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Farm Fresh, Any Time of Year

As I’ve mentioned in a previous blog (CSA Share, How Do I Love Thee?) we belong to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) for vegetables and fruits. We have done both summer and winter shares and I have gotten pretty good at finding new recipes to use up these fresh goodies. I was also thrilled to be able to use these to make my own baby food in past years using fresh and organic produce. Check out this site for some great recipes if you are interested in giving this a go: http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com. I’m surprised how many times I’ve been able to use these purees (sneaking in even more vegetables and fruits into a recipe) in dishes for the rest of my family too!

This year has produced a particularly good crop for us. I’ve gotten over 10 extra pounds of cucumbers twice in one month. That is in addition to the huge amount of vegetables we have been getting weekly!

 




With such a bumper crop this season, and the occasional vacation, I sometimes find myself in a pickle (!) about what to do with this bounty. I came across these tips for freezing and preserving fresh produce and it has been a life (and produce) saver:
http://loveandhomemaderecipes.com/2011/06/freeze-how-to-preserve-your-summer-produce

Tips like these really help so that you don’t feel like you are overwhelmed trying to eat vegetables and fruits before they spoil, and allow you to enjoy farm fresh produce late into the year.

To learn more about local farmers’ markets or CSAs, try this site: http://www.localharvest.org

What are your tips or favorite recipes for using up fresh fruits and veggies?
 

by PeggyKerans on 09/19/2011 | Share Story With a Friend

tags: Diet Tools, motivation, planning, strategies, kids, mommy blog

About the Author

Peggy Kerans

Peggy has worked at HMR since 1997 in a number of departments. She is a woman that wears many hats, and juggles a hectic family life with her husband and 3 small children. She likes to cook, do crafts, be a positive role model for her family and keep things fun.

Comments (3) Post a comment
Thankfully my kids love raw reggies (peppers, cucumbers, carrots, tomatos) so that makes it easy for those staple vegetables and I often just leave bowls of them out on the table so the kids pick at these (instead of the other stuff) after school. Also for my CSA share this year if I did not know what to do with it...I roasted it in the oven and roasted veggies are great with almost any HMR entree!
by KimG on 09/22/2011
I like your sense of adventure! I hear great things about adding spinach to shakes but must confess that I have yet to try it. I love spinach mixed with entrees but will definitely have to give it a try as a smoothie.
by PeggyKerans on 09/20/2011
I've recently been experimenting with blending together veg/fruit leftovers to make a veg/fruit smoothie. I'll combine raw spinach and celery with cherries and blueberries...or many other odd combinations:)! I've been surprised at how tasty these can be AND it helps to use up the leftovers in frig. Sometimes I need to add some unsweetened apple juice as the base.
by DesireeRogers on 09/19/2011