Saturday, May 28, 2011

A Little Like Life on a Farm... and a menu




We have a garden.
Thanks to my husband's amazing green thumb, we have an abundance of produce right now.
Including, but not limited to:
cabbage, collards, tomatoes, green beans, jalapenos, bell peppers, new potatoes, onions, cucumbers, and blackeyed peas.

And now I'm working on ways to use it.

I've made collard greens galore, and blanched them for the freezer.
I've cooked many green beans, given some away, and blanched some more for the freezer.
I've made jalapeno poppers, frozen some 'empties', and have a bucket full on my counter right now awaiting inspiration.
I've made coleslaw with the cabbage, and am trying to get brave enough to attempt sauerkraut. (Which my husband loves but I do not.) And maybe use it in stir fry.
Sliced tomatoes, tomatoes on salad, etc.
Cucumbers in salad, and a bread-and-butter pickle experiment.

We've never had a garden this big, and I'm a little overwhelmed.
Can you tell?

So here's my attempt at including this produce in our menu for this week.

Sunday~Burgers & sausage on the grill, with tons of grilled veggies to go with
Monday~ HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY! With the fam, swimming, and eating chicken. Making green beans and cucumber salad to accompany.
Tuesday~ Back to work for the last week with students. And it's payday. Pulled pork BBQ in the crockpot (on buns for ds#3 and me), collards, mac'n'cheese, coleslaw
Wednesday~ Leftovers
Thursday~ Spaghetti & meatballs, cucumber & tomatoes w/feta cheese
Friday~ WE MADE IT!!! School's out, and we'll go out to celebrate.
Saturday~ We'll decide when we get there. ;)

I'd love to hear any ideas you have for using fresh produce! And you can share your menu for the week - or get some inspiration -

1 comment:

Becca said...

I wish I could convince my adult family to eat mac and cheese for dinner! I have to eat it for lunches on my own! :/