Fresh #summer #produce doesn’t have to travel long distances, making it a sustainable food source. Buying locally grown foods support nearby farms and the economy, generating more spending and more jobs. Lower shipping costs cuts carbon emissions — a general boon for the environment. And that summer produce is picked at peak freshness, not ripened with chemicals or boxed frozen, meaning more flavor and more nutrients. “Seasonal food is fresher, tastier and more nutritious than food consumed out of season,” says the Seasonal Food Guide. Try a farmers market or CSA while the produce is fresh. #SummerProduce
Tag: growing vegetables
How to Save Summer Produce for Months
If you’re anything like The Organizing Blog staff, you want fresh #summer #produce to last all year long. There are basically three ways to ensure that: Canning is good for pickled vegetables, sauces/salsas, and jams and jellies. Drying is good for herbs, hot peppers, and many berries and fruits. Freezing is great for berries, cut fruit and pasta sauce if you have the space. And root vegetables and squash can stay fresh in a cool, dark space for months. “There’s nothing quite like popping open a jar of garden-tomato salsa, crunchy pickled veggies, or simple fruit jam in the middle of winter to take you back to warm summer days,” says Beard & Bloom. #SummerProduce
Last Chance for Fresh Summer Produce
#Healthy #eating is easier during the #summer. #Produce that’s in season has fewer additives, is easier on the environment and is just plain better-tasting than the stuff that was sitting in a warehouse and shipped to the local megamarket. Whether you #grow it yourself or buy it at the #farmers market, there’s limited time to enjoy the best. In September, look for the last of the artichokes, beets, peppers, carrots, corn, eggplant, green beans, summer squash, tomatoes and zucchini, and start to make room for apples, potatoes, sweet potatoes, chard and squash of all varieties. Cook some up for a late-summer feast! #SummerProduce
A Vegetable Garden Suitable for Beginners
If your interest in #gardening leans toward the edible rather than the decorative, many #vegetables and #fruits are easy to grow and yield plenty of good-for-you produce, Shifting Roots says. Lettuce, for example, sprouts fast from seed and keeps growing after you cut it. Similarly, kale and Swiss chard take off even in shady spots, providing healthy greens throughout the summer. Beans, potatoes and zucchini require very little attention, and root vegetables such as carrots, onions, beets and turnips mature underground without much attention to the above-ground foliage. Broccoli and cauliflower are less forgiving to the beginner though. #GardeningTips
Plant a Garden That’s Low-Maintenance
Use low-maintenance #plants to beautify your outdoor space without a lot of fuss or labor, says The Middle Sized Garden. Start with shrubs and ornamental grasses; most need to be trimmed only once a year. Avoid annuals, which tend to be high-maintenance. Pack plants closely to inhibit weeds; you can always thin them out if things get crowded. And limit the number of varieties you plant and group them together for big swaths of color and texture. Or you can “rewild” your #garden to make it virtually self-sufficient, trimming only rarely to allow self-seeded plants, flowers and shrubs to take over. #GardeningTips