Gauteng Smallholder December 2015-January 2016 | Page 49

IN THE KITCHEN

How to preserve your mealies

M

ost smallholdings in
Gauteng have a
stand of mealies – it
is almost compulsory. And
some of us keep chickens, so
we dry and store the maize to
feed the poultry for the rest of
the year.
However if you have a good
crop you can also consider
freezing some for the family
to enjoy in winter.
You will need a large pot of
boiling water, plenty of ice, a
vacuum food sealer or freezer
bags (Ziploc or bags with tie
twists), two large bowls or
sinks, one filled with cold
water and ice, a sharp knife
and a large spoon.
When you are picking your
mealies a good rule of thumb
is to “shake hands with your
mealie” - if the cob fills your
hand nicely and the silk on
the top is brown, it's ready to
pick. If it feels too scrawny,

Three ways you can preserve your
summer mealies to enjoy next winter.

down quickly at room
temperature.
Take all the husks (leaves) off
look for larger cobs to freeze. with them immediately. If
the cobs.
there is a delay between
The kernels should still be
Clean the mealie by rubbing
tender (easily punctured with harvesting and freezing, put
your fingernail and juicy). Pick them in the refrigerator or put the silky fibres off the cleaned
early in the morning and deal ice on them. The sugars break cobs with your hands or with

Continued on page 48

HERBS
From page 46

dry and place in a glass jar or
directly into the bottles. Pour
the vinegar over. Seal and
stand for about two weeks,
the