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Recipe Round-Up: Flexible Ways to Use Produce
Vegetables here, vegetables there, vegetables everywhere! Gardens and farmers’ markets are bursting with produce. You may have some tried and true ways you like to use summer vegetables. If you’re looking for some new ideas, here is a round-up of some of our recipes that allow for flexibility in the vegetables that are used.
Garden Check In
Back in April I wrote a blog about good places to find free garden seeds. I also shared about how, in the summer of 2024, deer ate everything in our garden except the marigolds and zucchini. This year, we made some changes to our garden and we are feeling successful. We used a deer repellent spray around the outside of our garden, and we placed dog hair in and around our garden.
Boost Your Produce Confidence
Have you ever skipped a recipe or passed on fresh fruits and vegetables because you weren’t sure how to choose or prepare them? You’re not alone! Fresh produce can feel intimidating if you’re unfamiliar with how to prepare it. When I first met my husband, I noticed he often had pre-cut fruits and vegetables in the fridge. While convenient, those pre-packaged items were expensive. I soon learned he was buying them simply because he didn’t know how to prep some of his favorite produce himself. With a little bit of guidance and practice, he was able to prep those produce items in his kitchen, saving quite a bit of money in his food budget. If you’re looking to try new fruits and vegetables while reducing food waste, check out the Food Preparation videos on Spend Smart. Eat Smart. There are several produce videos, and the ones we have found most helpful in our house are how to prepare a melon (my husband’s favorite!) and how to prepare asparagus.
Cool Cucumber Salad
This time of year, you can find a cucumber almost anywhere you go – the farmers market, the grocery store, or the food pantry. They are also being harvested from home gardens. I have a cucumber plant in my garden that is growing nicely and I hope to pick and eat a cucumber from it soon. In a few weeks, I will give you an update on how my garden is growing and share some pictures. Today, I would like to share with you one of my favorite cucumber recipes.
A Twist on Tacos
It’s been a month of food mashups here on the Spend Smart. Eat Smart. blog, and today I get to wrap up the series.
Apple Crisp Bars
This week it is my turn to share a Spend Smart. Eat Smart. recipe mashup. Christine and Katy shared main dish mashups, so I thought I would sweeten it up and share a dessert mashup. I used the base of our Cranberry Oatmeal Bars recipe to make, what I am calling, Apple Crisp Bars.
