What do you do when you have a massive, bountiful harvest?

[Cryyo]

Sometimes we get lucky, or are very successful, and get more than we can handle. Personally, I try to give as much as I can to the neighbors, but sometimes I still have leftovers. Tomatoes are easy, I just can a huge amount of sauce that I store for the rest of the year. What do you guys do with your excess?

 

[Micheleteresa]

You can donate to local soup kitchens. Many of the small community soup kitchens are funded by public donations you can do a google search for your area and call to see if they need produce donations. We have on in my town that serves lunch daily and there are times they have more people to feed than food to serve.

 

[muddyfingers]

There is this community involvement program in our school that includes feeding to the people from the places adopted by our school and it's a good way of sharing the excess in my harvest. For me, it's one way of giving thanks for this blessing.

 

[globulon]

I hope one day to have this problem!

Kudos to you guys for your generosity. It must be amazing for the soup kitchens and schools to receive fresh home-grown produce!

 

[muddyfingers]

I hope one day to have this problem!

Kudos to you guys for your generosity. It must be amazing for the soup kitchens and schools to receive fresh home-grown produce!

It's comical though, that this problem is not a total problem. I do hope you encounter this 'problem' one of these days.

 

[claudine]

For me, there is no such thing as too many vegetables or fruits. I'm a petite girl, but I need a lot of food. I've always had a great appetite If I ever have more edibles than I need, I'll start canning, cooking and freezing.

 

[peachdejour]

I haven't had a huge harvest yet, but everyone in my family grows something a little different so we do a trade off. I give some to my boyfriends dad and trade with my mom. I would drive down and give some to my grandparents because they don't garden anymore and trade with my aunts and uncle. I would probably do a lot of canning and dehydrating if I had a really good harvest. You can can great soup mixes with dehydrated vegetables.

 

[marlingardener]

Because I always plant too much in the vegetable garden, anything that is over-produced goes to canning or freezing until the pantry/freezer is full, and then I take fresh produce to the local food pantry.
Not all food pantries can take fresh produce from home gardens, but ours can, and the clients are so appreciative! Last summer I had more squash than an army could eat, and every pound of squash that went to the food pantry went to a home that used it. When I arrived lugging pounds of squash, cucumbers, greens, whatever was going in the garden, there was a small line of folks behind me, asking if they could have a bit.
If you can share, please do. So many folks don't have the space or physical ability to garden, but they do appreciate a fresh tomato or two, some Swiss chard, or a crookneck squash. The smiles you receive will amply repay you for the effort you put into growing vegetables!

 

[zigs]

Not much space for bottling in a caravan kitchen and i've got no freezer so i've been salting stuff down.

Heres a picture of my salted tomatoes that I faked up earlier

 

[Chuck]

Not much space for bottling in a caravan kitchen and i've got no freezer so i've been salting stuff down.

Heres a picture of my salted tomatoes that I faked up earlier View attachment 4020

Homegrown tomatos?????????? Not hardly. They don't grow like that. That pic is fudged and the pics on the internet don't look like that. Just garbage. Now I can show you.......Blah Blah Blah.

 

[marlingardener]

Or you could just sun dry extra tomatoes. These are some of our Romas drying outside in the sun. It's easy, they store well, and sun-dried tomatoes drive the neighbors nuts!

 

[Chuck]

View attachment 4037 Or you could just sun dry extra tomatoes. These are some of our Romas drying outside in the sun. It's easy, they store well, and sun-dried tomatoes drive the neighbors nuts!

Is that just a 2x4 with screen wire stapled to it? Somehow I thought it would be more complicated. I don't think I have ever had sundried tomatoes. Do you just put them on a string after they have dried or how do you store them.

 

[zigs]

View attachment 4037 Or you could just sun dry extra tomatoes. These are some of our Romas drying outside in the sun. It's easy, they store well, and sun-dried tomatoes drive the neighbors nuts!

Cool

I just wasn't set up for that last year, tried to dry a load on the car dashboard but it didn't have the ventilation.

It's on the to do list

 

[zigs]

Homegrown tomatos?????????? Not hardly. They don't grow like that. That pic is fudged and the pics on the internet don't look like that. Just garbage. Now I can show you.......Blah Blah Blah.

 

[marlingardener]

Our dryer is a frame made of 1"x2"s, with aluminum screen stapled on. We have an X-frame that we put the dryer on, and turn the tomatoes once a day.
To prepare the tomatoes, we halve the Romas stem to stern, put them in a vinegar bath, let them dry a bit on paper towels (just until they stop looking shiny), then sprinkle with salt. After that, they are put on the screen and set in the sun. It usually takes two-three days for them to dry and get wrinkled. Then I put them in a jar or zip-loc bag and put them in the freezer. This probably isn't necessary in cooler climates, but in Texas, freezing is needed. When I want to use them, I take out whatever amount I need, put them in another jar and cover with extra-virgin olive oil. This rehydrates the tomatoes a bit, and also imparts a wonderful flavor to the oil. The tomatoes are great for pizza, salads, and as a side for fish. The oil I use for salad dressings and as a flavored oil for dipping bread.
Our neighbors are thinking of getting up a petition to make us move . . . .