Surplus Veges - Suggestions Please :-)

[Sharon Adams]

Hi there everyone, we have just harvest a whole load of broadbeans and there is still some rhubarb in the garden due soon. Also got some beetroot out the garden but not as much as we would have liked. I was planning on pickling the beetroot but not sure re the broadbeans..... we have just frozen this years ones but was wondering if there was anything else you could use them for for next year. We also have around 20 tomatoe plants which are going to go start producing on mass shortly so going to make some relish, oh and picallili with the cauli's we have too. Any other suggestions would be greatly accepted :-)...... I also noted that last year when I did the sterilising of the jars that a few of them cracked when I was sterilising them and they were new so not sure why that happened..... :-(

[Lynn]

Sharon...I make my own pasta sauce with all the tomatoes. I usually freeze it in margarine containers, but this year will be bottling it. I don't add the meat to it...just the basic sauce...add the meat when cooking. It comes in handy for more than just pasta too...soups, stews, even thickened on toast for brekky.

Did you realise there's a 'Preserving your Surplus' thread already? This might be quite handy in there hon :)

[Kali]

my two favourite broad bean dishes are risotto and felafel, you can let them dry on the plant and save them for winter, and make felafel with them , soaking them first. However if the space is needed you can make felafel with them when they are too far gone for green vege, but not yet dried in the pods, ie they are hard to the bite, just wizz up with spices and deep fry in spoonfuls, you can freeze this mixture and make them at a later date too.

[Yvonne Symons]

I am planning on bottling the tomatoes to use in stews, soups and what have you, as well as making tomato paste, tomato sauce. I am just hoping that I am going to be around long enough to do this of course. Sharon when I sterlise the bottles I wash them in warm water first and then put them in the oven then turn it on. I know one time I put cold jars in a hot oven and they broke.

[tabitha]

Hi Sharon, cracks in glass jars usually happen when there is a sudden change in temperature from hot to cold, or vice versa. So in addition to Yvonne's suggestion, I'd also avoid putting room-temperature produce into hot jars or boiling hot produce into cold jars.

And definitely avoid placing your hot jars on a cold benchtop. I've made that mistake too many times (am a slow learner..haha!!) and now place my hot jars either on a wooden chopping board or in a shallow baking pan filled with hot water.

[Megan]

Hello Sharon, if you have a dehydrator, you can halve the tomatoes and dry them, or place on a tray in a slow oven (50C) overnight. Then put into a jar and cover with good olive oil, garlic, thyme, rosemary. Green tomatoes are great in a chutney with apples. I free flow freeze chopped rhubarb and take it out as I needed for crumbles, cakes and slices.

[David Bell]

Capsicums will be ready soon. My favourite way of preserving them? Prepare as if for cooking, cored and diced. Place on a tray and freeze dry them. Slide off into an ice cream container, and store in the freezer. They will keep for a year, and always be ready for stews, omelettes etc.

[David Bell]

To warm jars for preserving, wash, dry, and place in a COLD oven, heat to around 100 deg C. You will need good gloves or a tea towel after that. Overflow method is my lazy way of filling. I keep both a pottery, and pyrex jug for this, also warmed in the oven with the jars. Also, boil any lids or seals that you are using. It is easy to pick them out of the pot by sliding a knife under them, and picking up with a clean cloth. If you are really quick, it is possible to screw down the sealing rings with bare hands (usually easy for males).

[Liz]

I've been stewing and freezing rhubarb over the summer as well as chopping fresh rhubarb, making muffins from them and putting them in the freezer. Excellent for when you need a sweet snack or a dessert in a hurry. You can also make rhubarb jams, chutneys etc which I'm not really a fan of but come winter and rhubarb and apple sponge is the best!

[Sheri]

Hello Liz, Could I get your recipe for the rhubarb and apple sponge from you?  I just planted my rhubarb spring of 2010 and have never cooked with it before. Thank you.