surplus veg

[JILLY JACKSON]

what does everyone do with their surplus veg?I have lots of lettuce for example and if all goes according to plan will have quite a lot of other veg maturing all at once.i can give neighbours some,although they grow their own as well.The chooks love it,but can only eat so much.What do others do?

[Two_Sheds]

Most of us have learned (the hard way) to space out the glut, by successional sowing.

Don't sow all your lettuce at once... sow once a fortnight or so instead.

[HeyWayne]

But for those of us that haven't...

I can guarantee you'll have plenty of friends come harvest time!

[Mikey]

I have a wonderful book at home called how to store your garden produce. I picked it up last week while visiting RHS Rosemoor in Devon, the book covers all the methods of storing, fridge, freezer, bottling, jams, chutneys, clamping etc, and tells you more importantly why to use these techniques. It then lists all the veg you are likely to grow in your garden and how to store them.

This was the book

[Finedon.Dandy]

I have a verbal agreement from my local butcher down in the village that he may purchase any surplas produce from us but how this will work out in practice I dont know. I am hoping it will provide enough cash for next years seeds.

[Mikey]

I have a verbal agreement from my local butcher down in the village that he may purchase any surplas produce from us but how this will work out in practice I dont know. I am hoping it will provide enough cash for next years seeds.

I think this should be a swap surely, veg for meat.

[JILLY JACKSON]

Thanks all ,am ordering that book mikeywills,looks really helpful.Heywayne have to say i love readingyour blog etc.Two sheds,can i grow salad in winter somehow? That seems to be when the family want it.

[T-lady]

Just to add ... soup is the way to go! Almost anything can make a tasty soup and it freezes wonderfully for a taste of nutritious summer during glum winter months when a nice warming soup is most welcome.

Don't forget to make loads of passata (tomato) sauce for pasta if you've a glut of tomatoes. Marrow and ginger jam is a great way to get rid of an overabundance of courgettes.

[moggssue]

I've not been able to discover a way of storing/preserving lettuce - the one crop I think so far will manage to provide a glut Any ideas folks/?

[Alice]

Lettuce soup Moggssue. I make it with peas and a little curry powder.
Sautee some onion in butter. Stir in the curry powder. Add the stock, peas and lettuce and simmer about half an hour. Liquidise. Serve with a spoonful of yoghurt on top.
And you can freeze the soup.

[Oleander]

Hi Alice

Can you give some idea of what proportions of ingredients you use? I am guessing that the lettuce would shrink like spinach when you cook it?

thanks

[Two_Sheds]

can i grow salad in winter somehow? That seems to be when the family want it.

Why? When there's all that lovely winter veg like cabbage, kale etc.
Personally, I like to eat what is in season.

There are winter lettuces, like Arctic King and Rusty, but they don't really "grow" over winter, they just sit there until spring, when they take off bigtime.

[Starchild]

What we can't store, swap or give away to neighbours goes to a local small school or homeless centre.

[hamsterqueen]

Lettuce is really good in a stirfry too

[mrs dog]

Just scrolling down and I saw that someone is using corgettes in marrow and ginger jam. How does that work. I always find my corgettes very nutty and don,t know if they would go sloppy enough for my liking? Let me know please cos marrow and ginger and rhubarb and ginger in fact anything with ginger is my favourite jam!