Happy Harvest 4

I hope you are getting good harvests this year.  I have gotten a few tomatoes and peppers, but not like usual.  For one, I am just not into this year and secondly Mr. Groundhog has plagued my tomatoes that are in pots!  Weather hasn't seemed to cooperate either.
I will probably go to the big farm stand soon and get a box of canning tomatoes to make a new batch of salsa with.  They sell them cheaply - and I have all else I need.  My grapes are just starting to ripen, so grape jelly will be made in the near future as well.

Here are few ideas for using your harvests.  Hope it helps you out.

Love fried green tomatoes.  Everyone has their own special way of fixing them - but if you have never tried here is a good recipe that you can tweek to your taste.

YES you can, can green tomatoes for frying later in the winter.  I have done this many times.  I tend to use quart wide mouth jars - so much easier to get tomatoes out.  I also slice them a tad thicker than I would for frying a fresh one.  They keep well and taste so good in the dead of winter.

When ready to fry - drain your slices thoroughly - then bread them like you would for fresh and fry away.  A lovely taste of summer in the winter snowy months!

SMALL PEPPERS

I love the little colored sweet bell peppers that can be purchased at the store.  Not too big and not to tiny.  You can grow them as well.  I like to stuff them with seasoned cream cheese for a bit of an appetizer or for veggie plates.  They make a nice side for any dinner.  

They are yummy stuffed and raw or great when broiled, baked, or grilled as well (with cheese stuffing).

Sometimes I use cream cheese and onion or garlic powder - sometimes a mixture of cream cheese, sour cream & cheddar shreds - sometimes cream cheese, sour cream and jalapenos diced up.  Fix them according to your taste.

I do the same thing with jalapenos - ONLY I like those fried!!!!!!!!  I fill them - batter them - fry. Poppers are so yummy!

I also do this - and lay them on a sheet pan and flash freeze , then bag - and I have breaded stuffed peppers for frying in the winter!!!!!!!!  (DO NOT THAW before frying)

I buy these when I see them marked down.  They are so sweet and are great for salads, cooking, stuffing and just munching on!

Not nearly enough stuffing for me!!! I fill those babies up before I grill or bake or even before serving them on a relish plate.

You could do the same with regular bell peppers as well.  Slice them into quarters (or more) and add your filling.  So many things we can do with peppers

I also like to chop or slice and freeze for use in soups, chili, stews, or stir fry.

LETTUCE

Most leaf lettuces are done for this part of the season here in the U.S.  It is just too hot and most have gone to seed or gotten bitter.  It IS time however to plant a fall crop.  Fresh lettuce is just so good and can not compare to the stuff purchased at the store.

I have grown some pretty lettuce in the past.  Big old sweet tasting leaves.

I pick my lettuce and bring it in and soak in a salt water bath in the sink.  This removes any little buggers that might be on it.  Rinse - then roll up in a kitchen towel to absorb excess moisture.

When I store it in the frig, I place it in a plastic bag along with a paper towel and remove all the air from the bag.  It lasts for a long, long time this way.  The paper towel absorbs any excess moisture - yet is just damp enough to keep lettuce fresh.

Now is time to plant that fall crop!

For those that drink healthy green smoothies - lettuce (and any other greens) can be dehydrated and powdered to use all winter in those smoothies.  Keep in a glass sealed jar.

So there you have it.  Food that is tasty now and ways to keep that food for tasty treats when the weather outside is frightful!

Happy Harvest