Making the Most of This Year's Garden

That was my goal for the year, and so far it has worked out.  I've lost only one item thus far to spoilage and I'm filling our stomachs and our freezer with fresh veggies.  About a month ago I read an article by Holly Pierlot in Faith and Family Magazine about how to eat from your garden all year long.  She is a busy homeschooling mom like I am, and doesn't have time to spend canning (she calls it putting down and I call it putting up).

Two recommendations that I am following are as follows:  1) putting fresh tomatoes into freezer bages and then into the freezer.   She says this will preserve them adequately for use in stews and soups (and hopefully spaghetti sauce!); and 2) freezing shredded zucchini for use in bread.

I  am extremely excited about these ideas because they are so easy.  Throwing a fresh tomato into just about any dish will add extra flavor and nutrition.  I'll be thrilled to be able to do this in the winter too.  .  Plus, the kids (and parents) have learned to love zucchini bread.  It makes a great snack or even dessert.

Oh, and I nearly forgot the lemon balm.  Apparently this is a treatment for many common maladies including dyspepsia, insect bites, anxiety and depression.  Nicholas swears by it as an insect bite soother, and I think putting it in my tea daily is helping me to relax more.  When we return from vacation, I have plans to try preserving a variety of my herbs into oil for cooking.

The only question I have now is this - What can I do with the cucumbers??!  I don't have time for pickling, and every time we finish one, I find a couple more on the vine.  And I only planted one this year!

Comments

[Angel]

I have a ton of lemon balm in my flower beds; I never knew it was good for anxiety and depression! Guess I will be using it a bit more LOL. (Unfortunately, I have no suggestions for the cucumbers... although have you tried making freezer pickles? They don't require all the hot water baths, etc.)

[Alice Gunther]

Oh, I would love to have these things in my garden!