Nothing beats farm-to-table recipes. Digging into a meal cultivated from your garden offers a different kind of satisfaction.
I’ve grown bananas, figs, strawberries, and several other fruits. As someone with an uncompromising sweet tooth, my fruit dessert game has become unparalleled.
If you want to explore recipe ideas for your homegrown staples, you’ve clicked on the right link! Whether you’re cooking a filling breakfast dish or a flavorful curry, here’s how to use your homegrown staples to the max:
Best Uses for Your Crops
After finally harvesting your seasons’ worth of crops, it’s time to let your homegrown fruits and vegetables shine in a delicious, hearty meal.
1 – Zucchini and Potato Parmesan Soup
After coming back home from a cold night out, a rich zucchini and potato parmesan soup probably sounds like heaven.
To make the soup, you should first heat up a pot with olive oil, dump in minced and chopped garlic and onions, and dust some herbal seasoning, like thyme.
Next, add roughly cubed potatoes and stock. Allow the potatoes to cook slightly before adding the sliced zucchini.
Empty the pot’s contents in a food processor or use a hand blender to mash the ingredients and warm flavors together to create a thick soup consistency.
2 – Sweet Potato Curry
Whenever I’m in the mood for a generous dinner, I like to pack my plate with a sweet potato curry!
After a three-month wait for harvest, you can use your sweet potatoes to create this delectable dinner recipe.
Start by drizzling some coconut oil in your pot on medium heat. Stir in chopped onions and tomatoes and allow them to cook until juices start flowing out.
Then, put in chickpeas and, the star of the show—your evenly chopped sweet potatoes!
Sprinkle in some Indian spices, including garam masala, curry powder, cumin, and paprika. Adjust the salt amount to your liking.
Allow all the components to meld together before pouring in coconut milk. Stir and let the mixture boil for around 20 to 30 minutes.
Finally, serve the curry with some fragrant rice and enjoy the flavor journey.
3 – Pepper Slaw
Don’t you love having pepper slaw with heavy meals? It offers a refreshing, cold break from the heartwarming bites of the main dish.
You can create this recipe by slicing your freshly grown bell peppers into even strips and adding them to a salad bowl.
Toss in a helping of cut-up red cabbage, yellow onion, and fresh cilantro. Season the salad with a tangy mix of lemon juice, vinegar, and oil dressing, and you’re done!
4 – Cheese-Stuffed Pepper Boats
I’m obsessed with anything topped with cheese, which often doesn’t help when trying to follow a calorie deficit in my diet!
Luckily, this cheese-stuffed pepper boat recipe saved me. All you have to do is slice off a bell pepper’s top and remove its core. Then, microwave the peppers for about three minutes.
In a separate skillet, fry up your Philly meat or other choice of protein. Spoon the mixture in the bell peppers and top them with a few slices of Jack cheese or mozzarella.
Set the peppers in your oven to broil for four to five minutes and enjoy the protein-rich mini-meal.
5 – Arugula and Apple Salad
The perfect summer salad exists and it’s this. Imagine biting down on fresh apples and leafy greens soaked in a sweet maple syrup dressing!
Start by thinly slicing your apples and chop up the arugula. Roast a handful of pecans on a baking sheet and mix them into your salad for an extra protein crunch.
As for the dressing, whisk lemon juice, maple syrup, and olive oil. Add a dash of salt and pepper, then drizzle the golden goodness into your salad.
6 – Strawberry Crumble Pie
If you’re growing strawberries, you can’t skip a classic crumble pie recipe. Baking this scrumptious delicacy will take some patience, but it’ll all be worth it.
You’ll need to create three components: a crust, a filling, and a topping.
Crust
Ingredients
- ½ cup of cold butter
- 1 and ½ cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp of sugar
- ½ tsp of salt
- ¼ cups of buttermilk
Get a bowl and mix sugar, flour, and salt. Next, knead in the cubed butter, make a hole in the middle of the butter-flour mixture, and pour in buttermilk.
Using a fork, push the surroundings into the buttermilk. You should end up with a moist and slightly shaggy dough.
Knead the dough into a disc shape, wrap it in a plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least an hour.
On a flour-dusted surface, roll out the dough. Once it starts to spring back, flatten the dough on your pie dish. Let it sit in the fridge as you create the filling.
Filling
Ingredients
- 6 cups of hulled and sliced strawberries
- ¼ cup of tapioca
- ½ cup of granulated sugar
- ¼ cup of brown sugar
- 2 tbsp of lemon juice
- ¼ tsp of ground ginger
- 1 pinch of nutmeg
In a medium bowl, mix the strawberries with sugar, tapioca, nutmeg, lemon juice, and ground ginger.
Allow it to rest for around ten minutes.
Topping
Ingredients
- ¾ cup of all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup of granulated sugar
- ¾ cup of oats
- 6 tbsp cold unsalted butter
For the topping, mix sugar, flour, and oats. Then knead in cold chunks of butter until evenly dispersed.
Add a quarter of this mixture to your previously made strawberry filling and mix. Then, place it all in the refrigerated pie crust, and top it off with the remaining crumble.
Lastly, place the pie in a preheated 400 ℉ oven for 15 minutes. Then, lower the temperature to 350 ℉ and let it bake an extra 30 minutes.
Take out the pie once you notice the strawberry filling bubbling and the crust becoming a warm, golden brown. Let it cool for at least four hours before serving it.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re growing a tomato garden or a range of squash, you can create a bunch of delicious meals to make all that gardening hard work worth it.
I’d love to see your take on these recipes. Don’t forget to share!
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.