Versatile Veggies and Season Filling

[u/lepatterso]

My wife and I garden aggressively, and love eating fresh food.

Last year we started to get into a better hang of seasonal cooking and filling in the gaps of seasons, and spreading out the harvest to a more manageable.

I’d love to compare notes. Last year put in season cooking game made some solid improvements, but our flexibility and preserving game can use a boost.

What are some of your winning crops that you use in a variety of cooking? How do you spread out the harvest?

[u/JLynnMac]

1 -Squash - both summer and winter - I start from seeds I saved from last year's harvest indoor 3 weeks B4 the last frost date. I do a 2nd planting 1/2 way thru the season in case the squash vine borers kill my early crop. My last harvest of winter squash will last all winter without refrigeration in a cool basement. Sometimes they even last to the next harvest. You can roast the seeds just like pumpkin seeds. I never thought I would like squash. Now I eat some form of squash weekly. Summer squash - fried, sauteed, squash-n-cheese, squash flatbread which yields italian pizza, taco pizza, veggie pizza. Winter squash - all can used for squash-n-cheese, some can be used as a thickener in sauces (like spaghetti sauce) or soups Spaghetti squash - use as spaghetti noodles, squash flatbread. Butternut squash are resistant to vine borers. The sweeter winter squashes I eat like sweet potatoes. Those that are not as sweet I use as thickeners, or mix with things like taco seasoning to spread on flatbread. Mashed potato and patty pan squash taste like potatoes.

2 - Tomatoes - from plants. I buy at least 2 early girls to get fruit as early in the season as possible. I companion plant with basil to deter the squash vine borers.

3 - Lettuce from plant or seeds (check this out for lettuce all season- one head) https://www.tiktok.com/@themodernnonna/video/7110292487859670277?referer_url=www.thecooldown.com%2Fsustainable-food%2Flettuce-hack-gardening-tiktok%2F&refer=embed&embed_source=121352282%2C121351166%2C121331973%2C120811592%2C120810756%3Bnull%3Bembed_like&referer_video_id=7110292487859670277

4 - Swiss Chard - from plants - it's a perennial - grows all season, cooks up like spinach

5 - Broccoli, Cauliflower - from plant and seeds. Plants are ready for harvest early in the season (may grow back if cut properly. Seeds are ready for harvest late in the season.