Best ways to use up abundant produce
- Thread starter Powerflower
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Yeah that is what my parents did when they had a garden in the back yard. We had a deep freezer and it was always full of vegetables. I loved eating them and I would like to freeze mine, but I basically eat them so I hardly have any extra.
I have a fairly large garden so I give a lot of produce away to friends. I also trade produce with a retail seller, I give him tomatoes and he gives me things that I don't grow like corn and potatoes. I also give quite a bit of it to the food bank.
That's awesome. Your friends are lucky to receive your extra fresh produce and it's wonderful that you help the food bank too. You're blessing so many different lives by sharing your abundant produce.
Someone has helped me in the past and its all about paying it forward to someone else who is in need. There is a program called Plant a Row for the Hungry that is simply planting one entire row or more and donating all that you grow in it. Summer squash and zucchini is loaded with vitamins and most people have it in abundance so why not donate to a food pantry or senior citizen's center?
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Many food pantries appreciate donations of fresh vegetables. You could try donating your excess produce to them. I've given food pantries surplus tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and pears. They appreciate it because they don't get many donations of fresh fruits or vegetables.
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I've always like the idea of adding vegetables to dishes were they weren't the main focus. I added diced carrots to a baked burger the other day and I didn't taste them at all! I am sure things like this can be done with alot of different things. Along with PP's juicing idea, if you don't like that you can add them to smoothies.
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I wish I could do that. It just takes way more time to manage that many plants to produce food than I have time for. There is also the trial and error period where you are learning how to be successful with particular plants in your area. One day...
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I freeze a lot of my zucchini, and I also dehydrate a lot of my tomatoes and peppers, they are amazing in spaghetti. Because I live in a small rural town, we also take some of our produce to our post office so people that don't have as much can take some and enjoy it too.
Zucchini Bread - you can even freeze it. I make 5 or 6 loaves at a go and freeze it so we always have some year round. I also work peeled zucchinis into all kinds of pasta sauces. For example, if you finely chop it or shred it, you can work it into spaghetti sauce for some added nutrition that no one will ever know about. Spaghetti Sauce is another one of my freeze-ables too - you can make a huge quantity of it and freeze it in individual ziploc bags for a quick and easy dinner. Oh - and if there's really really too much, you can shred it and freeze it for later use.
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I have to agree with above posts on cutting them up and freezing them for later use. If you don't know what to do with the, freeze them and use them later!
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Is this cutter expensive? Every year, I have plenty of zucchinis, so I'd love to make something interesting from them. I'm so bored with cooked zucchini slices, I can't even look at them anymore
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I was reading somewhere about Grilled Zucchini Roll-ups and it sounded like something I would try in the near future so I did a search for the recipe. I think I am so going to enjoy this one. What do you think about this recipe?
Grilled Zucchini Roll-Ups With Herbs and Cheese
The Food You Crave
Ingredients
1. Preheat grill or grill pan to medium.
2. Discard the outermost slices of zucchini; brush the rest with oil on both sides. Sprinkle the zucchini slices with salt and pepper. Grill until tender, about 4 minutes per side. You can prepare the zucchini a day ahead and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
3. In a small bowl, combine the goat cheese, parsley, and lemon juice, mashing together with a fork.
4. Put 1/2 teaspoon of the cheese mixture about 1/2 inch from the end of a zucchini slice. Top with a few spinach leaves and a small (or half of a large) basil leaf. Roll up and place seam side down on a platter. Repeat with remaining zucchini slices. You can make these up to a day in advance; store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Grilled Zucchini Roll-Ups With Herbs and Cheese
The Food You Crave
Ingredients
- 3 small zucchini (about 1/2 pound each), cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/8 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1/16 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 1/2 ounces fresh goat cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 ounces bagged baby spinach (2 cups lightly packed)
- 1/3 cup basil leaves
1. Preheat grill or grill pan to medium.
2. Discard the outermost slices of zucchini; brush the rest with oil on both sides. Sprinkle the zucchini slices with salt and pepper. Grill until tender, about 4 minutes per side. You can prepare the zucchini a day ahead and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
3. In a small bowl, combine the goat cheese, parsley, and lemon juice, mashing together with a fork.
4. Put 1/2 teaspoon of the cheese mixture about 1/2 inch from the end of a zucchini slice. Top with a few spinach leaves and a small (or half of a large) basil leaf. Roll up and place seam side down on a platter. Repeat with remaining zucchini slices. You can make these up to a day in advance; store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.