Uh - Oh ! Did you plant too much ? Were you fanatic when you were plant your veg patch ? Are you saying to yourself , ‘ what am I go to do with all of this ? ’ It ’s an amazing spirit to know you follow in growing your own food and even as long as I ’ve been garden , I never uprise tired of that signified of attainment . I ’m not going to lie though , endeavor to figure out what to do with all of the redundant veggie from the garden can be a little overpowering .
For me , it ’s tomatoes . Every individual year I set right smart too many tomatoes ! And , the crazy part is that we do n’t wipe out them . Seriously , we do n’t like tomatoes , but I still found them anyway . What can I say , I just get a kick out of farm thing . We just give them off and the recipients are always appreciative .
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Every year , most gardener , both novel and seasoned alike , seek to approximate and plant their vegetable garden according to the motivation they anticipate for themselves or their families . It ’s not hard to get persuade away in early leap ( ask me how I know ) when you ’re plan which garden vegetables you will plant . But , with August derive the realisation that you over - planted . Now , your crops are ready to harvest , sometimes all at once , and you ca n’t mayhap use it all before it starts to go bad .
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Do n’t permit your punishing work and the time value of your fruits and veggies go to thriftlessness . If you ’ve been bless with an overmuchness of produce , here are some ideas you may or may not have think of . First of all , there ’s more than one means to keep nutrient from your garden and I would encourage you to try them all . Maybe just not all in the same year . Remember the gratification you felt when you reap your garden produce , multiply that by ten and that ’s how you ’ll experience when you use your preserved produce to devise meal later in the wintertime .
Canning the Excess Veggies From Your Garden
Although there seems to be a shortage of canning lids from time to time , for the most partcanning jar and suppliesare available at big box storehouse and even some ironware and garden supply stores . Mason jars can often be find at yard sale , so keep an middle out throughout the summer . It ’s also a good idea to utilise awater bath canner . If you plan on doing lots of canning and can give it , go ahead and buy one . You will likely use it for years and years to come . If you ’re just not sure , ask around and see if you may find one to borrow .
If you ’re new to this procedure of canning or require a refresher , look for courses in your local community pedagogy program . Or , our favorite education reference , YouTube . Do n’t be timid about asking for help , either . Someone from piece of work , your Christian church , or a family penis may be a ace when it comes to dismiss food for thought and will be felicitous to give you some pointers . Maybe they ’ll even derive over to facilitate .
Freezing Vegetables and Fruits
Freezing is the gentle method for store your fresh vegetables and fruits . It ’s wonderful to have frozen strawberries , raspberries , or blueberry bush on hand to thresh about into yogurt or a sports stadium of cereal . require to make a pie or add berries to quick bread ? No problem . The Chuck Berry you grew yourself are as close as your freezer .
Berries freeze exceptionally well and it ’s exceedingly easy to do . Just dampen and lay them out in a undivided layer on a cookie canvas and place them in the Deepfreeze . After they ’re well - frozen , place them in a gamy calibre deep-freeze grip or airtight container , and Voila ! light peasy !
Likewise , almost all vegetables can be frozen : odorous corn whiskey , broccoli , okra , Brassica oleracea botrytis , peas , green beans , zucchini , carrot , and even tomatoes . Freezing is my pet way of preserving extra vegetables . It ’s extremely easy and frigid veg are almost as honorable as bracing veggies ! you could use them by and by in cooked dish such as soups , casseroles , pasta dishes , or even steamed with a piffling olive oil or butter .
It ’s important to observe , that vegetable must be “ blanch ” first prior to freezing . Blanching involves placing raw veggie in a pan of boiling water system for just a few minutes , then immediately submerging them in ice water . This procedure greatly increase their shelf life . I would love to have a fancyblancher , but I just do n’t have room to store it , so I simply use a large stock pot and my stainless sword strainer .
It ’s a full bummer to go to all the bother to freeze your excess fruits and vegetable just to find a few calendar month later they are freezer burnt . I highly advocate avacuum sealerfor freezing vegetable or fruit . As well as sealing tightly , using a vacuity sealer ensures that you will have minimal or no freezer glow . A vacancy sealant also creates flat parcel that do n’t take up as much space in your deep-freeze .
While we ’re on the issue of freeze , also take some time to broil or manipulate treble or three-fold batches of some of your favorite recipe . It ’s a great way of life to use excess vegetable . It ’s as easy as popping them in an airtight freezer grip . Having zucchini muffins or kale will be a welcome treat later this fall or winter .
I recently identify theNational Center for Home Food Preservationwebsite and they are a terrific imagination for all things food preservation . I extremely commend checking the web site out . They have sack instruction , blanching program line ( including a chart with blench times for most vegetables ) , and pretty much everything that deals with keep food .
Drying Fruits and Veggies
Lots of fruits , vegetables , and herb can be cut or slice up and then dried in the oven or afood dehydrator . Think zucchini fleck or dried apple bite .
Storing root vegetable in a teetotal and dark place is a respectable way to extend their quality and biography span . Back when I was a kid ( a long time ago ) , we had a root basement . It was coloured and creepy , but we could keep potatoes , carrots , and other base crops for several calendar month .
Other Alternatives for Dealing With Excess Produce
In case any of these suggestions are too overwhelming and you just do n’t want to deal with it this year , here are some great alternatives to look at :
Think about sell your fruits or veggie on Facebook Marketplace . think it or not , there ’s a really good food market for refreshful garden produce and you could make a little money on the side by sell your excess .
It may be a little previous for this season , but if you ended up with oodles and gobs of redundant veggies , selling at a local Farmer ’s Market is something to consider for next year . Many Farmer ’s Markets are geared more toward commercial surgery with seasonal pace for booth blank , others pop the question a hebdomadal rate of as slight as $ 20 . Inquire at a local Farmer market closest to your home so it ’s more commodious for you .
You could also put on your own little “ farmer ’s food market ” ; like a yard sale only with fresh fruits , veg , and preserves . Some backyard gardener take it a stride further and admit Fall liberal arts and crafts turning the effect into a fun , neighborhood Harvest Festival . If you have perennials you want to separate , this would also be a good opportunity to betray some .
Perhaps you ’d just rather give away your extra produce . Almost everyone knows someone who is unemployed , depleted income , or struggling with life this year . When think about who would most apprize the endowment of fresh fruits or veggies from your garden , conceive those you personally know , first . Giving a gift of fresh garden truck from your garden is a wonderful way of life to make a connection and show you handle .
If your church has a food ledge , let them know you have invigorated fruits or veggies to donate . If your church does n’t have a larder , ask the pastor or an elderberry bush if they know someone who is in need .
Almost every biotic community has a food bank or two . Your local food bank will love receiving fresh , topically raise produce for the people they serve .
Do n’t despair if your garden production is more than you could handle . Be thankful you were blessed with a giving harvest . Just make the most of it and do what you may . If you could work it in , a day or weekend of canning or freeze would be hard work , but the payoff of your efforts would be so deserving it . And , by all means , do n’t feel shamefaced if some of your overripe green groceries terminate up in the compost pile . Just do the best you may and allow for it at that .
Did you know mid to late summertime , and even into crepuscule is the good time to plant next summer ’s gardens , when all your successes and failure are fresh in your mind . Be sure to check outGarden Planning – How to Plan Next Year ’s Garden .
If you love gardening , or even if you ’re just dabbling with your first home garden , Gingham Gardens has lots to offer both new gardeners , experienced gardeners , and all those in between . We ’d get laid to have you join us .
felicitous gardening ,
Julie
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