How Do You Enjoy The Abundance Of Summer Veggies?

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Summer is such a great time of year for having fresh veggies and fruits available and usually at a good price. It is an awesome time if you don’t have your own garden to buy extra to put up to enjoy in the Winter months.

                                 This is our daughter-in-law and grandson picking some squash and peppers.

                                 I love drying, canning and freezing fruits veggies and herbs this time of year.                                 I chop fresh red, yellow. and orange peppers along with sweet onions mix them together and store them in bags in the freezer. This mixture is so good to use in stir fry or soups and stews.

                                 I love making our own veggie broth. It is so delicious and tastes so much better than store bought broth. This time of year is great to make a bunch to have later on! I usually put up tomatoes, squash, okra, peppers, eggplant and cabbage. We also like to put up apples, strawberries, pears and peaches. There is nothing like using ripe fruit that you picked in the Summer to make applesauce, jams, jellies breads and cakes in the Fall and Winter months. You would probably be surprised at not only how much better tasting and better for you these fruits and veggies are but it is amazing how much money you can save as well.

We love grilling vegetables and also putting homemade bread on the grill. Do you take advantage of all the great Summer produce and put a lot of it up for the Winter months or are you just an eat it while in season type of person?

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  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UM5BW5IYZNCZ7RCNWKNWIXGUBU Peggy

    I love putting up summer fruits and veggies but alas not much of that has gone on since our move… When living in Alaska we collected wild berries and shared produce with friends. In Ohio we had friends who had a green house and allowed us to glean their tomatoes at the seasons end… our first two summers here we has a veggie share from a local CSA… but he sold last fall. It made me really sad… for them and for us as he was the only CSA in our area.. This year we have a small garden with just a few items as we are working at prepping the soil for a larger garden next year. This year…. tomatoes, squash, cucs, black beans, and corn. Next year… so much more! :)

  • http://theresalwaysthyme.blogspot.com/ There’s Always Thyme to Cook

    You make delicious use of all your fresh vegetables! This year I only have herbs and a few strawberries. But luckily the grocery has some nice seasonal organics that I can make do. Your grandson is adorable!

  • Jordan@the2seasons

    You have given me great ideas. I love the idea to chop some of the veggies up and freeze them. I also recently planted rosemary after you suggested drying it and use in recipes. Right now we have just had a few things here and there with our veggies so we grill them or prepared them that night and have them for dinner. I am loving having a garden. I feel like a little kid watching it grow and shocked how fast it all happens. Next week we will have more cucumbers and squash and I will be excited to share with my mom when she comes to visit. Have a great weekend!

  • http://www.cafefashionista.com/ Cafe Fashionista

    I’m more of someone who just eats what’s available when it’s available. I tend to buy a lot of canned vegetables as opposed to fresh ones. :/

  • http://www.orgasmicchef.com/ Maureen @ Orgasmic Chef

    In the summer I do make jams and chutneys. I live in Northern Australia and the strawberries have just started coming in. I’m off to pick next week and make jam. I always get everything ready before I head to the farm so there’s no, “I’m too tired” when I get back. Farm to jar!

  • http://www.joanne-eatswellwithothers.com/ Joanne

    Summer’s bounty is the best! I tend to start baking a lot with vegetables and making big salads or stews or stir fries to use them all up! And I just can’t get enough fruit! Delicious.

  • Lynn Wheeler

    Hi Alicia, Your garden sure is pretty. That’s such good looking dirt! Ours is just red clay and along with the deer I gave up trying to have a garden but I do have tomato plants, basil and a few other things tucked in the flower gardens up close to the house. We enjoyed our first batch of pesto the other day and fresh cukes and zuchinni in our salads this past week. I also have to tell you that since the weather is so hot, my company has been using the pool non stop. But that also means being outside with all the bugs too. They have absolutely loved your “Don’t Bug” me balm and we have used it on the children too….very soothing. They’ve all said they will be ordering some. Stay cool! xo

  • Mary Bergfeld

    Those gardens are really impressive. While I suspect I don’t put-by the amount of food you do, I do can tomatoes and freeze green beans. I also make catsup, relish and all of our jams and jellies. Years ago I did more but with just two of us usually at the table I’ve cut way back on my production.I hope you have a wonderful weekend.Blessings…Mary

  • http://ohmyveggies.com/ Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies

    I need to make my own veggie broth! I’m ashamed to say I usually buy it. The healthier kind, not the kind that tastes like salty water, but still, I should really make it. :)

  • http://neverrush.blogspot.com/ Heidi from Never Rush Ranch

    We planted late too, but then again we don’t really have seasons. Much success to you!

    Question on your eczema line. My daughter has Neurodermitits – will it help that too?

  • http://www.makinen.fr/susa/wordpress/ Be Inspired! – Susu

    That mixture with all the yummy peppers sounds heavenly. I love bell peppers without any limits.Cucumbers too.

  • Kathy

    Hi Alice! You stopped by my blog and left a comment. Thanks and I’m glad you found me because I found you! I’m passionate about green living too so I’m happy to know of you. Have you heard of the Zero Waste Family? They’re a great green blog…about a family that can put the amount of their annual trash into one small jar! We’re not there yet, but we only have to put our trash can on the curb once a year! Just thought you may of heard of the blog/family since it looks like you are really into living green. Kathy

  • http://twitter.com/fashicappuccino Fashion Cappuccino

    That’s pretty awesome! I really need to grow my own little vegetable garden!

  • Debra Ann Elliott

    Great tips! Thanks for stopping by my blog and showing some comment love!

  • Keeping it Cozy

    What a beautiful garden you have! I love the idea of making veggie broth… I will have to do that.

    Thank you for your thoughtful comment you left on my blog… we live in TN as well, but I do see rain clouds in the distance so I am hoping. Also, when I came to visit I was surprised to see you are with Eco Natural… I have a few of your products I won from a giveaway and love them. I have been so happy with your bug repellant… I have had wonderful success with it and I love using a natural product on my little girls. I will be purchasing some more once I run out!

  • http://www.anutinanutshell.com/ Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell

    I would absolutely love having those peppers ready all year round. GREAT idea!

  • http://www.foodgal.com/ Carolyn Jung

    What a plentiful garden you have! To have all of that at your fingertips is so convenient and inspiring.

  • Amy Tong

    I love your summer veggies creations. So refreshing and healthy. :)

  • http://itwasbroughtonbylove.blogspot.com/ Southern Gal

    Love your garden creations. We have a tomato plant and an eggplant this year in pots on the patio. We got tired of feeding the deer. ;)

  • Mary Jo at Trustyourstyle

    Your veggies look so amazing and nothing is more delicious than homegrown veggies from the garden. I will have to see about adding some tomatoes again to my garden, they’re always so delicious! Hope you had a great weekend!

    xo mary jo

  • red.neck Chic

    Oh my gosh… I’m so hungry now! Vegetables – any way I can get them – are my favorite meals!!!

    I’m going to check out your insect repellent – LOVE the thought of that!!!

    ;) robelyn

  • Patricia Villamil

    This is so awesome, preparing your own veggie broth. It’s a good and healthy alternative, and it seems easy. I’m always up for healthy it just takes me time to get used to the idea of chopping all those veggies and boiling it and then canning it or storing it. But on day I will achieve this!

  • http://neverrush.blogspot.com/ Heidi @ The Never Rush Ranch

    Aloha Alicia! just noticed your drying rack. Is that the kind you just put in the sun? My mom used to dry green beans in the sun, this would be more space efficient.

    • http://ecofriendlyhomemaking.com Alicia

      Heidi, Mine is an electric dehydrator.I think the ones that you use in the sun are really nice though.

  • http://myjourneywithcandida.blogspot.com/ Terrylee5151

    I have such a little garden compared to yours, but my zucchini is going CRAZY Gather up your zucchini posts. I am going to put up a linky to add zucchini recipes to. Hopefully we will get people looking for zucchini clicking on our links. I will probably have this up Wednesday night for Thursday.

  • Josephine Crawford

    What wonderful ideas you have for using all the abundance of Summer vegetables, lots of work, but oh, so rewarding.
    Thank you for stopping by, I hope to visit back and forth often.
    ~Jo

  • http://neverrush.blogspot.com/ Heidi @ The Never Rush Ranch

    Quick question, what kind of dehydrator is that?

    • http://ecofriendlyhomemaking.com/ Alicia

      Heidi,
      I am not sure what the brand is on this one but it is the kind that you plug in and is just one temperature I am looking into getting one that actually has several settings. Our daughter was telling me that they are so much more efficient. I dehydrate so many things that I am looking forward to one that I can control the heat.
      I didn’t see the name on the it anywhere but if I still have the box.itwill have it on there and I will let you know..
      Thanks
      Alicia

  • http://www.twobearsfarm.com/ Lisa @ Two Bears Farm

    Our garden hasn’t done very well this year, so we don’t have the abundance like we had last year. Very disappointing. Enjoy yours!