Vegetable gardens reach their peak in the final weeks of summer, and the abundance of ripening produce can be overwhelming. To prevent overripened vegetables from going to waste, it’s essential to take action.
Here’s what you can do with the vegetable overflow:
Get Canning
Preserve your harvest by canning. You can stock your pantry with sauces, jams, and pickled vegetables. Excess tomatoes are perfect for making sauce or salsa, while beets, cauliflower, cucumbers, and beans are great for pickling.
Freeze for Freshness into Fall
Instead of letting extra vegetables go to waste, freeze them. Most vegetables freeze well, including corn, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green beans, and squash. While you can freeze most vegetables directly, blanching them first helps preserve color and nutrients. Beans, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and Brussels sprouts should be blanched before freezing.
How to Blanch Your Vegetables:
- Sort vegetables by size to ensure even cooking.
- Salt the boiling water generously, about 1.5 cups of salt per gallon of water, to prevent flavor and vitamins from leaching out.
- Boil the vegetables for the recommended blanching time.
- Remove them from the boiling water and immediately place them in an ice bath to stop the cooking process and retain nutrients.
After blanching, dry the vegetables and spread them on a baking sheet to freeze. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight container.
Donate
One of the joys of having a vegetable garden is sharing your bounty. Create care packages with fresh produce and canned goods to share with friends and family, allowing them to enjoy your harvest throughout the fall and winter.
