Harvest Overload? Here’s What I Do With My End-of-Summer Veggie Bounty
There’s something so satisfying about a vegetable garden at its peak. By late summer, everything seems to ripen at once, tomatoes turning deep red, beans bursting from their pods, cucumbers practically multiplying overnight. It’s exciting, but I’ll admit, it can get a little overwhelming.
If you’re staring down an overflowing garden right now, don’t let all that goodness go to waste. Ripe veggies left too long on the vine tend to spoil quickly. Here’s what I do to make the most of every last tomato, bean, and beet.
Get Canning
One of my favourite things to do is turn fresh produce into jars of goodness that I can enjoy all year long. Tomatoes become sauces or salsa. Beets, cauliflower, cucumbers, and beans are perfect for pickling. There’s something really comforting about seeing those jars line your pantry shelves, each one a little reminder of the garden’s summer glory.
Freeze the Freshness
Freezing is a total lifesaver when you just can’t eat everything fast enough. Almost all vegetables freeze beautifully. I’ve had great success with corn, peas, carrots, green beans, squash, broccoli, and cauliflower. You can freeze most veggies as they are, but I like to blanch mine first, it helps preserve their colour and nutrients.
Here’s how I do it:
• Sort the veggies by size so they cook evenly
• Boil a large pot of water with plenty of salt (about 1 and a half cups per gallon of water)
• Drop in your vegetables and boil them for just a few minutes
• Transfer them straight into an ice bath to stop the cooking
• Once they’re cooled, I pat them dry, lay them out on a baking sheet, and pop them in the freezer
• After they’re frozen, I move them to a freezer bag or airtight container
It’s a little bit of extra effort, but totally worth it when you’re pulling garden-fresh peas or beans out of the freezer in the middle of November.
Share the Love
One of the best parts of growing a garden is being able to share the harvest. I love putting together care packages for family and friends, toss in some fresh veggies, a jar of homemade pickles, maybe even a bottle of tomato sauce. It’s such a thoughtful way to spread the abundance and bring a little seasonal joy to someone’s day.
Get the Garden Ready for What’s Next
Once the bulk of the harvest is done, I like to prep my garden for spring. I remove the spent annual veggies and give my perennial herbs a good trim. Then, while the soil is still soft, I take the opportunity to tuck in a few spring bulbs, tulips, daffodils, crocuses, even irises. Come next spring, I’m always so glad I did.
If your garden is bursting at the seams right now, take it as a gift, not a stressor. With a little planning and creativity, you can enjoy the fruits (and veggies) of your labour well into fall and winter. And trust me, your future self will thank you.
- From our Garden to yours, Cozyn's
