Every grower knows the summer glut: weeks of careful nurturing, then suddenly more courgettes, beans and tomatoes than any household can eat. It is a good problem to have, but only if you have a plan for the daily basketful coming in.
Pick small and often
The first defence against a glut is to keep harvesting. Courgettes left a few days become marrows, and beans left on the plant go stringy and tell it to stop cropping. Picking young and often keeps the quality high and the plants productive.
Cook in bulk
When it all comes at once, batch cooking turns the surplus into meals for later.
- Ratatouille and tomato sauces freeze beautifully.
- Grate courgettes into fritters, cakes and soups.
- Blanch and freeze beans in usable portions.
Preserve the rest
What you cannot eat fresh or freeze, you can put away in jars. A glut of tomatoes becomes passata or chutney, runner beans can be salted down the old-fashioned way, and a courteous gardener always has a few jars to give away at Christmas.
Share the bounty
When even the freezer and larder are full, give the rest away. Neighbours, the office kitchen and food bank schemes are all grateful, and a box of homegrown veg left on a doorstep is a small kindness that comes back round in its own way.