End of the Garden Season

About author / Victoria Wesseler

Healthy eating advocate; master gardener; local food expert. Even veggie haters love her recipes.

My summer garden is winding down for the year. Each morning I go out and, if I’m lucky, I might occasionally find one small squash, a tiny eggplant, a dozen or so cherry or grape tomatoes, a bell pepper or two and maybe a bit of basil, mint, or parsley. There’s never enough at one time to make a side dish of any significant quantity, but I can’t waste the last of those beautiful vegetables. With a bit of creativity, I can find lots of ways to use up those veggies. If you have a few garden survivors of your own, try these:

• There are few things in the vegetable world that cannot be improved with as little bit of garlic and olive oil. When nature provides me with just a few fresh veggies a day, I simply cut them up in half inch dice and sauté them until they are tender crisp in a splash olive oil and add some crushed garlic during the last few seconds of cooking. If I’m having grilled or baked meat, chicken or fish for supper these garlicky veggies will be a nice side dish by themselves or I might serve them piled on top of some hot brown rice or quinoa.

• A few red or yellow bell peppers can easily be roasted in the oven and either used that day or frozen for later. I line a baking sheet with non stick foil, cut the peppers in half, place them cut side down on the foil, spray them with a bit of cooking spray and place them in a 475 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes or until they are nicely browned. For a lunch time treat, I cool the peppers, peel them and add them to a turkey sandwich. Sometimes I cut them in strips and freeze them in a freezer bag. They’ll be greatly appreciated in the colder months when I want to make a batch of fajitas.

• If I have a few eggplants, I cut them in half, roast them using the same method as the peppers and make a wrap sandwich out of them on a whole grain tortilla. For added flavor, I’ll sprinkle on a bit of sheep’s milk feta or smear the tortilla with soft goat cheese.

• With a dozen or so grape or cherry tomatoes I can make a nice pasta dish by cutting the tiny tomatoes in half and adding them to a cup of hot ziti. Sprinkle on coarse salt and pepper, some red chili flakes, a bit of parmesan cheese, some finely chopped fresh basil or parsley, and maybe toss in some cooked chicken chunks or a few cooked shrimp and dinner is served!

• To transform parsley from good to great, mix a few tablespoons of very finely chopped fresh parsley with a quarter cup of olive oil and one finely chopped clove of garlic. Blend well, add a teaspoon of lemon or orange zest, and drizzle over cooked chicken or fish. This technique also works well with mint (great on lamb) and tarragon (yummy on chicken).

• A few basil leaves added to a half cup of low fat mayonnaise and whirled in the blender makes a delicious sandwich spread.

My all time favorite end of the season treat is mint tisane. I put a few mint leaves or a large sprig of mint in the bottom of a large cup and fill it with boiling water. After 3 or so minutes, I remove the leaves or sprig and add a teaspoon or two of local honey. With my mug in hand, I sit on my patio overlooking the garden. I close my eyes, deeply breath in the refreshing sweet scent of the mint tea, and feel very thankful for the blessings of another beautiful and bountiful harvest.