KPOV – The Point
Gardening: Get Good At It
Using Your Bountiful Harvest
September 2, 2014
I love gardening and I love the challenges and the rewards. Usually my focus is on the challenges and
planning for what is next. This month I am especially reminded of why I love gardening – its harvest
time.
People often ask me: What do you do with all your garden vegetables that you are not able to eat
right away? My answer is “All my hard work through the spring and summer has paid off to bring me a
bountiful crop … so I don’t let it go to waste”. And neither should you.
There are a lot of things you can do with your extra garden vegetables to make sure they are put to
good use. Here are some ideas:
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Donate to Local Food Pantries
Whatever the reason may be, there are a lot of hungry people here in Central Oregon that can be
helped. According to AmpleHarvest.org, Americans throw away a pound of food per person per
day. It is also estimated that there are more than 40 million pounds of produce thrown out from
our backyard gardens annually.
The solution: You can help to eliminate waste and feed the hungry right in Central Oregon. I’ve
included a list, on our website, of local agencies that will accept and distribute your bountiful
harvest.
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Preserve your Crops for Later Use
The benefits of preserving your own foods are as numerous as the reasons you chose to grow
your garden. By taking charge of how you grow your garden, you know that the harvest is fresh
and chemical free. You will know all of the ingredients used to produce your pickles, salsas, jams
and other canned goods and can enjoy them throughout the season.
I’d like to share 4 ideas for long term food storage:
First Pickle Your Harvest. Pickling your food is a great way to preserve nutrients while also preserving
the shelf life of your crops
Second is Dehydrating. Dehydrated food makes for a delicious and nutritious snack that will keep for
extended periods of time. Fruit is my favorite but you can also dehydrate vegetables for winter
soups. Dehydrators can have either an electric element housed in the dehydrator to dry the
produce on open racks or some are simply open racks which fit together, using only air
circulation to dry the produce.
Next is Cook and Freeze. You can freeze just about any food to preserve the shelf life but soups
always seem to keep best when frozen; the trick is finding a recipe that incorporates all those
extra vegetables that your garden is producing, especially squash and zucchini. Always use
the freshest, most blemish-free produce available for your freezing projects. This will insure
that the maximum nutritional values are preserved.
Don’t forget canning. Whether you’re just getting started or you’ve been preserving for years, be sure
to review the basics each season. I recommend you contact your local Extension Office for
methods and classes on how to preserve your harvest safely. The number is on our website.
One final thought: If your produce is already on the verge of spoilage, you may want to consider
turning it into compost to enrich your soil for better future growth. Turning your old vegetables and
plants into compost is a great way to put nutrients back into your soil.
For answers to all your garden questions, especially those on local food pantries and composting, visit
our website: gocomga.com and click on the KPOV tab on the orange bar. This has been Gardening:
Get Good At It. Thanks for listening.
RESOURCES: OSU publications on composting; Master Food Preserver Handbook; OSU Food
Preservation publications.
FOOD PANTRIES
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Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (541-389-6643) provides a food pantry. It serves mostly the Bend
area but will go south as far as Sunriver, and north as far as Tumalo. Pantry hours: Mondays
through Thursdays 10am-2pm.
Salvation Army of Bend (541-389-8888) provides a food pantry that serves Deschutes County
residents. Pantry hours: Monday-Friday: 1pm - 4pm.
River Woods Church provides a food pantry. Serves South Bend and outlying areas.
Adventist Community Services provides a food pantry that serves primarily Bend, but occasionally
residents from other parts of Deschutes County and from Crook County. Pantry hours: Monday
and Tuesdays 10am-12pm and 1pm - 3pm.
Three Rivers Elementary School in Sunriver is 14.45 miles from Bend and provides a food pantry
that serves Sunriver and outlying areas
Neighborimpact in Redmond (541) 548-2380. Every day, the NeighborImpact team works to fight
hunger in Central Oregon through our Regional Food Bank. If you are struggling to afford food for
yourself or your family, we are here to connect you with a food pantry or meal site in your area.
Our Food Bank collects and distributes food to more than 40 different sites throughout Crook,
Deschutes and Jefferson Counties. We work with many agencies and businesses to make sure
that food is available to the people who need it most. Our goal is to help you get through tough
times so you can focus on moving forward and improving your quality of life. Please contact us
directly by phone to donate and/or volunteer.
Bends Community Center and the The Giving Plate provide meals.
For more information on food preservation contact:
Glenda Hyde
Senior Instructor
Email Glenda Hyde at: glenda.hyde@oregonstate.edu
Oregon State University Extension/Deschutes County
3893 SW Airport Way
Redmond, Oregon 97756-8697
Telephone: 541-548-6088
Fax: 541-548-8919
Master Food Preserver Training & Application
Preserve @ Home Online Class & Registration Form
Testing Dial Gauges
• Hotline
Food Safety & Preservation Hotline: 1-800-354-7319
July 14 – Oct 17, Monday – Friday, 9 AM to 4 PM.
• Food Preservation Publications & Resources
OSU Extension Food Preservation Publications
OSU Extension Service/Lane County Food Preservation & Safety Publications
National Center for Home Food Preservation
USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning
So Easy to Preserve (book & DVD)
For more information on composting use this link:
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/deschutes/garden-publications
For information on the ‘Green Thumbs Up’ backyard gardener donation program visit their
website: www.hdffa.org – High Desert Food & Farm Alliance