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Bountiful Bell Peppers
My family and I love peppers because of how versatile they are. They can add flavor and crunch to any dish, or are great eaten raw. Whole peppers last a week or two in the fridge, making them a perfect produce item to stock up on.
Totally Tomatoes
What ripens to red, orange, purple, or yellow, has seeds, and is bursting with the fresh flavor of summer? Tomatoes come in a rainbow of colors; the most common is red, of course. Tomatoes add color, nutrients, and interest to our meals. Not only can we chop, slice, and eat them fresh, but they serve as the base for recipes and sauces in many cultures. If you want to find new recipes from cultures around the world there are some ideas below, or you can check out Oldways.
“More Green Trees, please”
Broccoli is a staple vegetable in both the fridge and freezer at my house. My preschooler has always loved broccoli- especially if it is steamed or roasted. When she was younger, she would request broccoli with her meals by asking for the “tiny green trees”. Thankfully all of us enjoy broccoli so it is an easy request to fulfill. Below are a few ways that we include tiny green trees into our meals and snacks.
Spaghetti Squash
I always look forward to this time of year. As the summer break from school winds down, I like to take some time off work and simply enjoy the end of summer with my children. Sometimes we go on adventures, but a lot of the time we just relax around home. And, to be honest, I do not cook much. This means I am probably not going to make our August recipe of the month – Spaghetti Squash – until this fall.
What Fruits and Veggies do You Like?
This past year, we have been asking people about their favorite seasonal produce. We are going to continue sharing this month, starting with my family. I decided to ask my three children what fruits and veggies they like to eat in the summertime. We are very lucky to have a small garden at our home and access to larger gardens at grandpa’s and grandma’s homes, which you will see reflected in their answers below.
Peppers on Parade!
It has been a fun month reading all about our favorite summer produce items. It is a real joy to have summer produce from the grocery store, farmers market or even your own back porch. I enjoy nearly all summer produce, but I would say peppers rise to the top for me. They are delicious raw and cooked and they can be sweet or spicy.
It’s Time for Asparagus!
It’s Spring! And that means asparagus is in season. I remember growing up on the farm and cutting wild asparagus in the ditch by our house. Now I buy it in the grocery store. My husband loves asparagus so he gets excited for me to make it when it’s in season. His favorite way to have it is roasted. I also like to grill it.
Is fruit really too expensive?
On a recent shopping trip, I started thinking about the cost of produce—bananas to be specific. It seems their cost has really skyrocketed over the past few years. I’m probably dating myself by admitting that I remember when I could buy bananas for 25 cents a pound! On this shopping trip to a big box store, the cost was 64 cents a pound. Well, it’s no wonder families are tempted to buy snack food to satisfy their hungry members instead of produce. So, being a home economist, I decided to do a comparison. I bought 5 bananas that weighed 1.71 pounds; the cost was $1.09. That meant that each banana cost between 20 and 21 cents each.
Plant. Grow. Share.
Is your garden overflowing with tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash or zucchini and you are not quite sure what to do with the extra harvest? Consider donating your fresh garden produce to your local food pantry.
Seasonal Produce – The time has come!
Warm weather has finally arrived here in Iowa and locally grown produce is starting to become available. Summer is my favorite time of year to cook because my favorite ingredients like tomatoes, fresh green beans and bell peppers are in season. When fruits and vegetables are in season they are often available at a lower price and fresh-picked produce tastes great.
How many fruits and vegetables do you need?
Here are the facts.
Blanching your Produce
We get lots of calls at AnswerLine from gardeners who are getting ready to freeze their vegetables. Blanching helps maintain the quality of garden produce and even experienced gardeners often ask us to review the directions for blanching as it has been a while since they did it last.