How to deal with surplus produce

Garden and greenhouse enthusiasts who have been growing their own fruit and vegetables and find themselves with an abundance of extra produce face a common problem.

However, KitchenAid believes its products offer the ideal solution that will allow growers to enjoy the fruits of their labour well into winter.

The firm explained that there are two ways to deal with a surplus of food grown in the garden or greenhouse.

One is to give some away and consume the rest in any way possible, such as by making bread, muffins or pasta dishes.

Another is to change its perishable state into one which is more open to long-term storage and KitchenAid suggested that this may be a better course of action.

It advised those with surplus tomatoes to use a food processor or fruit and vegetable strainer to capture the taste of the produce in a puree, before storing it in airtight freezer bags for use in winter foods.

The same process is also useful for zucchini, which is best shredded and dried out a little before freezing.

In other news, the Huffington Post’s Maria Rodale has published a number of tomato recipes online.