Top 3 Things To Do With Your Garden Veggie Overload!

Jun 30, 2016

It’s that time of year when your garden veggies are about to burst, and they are begging for you to take them out of the dirt.  The problem is, that the veggies & fruit can become garden overload, and then certain people start to secretly put their tomatoes, zucchini, and squash in grocery bags and drop them off on their family and friends doorsteps.  (This just happened to me the other day).  🙂  

 

Now…..I know it’s because they don’t quite know what do to with all the extras, and they definitely don’t want to feel guilty for throwing it out, because that’s  just not right.  So, to take advantage of your garden overload, I am sharing the top 3 things that you can do save some money, and enjoy all your hard work.    

 

Learn How to Can For Goodness Sakes

 

 

 

 

I have several raised garden beds, which has allowed me to enjoy spring, summer, and fall produce, and I like to extend my saving for the entire year by canning.  I keep it simple, I grow tomatoes, green beans, peppers, a little squash & zucchini, and grapes.  Which means I get to get creative and make my own salsa, marinara sauce, relishes, green beans, jellies, and preserves.  I can usually get through and entire year without buying these items, and they simply taste fresh and fabulous!  

New to canning?  The best place to start is here:  FreshPreserving.com

What equipment do I use?  Click here:  Canning Essentials

 

 

Freeze Them Baby!

 

 

foodiesfeed.com_frozen-cherries

 

 

Instead of paying for frozen veggies & fruits, you can save a whole lot of moolah by freezing them yourself.  I have an extra stand up deep freezer, just to keep this, and any other seasonal sales that I might find at the store safe.   Here’s some tips on How To Freeze Fruits And Vegetables from AllRecipes.com.

 

Compost It

Yimby Tumbler Composter

 

 

Don’t throw those veggies out!  Put them in a compost bin, watch the fertilizer magic happen, and put it in your garden.  Plus, this is something that you can do year round with all your food scraps, and I’ve seen some pretty creative DIY composting bins such as this one by Practically Functional below:

 

 

How To Build A DIY Compost Bin  

 

 

I know that growing a garden is hard work, but I can’t express enough the savings that you will reap, as well as accomplishment you will feel the first time you make that can of salsa with ingredients you grew yourself.  I thank you for stopping by, and just so you know that some of the links above are my affiliate links, and I may get a small commission fee if you decide to buy.  I appreciate all of your support, and here’s to Happy Gardening Season.   

A Teen & His Family’s Canning Creations!

Aug 24, 2013

In my last post, “A Fence For Teen’s Garden” I left off with the excitement of getting ready to can, freeze, or dehydrate all of the veggies & fruit in Matt’s garden below.  PicMonkey Collage

Now, I know that some of you are like, “she’s CRAZY”, and I can honestly tell you that I felt the same way you do a few years ago.  In fact, I wrote an article last year called, “Home Canning Super Savings ” which basically explains why I started to can to begin with, and the family that I speak of in this post is none other than Matt’s.  🙂  

Here is just a few pictures of what Matt’s garden has produced this 2013 year!  Drumroll please!!!!!

Canning Collage 

Canning Wall2

By cracky, you better love some green beans in this family!  How about 120 quarts of them!  And let me tell you, Miss Laura’s green beans with a ham or turkey dinner is to die for.  🙂  This young man’s garden has produced enough fruits and vegetables to get this family of five through the entire winter, and that’s what I call some SUPER SAVINGS!  Way to go MATT!   It just shows that anyone has the ability to save some serious dollars by growing your own garden, whether in the city limits (like me) or in the country (like Matt).  So, if I have peaked your interest in possibly learning how to can for yourself, the best place to start is here:  

                                                                                           

I know that this is a just a book, but trust me you will need it by your side as you get into the canning craze, because the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving goes into great detail, which is very important when you are just starting out, and as you advance.  It is broken down into easy, intermediate, and advanced canning recipes and methods.  I have personally put little tabs on all of the recipes that I have tried in this book or will try in the future.  There is also a digital download of this book available on Amazon, and this is the best price that I have found so far.    

Also, I have provided you with a really simple PDF “Intro To Canning” link by Ball that you can download!  

And finally, head to Ball’s Fresh Preserving Store below and see all of the canning gift sets, jars, mixes, and accessories that they have!   I have one other thing to ask, if any of you do start canning, please leave a comment below, because I know that both Matt and myself will get a big kick out of your canning creations.    

FreshPreservingStore.com is a one-stop shop with everything needed to make your canning experience even easier.

Logo to http://www.freshpreservingstore.com/