Tasha’s Top 5: What to do with your Extra Produce

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If your garden is anything like mine, it produces at the most inconvenient times. Check out the photo. That’s just from Monday. With school in session, sports underway, and trying to squeeze in the last of your summer to-do list, it’s not easy to stay on top of your garden produce before it goes bad. Here are my top 5 tips to get ahead of and enjoy your flourishing harvest.

5. Share the love

As my husband ALWAYS tells me (especially when it comes to food), “Sharing is caring!” So many people are unable to grow their own garden, so it’s always kind to throw together a harvest basket. If you don’t think you’ll get to put a basket together, a plastic grocery bag works just as well. It’s doesn’t have to be pretty–just make sure not to the leave the food outside in the sun. A group in Norfolk created a “Food is Free Community Pantry” where they share produce in a stand (similar to a “My little library”).

Top 5 to share your produce with:

  1. Teachers

  2. .Elderly

  3. Neighbors

  4. Package delivery person

  5. Livestock (I’m not even joking!)

4. Roast it and freeze it

Last year, I decided to go big on roasting. I counted each tomato I put in the pan– 256 total in a weekend. I cut out the core, sliced each tomato in half, and put the cut side down in a roasting pan. I drizzled the tomatoes, peppers, and onions (all out of my garden) with olive oil then sea salt and other spices such as parsley, pepper, and oregano. I roasted the mixture for 40 minutes at 400 degrees, let it cool, and then put it in my fridge until I got to it. The smell is out of this world!

After some discussion with fellow gardeners, I plan on putting that mixture in a vacuum sealer bag then freeze it until life slows down a bit, and I have more time to can it. 

 

3. Can it

Enjoy your food all year long without worrying about freezer burn or molding! Last year was my first year canning after watching my mom, mother-in-law, and grandmas do it for years. 100% worth the time and energy that go into it. Two of my favorite places to access canning recipes are From My Home to Yours Recipe Book and Pick Your Own . Getting started in canning is relatively affordable. The biggest difficulty is committing the time it will take, but you’ll be thankful this winter when everything in your chili is from your garden! If you’re short on jars, check your grandma’s attic or call Partyline. 

 

2. Sell it

Partyline is the PERFECT place to sell your extra produce! The ad is $5 each time you run it, but there’s no doubt your load with be lighter in no time! Call Partyline from 9:35-10:15 Monday through Friday. If you’re interested in selling on a larger scale, Holt County Market is held every other Saturday at Wettlaufer’s Garden Center & Flower Shop in Atkinson. You will have to acquire all the necessary permits and licenses. Check with the Atkinson city office to see if a license is required or visit www.nda.nebraska.gov and https://food.unl.edu/selling-markets for more information. 

 

 1. Enter it

Beginners and experienced gardeners have the opportunity to enter (and vote!) in the Wildflour Grocer Salsa Making Contest on Saturday, October 12th. There will be multiple categories including mild, medium, and hot! Beginners– don’t be intimidated! It’s because of this contest I really got into preserving my garden produce and received tips from experts.

 

That’s my Top 5! Good luck with making the most out of your garden. No matter your age, gardening and preserving produce is a skill that will carry through a lifetime. I’m always willing to hear your ideas with gardening or any other Top 5s I should explore. Email me your ideas at kbrxdoghouse@gmail.com.