Perfect Meals with Your Final Garden Harvest

Perfect Meals with Your Final Garden Harvest

 

You’re ready to make your final collection of late summer/fall vegetables. Your mouth is just watering at your beautiful crop. The only question left is, what is the best way to prepare this luscious feast?

You’ve got your standard stand by meals and dishes that will incorporate your delicious veggies, but beyond that, there are nearly an infinite number of ways to prepare these treats that will help bring the best taste out. What we have for you here are a few easy dishes that will incorporate your fall harvest.

Beef Stew

An easy fall meal, thanks to the slow cooker. Dice up your veggies (notably carrots and potatoes, but others as well!) and add them to the bottom of the pot. Throw in about 2 pounds of cubed beef. Add a little apple cider, a few of your favorite spices, some flour to thicken, and some cream of mushroom soup or onion soup mix to make a gravy. Leave on low for 6 hours and enjoy for dinner.

Garden Salad

Your fresh garden salad will take on a fall flavor when you add Swiss chard, turnips, and carrots to the lettuce. Throw in some walnuts or pecans, and maybe the last of your corn. Top your masterpiece with an apple cider vinaigrette, and you have a side dish almost good enough for a main meal.

Broccoli Salad

This is a tradition at our house all year round because of its popularity. Combine 2 cups of broccoli, half a cup of shredded cheddar cheese, 5-6 slices of bacon (crumbled), and a handful of nuts and/or raisins (optional). Cover with a dressing made of ½ cup of vinegar, ½ cup of white sugar, and 2 T mayonnaise. Chill 1 hour or more.

Kale Brownies

Incorporating veggies into brownies might sound awful, but it’s really not. And it’s a great way to get kids to eat their veggies! Steam and puree a large bunch of kale so that you have about 1 cup. Add the puree to a mix that has 1 ¾ cup flour, 2 T cocoa powder, 1 t. salt, 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (melted), 1 cup butter, 1 ½ cup white sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, 4 beaten eggs, and 1 ½ t. vanilla. After combining it all, pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 35 minutes at 350º.

Carrot Cake

The only point for there being carrots in the world is to be able to have carrot cake. And it may just be that much better using carrots from your own garden. Combine 2 cups of flour, 1 ¾ cups of sugar, 2 t. baking powder, 1 t. cinnamon, ½ t. salt, ½ t. baking soda. Add 4 eggs, 3 cups grated carrots, ¾ cup oil. Stir until combined. Pour into pans and bake 30 minutes at 350º. When cooled, ice with a cream cheese icing.

Of course, all these dishes can be prepared with the standard vegetables from your local grocery store. But you never can be sure where that produce has come from. Imagine the fresh taste of these meals coming straight from your own garden. Don’t have room for a vegetable garden where you live? Think about searching for rural land for sale by owner on www.Hurdle.com. You know you’ve always wanted more space. Maybe now is the time to consider it. The fresh, homemade meals you could make for your family might be all you need for a fresh outlook on life.