Tomato Facts

When you planted your garden it is likely you did not think about what you would do if you ended up growing too much. When it comes to harvest time it can be a little tricky to decide what to do with all of those fruits and vegetables. If you've got more green beans than you can eat, fortunately you don't have to let them go to waste. There are many things you can do to use up your garden extras.

Share With Relatives. Your neighbors would likely gladly accept your leftover fruits and vegetables. It is up to you whether you give it to them raw or decide to cook it up into one of their favorite dishes. Either way, they will likely appreciate the gift of food.

Try Freezing It. If you have an extra freezer, you may want to consider freezing your harvest. Make sure you carefully get all of the air out of the bags to help it freeze better longer. You can safely keep your foods in the freezer for at least a few months.

Home Canning. Another thing to do is to preserve your fruits and vegetables. With a pressure canner you can safely preserve all sorts of vegetables. Not only is this a tasty way to store your foods, but it can be very cost effective as well.

Try Drying It. You can make many great snacks with a dehydrator as well that will keep it from going bad. We love making vegetable chips to dip in our favorite yogurt fruit dip recipe. There are countless things you can make with your food dehydrator!

Give to a Food Pantry. Another great idea to consider is to give away to a great cause. Many people cannot afford fresh produce, so it is a great donation to make. This is a great way to give back to the community and share the bounty from your garden.

Now you'll never wonder what to do the next time your garden produces more that you expected. Best of all, all of these ideas are good tasting and fun to do!