What to do with my produce?

I've been writing some blogs for work at Mountain Valley Seed Co..Here's my latest one.

So is anyone else having trouble keeping up with the produce in their garden? I’m so excited for harvest season- you finally get to see the fruits (literally) of all your labors! My tomatoes are finally changing color, the basil is getting bushier, I’ve been harvesting beans and cucumbers the last month or so, my peppers are going crazy and now I’ve got zucchini to deal with…. Along with the steady supply of kale, chard, beets, micro greens and carrots supplied in my CSA from BUG Farms, I’ve started falling behind in actually eating and preserving all of this nutritiousness.

And it’s just the beginning of harvest season!

So what to do? Tell me. How do I keep all this stuff from going to waste? Eat more veggies right? And maybe do some canning or something? Right. But it’s not that easy, as I’m sure you all know. Don’t get me wrong, I do my fair share of veggie crunching, but you can only eat so many raw veggies before needing a change in texture. Let’s face it, a lot of veggies taste better when they’re cooked or prepared in interesting and delicious ways. That’s why humans invented the art of cooking- and it is an art! As much time as we’ve all spent on our garden, now we’ve got to put just as much effort into cooking, preserving, freezing, drying and eating our yummy fruits and veggies.

So let’s make a deal and help each other. I’ll share some recipes if you share yours!

Together we will become culinary artists of the masterful kind.

Here are some ideas I’ve come up with so far:

Fresh Bruschetta- one of my all time favorites!

Baguette, olive oil, fresh mozzarella, garden fresh tomatoes and basil leaves, salt, pepper.

Slice fresh baguette, brush or rub with olive oil, add a slice of fresh mozzerella, tomato, salt and pepper. Put basil leaves on top. Enjoy!

Shredded Beet and Carrot Salad

I haven’t tried this one yet, but I have a lot of beets and carrots to eat. Doesn’t it look beautiful? Check out the link. I think adding apples to this would be delicious.

Kale Chips

Put parchment paper or aluminum foil on baking pan. Chop stems off kale, chop in smaller pieces if you’d like. Drizzle and toss with olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste or Cajun seasoning. Bake at 400 F until crispy or desired texture. About 15-20 min.

Sauteed beans and greens

Chop and string beans, chop off stems and chop up kale, chard, pok choi and/or spinach greens. Saute garlic first in butter or oil, then add beans. After 5 min add greens. Saute for about 5-10 more min, just until wilted and bright green- don’t over cook.

Veggie Lasagna with Zucchini and Chard

I made this last week and it was amazing! The recipe is in “Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone” by Deborah Madison I substituted the eggplant for zucchini.

Pickles, “Dilly Beans” and Pickled Peppers

I use this recipe for all three except I add a spicy pepper per jar, grape leaves (1-2 per jar) and sometimes powdered alum (these two help keep them crunchy). I like to cut the cucumbers into spears and cut off the ends. The beans I cut off the ends. The peppers I put in the jar whole.

Here’s a great resource I found about freezing, drying, canning and storing produce from Wasatch Community Gardens…

Also some good canning and preserving info from Utah State University Extension.

I need to do more freezing. And get a bigger freezer. Freezer salsa is next on the list!

Ok, now it’s your turn. What do you do with all of your produce?