I don’t know about you, but as we enter the last weeks of pick ups, I’ve been dreading the inevitable trips I’ll make this winter to the produce section of the grocery store. I find myself appreciating every moment I can to cook, store and preserve the harvest.
This is the time to stock up for the cold, dark days of winter. You’ll thank your past self when you pull out a jar of sauce or a bag of frozen kale to add to your meals. The burst of color and flavor can make all the difference and can transport you back to the warm days of summer.
There are two steps you should consider when picking up your share. First, you want to think about what you will eat that week or the next depending on the shelf life of the produce. Some things need to be eaten right away while others can last for months before they go bad in the fridge. Our website has a helpful chart that gives suggestions on the best way to store your vegetables just after you bring them home. Properly storing your veggies can take some of the stress out of eating everything before it goes bad.
Second, you may decide to preserve certain vegetables to enjoy past its expected shelf life. For those of you who are new to preserving food – it isn’t as hard as you think! There are so many different ways to preserve and so many resources available to you. The quickest and easiest way is to freeze things. Our website has helpful information on how to properly freeze things if you have the room. You can also ferment, pickle, can or dehydrate!
Lastly, it’s important to have plenty of recipe ideas to keep mealtime enjoyable and interesting throughout the season. Each year offers some unexpected harvests so you always want fresh ideas. Our website has an amazing collection of recipes that use the very vegetables that are in your share! It’s an excellent resource to discover ways to enjoy new ingredients and can help you think outside the box when you’ve already exhausted all your usual recipes for the pounds and pounds of carrots in your crisper.
No matter what you need, I hope you are able to find something helpful on our website and find a way to prolong the harvest for as long as you can. And don’t forget, you can always get a winter share and pick up a nice boost of veggies in November and December!
Until next time,
Ember
