August 2026 Newsletter – Make the Most of Your Garden Veggies

It happens every summer: Either your own garden goes wild with one particular crop, you get carried away one weekend at your local farmers market, or a mysterious basket of fresh veggies appears on your porch from a well-meaning neighbor.

While produce is a wonderful thing to have on hand, there is only so much you can eat while it’s still fresh. Here are some tips that you may not have thought about.

Satisfy your sweet tooth – Baked zucchini bread and carrot cake are obvious choices to try, but there are many other baked veggie combos that work well. The good news is, there’s a wide variety of baking recipes featuring cauliflower, corn, sweet potato, parsnips, various types of squash – and even spinach – if your garden had a bumper crop of any of these plants this season.

Create homemade pesto – Leafy greens of any kind can be used to make tasty pesto, such as arugula for a peppery flavor, spinach or kale for a nutrition boost, parsley or mustard greens – and even carrot tops or turnip greens. While many of these green veggies can be used raw, remember greens that are more fibrous should first be cooked in some way for the best results. For example, collard greens, kale and chard may need to be sauteed, grilled or blanched before processing.

Freeze herb or veggie cubes – Did your garden explode with oregano, basil, rosemary, mint or chives this summer? You can save all that flavor easily with the help of a few extra ice cube trays. All you need is some olive oil to freeze your chopped-up herbs in, and you’ll create an entire set of herb cubes that you can use all year long to add flavor to soups, casseroles, sauteed dishes and more.

Share the bounty – If you truly have more veggies than you can handle and you’d like to make a positive impact in your community, contact local food shelves, community organizations or houses of worship. Just check with them first to make sure they can accept fresh produce, many can.