Eating Healthier in Today's World

What Can You Do with Your Harvest

I am not complaining but we have had a bumper crop of vegetables and fruit this year especially from our own garden.  The question though remains- What do you do with all the extra produce.  One cucumber plant keeps on producing a big cucumber 2 or 3 times a week..  We have a tomato jungle with both cherry tomatoes and larger beef steak tomatoes.  We dry many of our vegetables in the dehydrators we sell, I have made catsup, salsa, and even pickles and canned tomatoes but I have more than I will use all years.  I have checked out a partner site and the post on it by Brenda Lower has given some imaginative and interesting suggestions on using up the food without having to process it either by freezing, drying or canning.  This is what I need.  Here is what she suggested.

Salads! Vegetable salads are great, but fruit salads are fantastic! I toss together fresh berries, apples, pears, peaches, watermelon, pineapple, and oranges together. For a light dressing, blend a couple tablespoons of honey with some fresh lemon or lime juice. Drizzle this on the fruit salad, and gently stir it together. The sweet and tart flavors of the dressing really bring out the flavors of the various fruits.  I have a really good marinated Cucumber salad here. Marinated Cucumbers.   I have been making a Tomato and Bread Salad (Panzella) which is really goodand uses lots of tomatoes.  Click here to see recipe.

Grilled fruits and veggies. Most fruits and vegetables are great hot off the grill! Lightly brush them with oil to keep them from sticking, and then grill! Peaches and pineapples are especially good fruits to try. I love grilled pineapple on either a hamburger or a grilled chicken sandwich! Stab onions, peppers, pineapple and meat together for great shish-kabobs to add variety to your BBQ.

Smoothies are fantastic. So are homemade popsicles. Take your choice of fruits, add a little milk or yogurt, and you’ve got flavorful, healthy popsicles! And almost anything can be run through a juicer. Fruit and veggie blends are fantastic for flavor and nutrition.

Zucchini, (the unwanted vegetable)  I have come to believe, is one of the most versatile and delicious vegetables. Whether grilled, sautéed, fresh or shredded, it is fantastic. Use a spiralizer to create noodles to replace spaghetti. Shred it to use in breads and muffins. Grill it on your BBQ. The possibilities are endless!

-Roasted vegetables are quite delicious. Chop onions, potatoes, turnips, parsnips, beets, yams, sweet potatoes, and squash of any variety into one inch pieces. Toss them with a little olive oil and a few seasonings like salt, pepper, chili powder, paprika, or whatever you like. Roast in the oven until tender-crisp. Voila! Great side dish for any meal. For a complete meal in itself: wash and cut an acorn squash in half. Clean out the seeds, and add a little butter to the hollow. Roast in the oven until nice and tender. Fill the hollow with taco meat, sloppy joe meat, or some other meat. Sprinkle with cheese and return to the oven until warm through and cheese is melted. Excellent way to get your veggies in! One of my personal favorite dishes.

Another family favorite is homemade fries or potato wedges. All variety of potato works, they just have slightly different flavors. I love to take a sweet potato, peel and chop into fry-like shape. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic. Spread on a greased cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes at 400 F. Stir them about half-way through. Great side dish to have with hamburgers or anything else!