It gets to a point every summer where I feel like the veggies are taking over the kitchen/my life. It’s such a feast or famine here in New England with fresh veggies- we long for them during the bitterly cold months, the growing season starts late, slowly they begin to trickle in, then bang- they’ve taken over and you have no idea what to do with them all. All the veggies below were either grown by my mom, or given to me by friends or coworkers. I did grow some tomatoes and herbs this year, but it wasn’t an extensive garden by any means. I feel so lucky to have organic local produce available this time of year, but I wish it wouldn’t all come in at once!
I’ve been eating far more than my recommended servings of veggies a day, and I’m perfectly okay with that. Except, even that wasn’t making a big dent into the produce so I devoted a few hours to cooking and baking and now I feel that everything is much more under control.
I made sauerkraut with organic cabbage, carrots, and onions. I was a bit nervous but I had just taken a class on how to do it. Luckily, it seems to have turned out really well!
I love dilly beans (especially when they are spicy) and used up a few pounds of fresh green beans making 2 quarts of refrigerator beans. Canning intrigues me and I’d love to try it some time, but right now I’m sticking to storing items in the fridge or freezer.
I made dill pickles and used up 7 cucumbers! My other favorite use for cucumbers is in salads- a Greek salad with cucumbers, feta, olives, tomatoes, olive oil and lemon juice, or an Asian inspired one with cucumbers, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. I also love the hot tofu noodle recipe from Enchanted Broccoli Forest.
I made salsa using 6lbs of fresh tomatoes! That used up a lot of the big ones. I also love making open sandwiches with a crusty bread, sun dried tomato paste, fresh tomatoes, melted mozzarella, and basil.
The cherry tomatoes I mostly just snack on, but I used up 2 pints with this tomato cobbler recipe from Mark Bittman. I made it last year as well and loved it.
I also made chocolate zucchini bread and got to use up 4 cups of shredded summer squash. I also love it roasted or just steamed.
Other veggies I’ve already managed to use:
Broccoli made into calzones
Swiss chard just sauteed with olive oil, garlic, s&p
Snap peas in a million stir fries
Corn mostly just boiled and eaten on the cob with butter and salt
Pingback: Giant Zucchini | A New Englander's Life