida. She gave some great information in regards to freezing, drying and canning your fruits and veggies as well as making some fun recipes like jams and hot sauce.
While talking to Geraci, she emphasized that you have to keep in mind four important factors
when it comes to food safety and preservation: light, heat, oxygen, and moisture.For example, after canning certain types of vegetables, if the vegetables are expo sed to a rise in temperature (ideally you are supposed to keep canned vegetables in 50-72 degrees fahrenheit
storage) you can lose up to 25% of the nutritional value of that vegetable. Geraci explained how difficult it can be to maintain these lower temperatures in Florida due to its hot climate.
Towards the end of the show, Geraci explains the secret behind how she creates her delicious hot
sauce. She ferments her peppers which is done by simply putting salt in a jar with the peppers.
This allows the peppers to ferment and start juicing. Geraci mentions that she prefers cooked hot
sauces since they allow her to be more creative in using the produce she grows herself.
If you missed the show, or just loved it so much you want to listen again, you can find it in the archives HERE.
