Welcome to the Harvest Forum.
It's a little slow right now, but wait until produce starts coming in!!

I can answer some of your questions and I'm sure others will be along with more ideas.

1. I cut the kernels off corn cobs with my electric knife (after blanching). Stand the ear on the stem end in a bundt or angel food cake pan and slice away. The kernels fall right into the pan.

2. Haven't grown bushel cukes.

3. Don't do French Onion Soup.

4. You can freeze the peppers after roasting and peeling for use all winter. I don't usually do bell peppers, but I do roast, peel and freeze Anaheims to use in recipes calling for mild green chilis.

5. I eat the garlic in my dill pickles too! I have pickled garlic alone and for us, it's mostly a snack or a way to preserve some of our garlic for later use in cooked dishes (you don't really taste the vinegar).

6. Let's see...I can my peaches (peeled and sliced or halved). They can be used however I want later. I have canned apple slices (peeled, cored and sliced), but they get rather soft. I have dehydrated apple slices and have frozen them raw (quick dip in Fruit Fresh to help prevent browning). We don't eat much pie, so I prefer to just preserve the plain fruit and decide later how I want to use it.

7. Not sure what kind of marinade you're wanting to use to marinate your tomatoes so this is hard to answer. You can sprinkle on herbs, salt, pepper, lemon juice, vinegar prior to drying.

Other: Do you have a copy of the Ball Blue Book (often referred to as BBB)? Great source of info and recipes.

Small Batch Preserving is another good one.

Here's link to the National Center for Home Food Preservation. The information here is reliable and up to date as far as safety.

Hope to see more of you around here!!!

Deanna (Pacific Northwest)

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP

There's hardly a question that can't be answered with a search of the forum. Then what you can do is come back with the follow-up questions.

Happy preserving,
Carol

Check these threads:

Freezing Corn.

Freezing Apple Slices.

Canning Roasted Red Peppers.

Caramelized Onions.

Dehydrated Tomatoes.

Pickled Garlic>.

I agree, a 'few questions' and their answers can also be found in many canning/freezing books. Usually, the 'gimmick' plants like tree tomatoes and bush cukes are not good producers for home canning. If youre planning on making cucumber pickles or canned tomatoes, I would grow more conventional types of plants, unless you have no space. Its either that, or grow patio types in pots just for a few fresh eatings. and buy larger amounts from farmers markets or roadside stands for your canning ventures. I blanch my corn on the cobs and then cut off the kernals and freeze. There are several ways to cut off the kernals too. Roasted pepper recipe?? You just stated all that was needed. I put tej in a big plastic bag to sweat after they are roasted on the grill. I remove the grill grids however, so the heat is closer to the peppers. I liek using thicker meaty pimento type peppers. Uses for pickled garlic, munch, and added to salads. This harvest forum has many thousands of posts about these same subjects and re-answering all the same questions again is a major task.