Across Ukraine, growing food remains an important part of daily life. Many families grow vegetables to feed their households, making the most of what each season provides. Preserving the harvest is a familiar way to keep that food available through winter, with recipes and methods passed down through generations.

The war has changed the circumstances in which families practice this tradition. After a winter in which attacks on energy infrastructure caused prolonged electricity outages affecting millions of civilians, preparing food in advance is  one practical way families can get ready for the months ahead.

Through our  Preservation Project, WCK is helping families continue this familiar practice, providing seasonal produce and materials so they can prepare more than they might manage on their own. The project also supports local farmers by purchasing seasonal produce, connecting Ukrainian growers’ harvests with families preparing their winter food supplies.

Growing hope

The process starts well before vegetables reach the  kitchen. WCK teams purchase seasonal produce directly from local farmers, then transport for families to prepare. From there, vegetables are washed, chopped, cooked, and sealed in jars. What might otherwise be available only during the growing season becomes food families can store and use through the colder months.

Purchasing local produce supports Ukrainian farmers, while providing that produce to families helps them make winter reserves. WCK also supplies jars and lids, allowing people to prepare food using the recipes and methods they already know.

Preserving food is part of our cultural code. We know how to do it, we like to do it, and we do it because we want to have food reserves for the winter. People are already doing this. We’re simply giving them the opportunity to prepare more than they could on their own.

Chef Yuliia, WCK Ukraine Culinary Lead

A standard set provides enough ingredients and materials for five jars per person: one 3-liter jar of fermented cabbage, one 1-liter jar of eggplant spread, one 1-liter jar of zucchini spread, and two 1-liter jars of borshch dressing. The ingredients can also be used to prepare other preserves, allowing people to choose their favorite recipes.

More than one family could do alone

For a large household, preparing enough for winter may need  a lot of vegetables. For families displaced by the war, it can be even harder to maintain familiar routines after leaving behind their homes, gardens and the resources they once relied on.

Olena, who has 13 children, knows that change firsthand. Before her  family had to leave Vovchansk, they kept two cows, two heifers, a bull, two pigs and chickens. Their large vegetable garden supplied food for the family, with space to preserve and store it. Now, the family lives in a small apartment in Kharkiv. WCK’s support gives them an opportunity to prepare their own winter supplies in circumstances very different from those they left behind.

By providing produce and materials, WCK helps families and shared kitchens prepare more than they might manage alone, while local purchasing connects this support with Ukrainian growers.

The people behind the jars

In Khrynnyky, a former sanatorium complex provides temporary accommodation for people forced to leave their homes because of the war. The settlement is separated from the nearest village, making access to transportation and everyday necessities difficult. For residents, the community kitchen offers a place to prepare food together.

WCK has supported the community through several projects, including helping establish the Community Kitchen and providing seeds so residents could grow vegetables. Some of that harvest was later preserved for winter. WCK provided vegetables, jars and lids, and residents spent the day washing, chopping, cooking and sealing their preparations.

Older women worked with recipes they had known for years, while younger residents watched, helped, and learned from them. For residents rebuilding their lives away from home, the opportunity to do something familiar together also creates space for connection and belonging.

The same principle guides the project in many other communities and households across Ukraine. WCK provides resources, but people bring their own knowledge, recipes and choices. The goal  is not to standardize what families make, but to help them continue a tradition on a larger scale.

Preparing for the winter ahead

Olena keeps an old notebook of recipes passed down through her family. She still cooks from it today, with her children beside her helping prepare ingredients. Her daughters say they hope to cook from the same notebook themselves in the future. The jars they prepare will become part of the food their family can use  through winter.

Across Ukraine, families and communities are doing the same in their own ways, turning seasonal produce into supplies they can store and use when needed.

 The recipes remain theirs, the tradition remains theirs, and the support helps more families build their own reserves for the months ahead.

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