Garden glut

[jodi]

Not sure whether to post this in Gardening or Recipes...so I'll leave it in General Discussion.

Anyone want to share ideas for what to do with all that extra garden food that a normal person just can't eat fast enough? Here's my ideas so far.

Cucmbers - Make pickles. My brother also just gave me a recipe for a cuke salad with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, dill, and feta cheese. Very good. But I am always looking for more cuke ideas as we have a ton.

Green and yellow beans - blanch, then freeze.

Zucchini - Zucchini bread and muffins, of course. I shred and freeze some to make bread during the winter. Here's a recipe we have a lot during the summer:
zucchini and yellow squash, julienned
carrots, julienned or grated
onion, sliced (optional)
as much butter as your doctor will allow
tarragon, chives, and parsley (we use dried)
Cook together over medium heat until squash is tender (I usually cut the carrots smaller so they will cook faster).

Swiss chard/spinach - salads, cooked with vinegar, egg and cheese strata. I also ran across a recipe this year that involved cooking the spinach until wilted then tossing with bacon, cooked red onion, and blue cheese. It was excellent. For the swiss chard, we have cooked it with a can of tomatoes and some balsalmic vinegar - also very good.

Peppers: Stuff 'em. Hamburger, tomato sauce, rice, and cheese for green peppers, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and bacon for banana or jalepeno peppers, then bake.
(I can give specific recipes for any of these ideas if anyone wants them).

Anyone want to share some ideas? I would love to hear them, especially if it involved zucchini or cucumbers!

[Bookie]

Do you ship out-of-state?

(Wait a minute! Didn't we just go through this?)

[jodi]

Well, if you are ever in central NY, stop by and I will send you on your way with a bag of produce and a batch of muffins I have plenty to go around. What usually happens is I take a bunch of stuff into work and leave it for others - it's always gone by the end of the day.

[PrincessPerky]

Originally Posted by Bookie

Do you ship out-of-state?

ditto that!

on a useful note I know some farmers markets accept homegrown foods, might be cool if you could find one

nd some soup kitchens accept fresh food.

[contrary1]

I enjoy my zucchini canned. I leave the peeling on, and chunk it up to approx 1" pieces. ( I do take the seeds out). I mix this about half and half with tomatoes and sometimes chunks of onion too. If I have fresh basil, I'll put a leaf or two in each quart jar.

I can make many meals if I start with a jar of this mix. Anything Italian is a no brainer...........it's a great soup starter, just add pasta and you're pretty well on your way to dinner.

Cucumbers: Fresh sliced on sandwiches, chopped up with a yogurt dressing....very Greek. Sliced with onion slices and marinated in vinegar with a bit of sugar....Scandanavian origin here. Also can be marinated in sour cream & served as a salad.

I make bread & butter pickles from my zucchini since I always have more of them than cucumbers. No one can tell the difference here.

Good thread, let's hear some more ideas from the rest of you gardeners!!!


Contrary1
editor at www.frugalgardening.com