Using up surplus of veg

strandedinaber

Hi,

I get veg boxes delivered weekly and due to a delivery error I ended up with an additional box this week. The suppliers have kindly said that I can keep it but this means I have double the amount of veg that I usually do and a very, very full fridge! Would anyone be able to recommend any recipes for using as much of this veg up as possible, please, or suggest what will keep for longer? Thankfully my freezer is fairly empty at the moment so I will just make and freeze as many meals as I can.

Slow cooker meals would be appreciated, as would be anything that doesn't take up a huge amount of time as I have a fairly frantic weekend and week ahead of me, but am determined not to let it go to waste.

The veg is:

- Leeks (a lot of them!)
- Carrots (can easily use those up with carrot sticks for lunch)
- Beets
- Courgettes
- Swiss chard (2 bunches)
- Parsnips
- Celeriac
- Green cabbage
- Red cabbage
- Mushrooms (a lot of them!)
- Potatoes (quite possibly hundreds of them...)

Meat I have in the freezer/fridge:

- Small whole chicken
- Chicken legs
- Lamb chops
- Pork sausages
- Beef steak
- Beef mince
- Lamb mince
- Pork leg
- Salmon steaks

I don't think I'm going to need to go shopping again any time soon! Unfortunately my local shelters don't take fresh food or otherwise I would have taken one of the boxes over there.

Any help would be much appreciated! I'll make some casseroles/stews of course, but I can't exist only on those...

Thanks!

ETA: Ah, I have managed to find a food bank which will take fresh food from individuals, so I'll donate the surplus there. If anyone does have any ideas as to what to do with these vegetables, though, I'd be interested to see them!

tessie_bear

lucky you...you could look out your fav soup recipe make it in bulk and freeze in portions...i have chopped and frozen mushrooms before to use in casseroles...beets can be used in cakes

im sure if you store the veg well like the pots in a sack in the cool/dark they will last for a while so no need to use up in a rush

i find quiche and fried rice good ways to use up some veg and maybe grate some of it and chuck it into dishes like spag bol

there is a recipe list on the front page of the grocery challenge which may help
good luck

hilstep2000

You could do a veg curry. I've just made a lamb stew with loads of veg, you could do the same using your lamb chops. I used swede, parsnip, carrots, and potatoes, but you can combine anything you like.

Mrs_Bones

It's nice of you to donate your spare box. As for recipes, the first thing that automatically comes to mind is soup of course, such as leek and potato. As for mushrooms, fry them and mix in a sprinkle of mixed herbs have on toast, you could add bacon, liver or a poach egg on top. Stuffed mushrooms are lovely too. Depending how much red cabbage you've got you could pickle some. You could do the same with beets, but have to admit I can't stand them, the smell is enough to put me off when they are cooking. You could do a stir fry type dish with the cabbage and some soya sauce. Woolton pie is another thing you could do with mix veg.

Most of the veg will keep for a while in a cool dark place but if you've got the freezer space you could also just blanch and freeze some of them to keep till needed.

Melaniep101

I used up some of my leeks yesterday by serving them with a cheese sauce and some grated cheese. They were rather old as I think I bought them at Christmas! Hubby loved them though.

Could you make mash out of the potatoes, then freeze them in portions sized containers?

Winter veg seems to last a bit longer if you store it right, the only thing that might turn quicker is the mushrooms. I add these to most mince dishes so rarely get to the point where I need to throw them.

RAS

Most of thse can be stored a outside a fridge

strandedinaber wrote: »

The veg is:

- Leeks (a lot of them!)
- Carrots (can easily use those up with carrot sticks for lunch)
- Beets
- Courgettes
- Parsnips
- Celeriac
- Green cabbage
- Red cabbage
- Potatoes (quite possibly hundreds of them...)

All of these will keep for weeks outside a fridge. Paper bag (several layers for potatoes) and somewhere cool.

Mushrooms (a lot of them!)
Swiss chard (2 bunches)

Need using and eating quickly.

Well done for finding the food bank.

LameWolf

Mushrooms: can be sliced and frozen, ready to use in mushroom risotto or similar type of recipe. I usually buy a £1 bowl of 'shrooms from the market, which always contains a lot, then slice them and freeze them in boxes, each box containing enough for 1 risotto to feed 2 people.

Carrots: again, I get loads for £1, and they can be sliced and frozen for use in stews or other similar recipes. I don't bother blanching, but I do open freeze on trays, for ease of decanting the required amount when I want to use them. (I should mention, I don't have a lot of storage space outside of the freezer, before anyone asks why I bother;)).

HTH.:o

Fruball

That is great that a local Foodbank are taking what you don't need and very kind of you to donate it

You could make a 'roastless'.

All the usual roast accompaniments like roast pots, beets and parsnips, leek in cheese sauce, boiled carrots, cabbage etc smothered with gravy - just no meat

joedenise

Have a look at the Abel and Cole website. They have loads of veg recipes on there. You just input the veg you want to use and it brings up a list of recipes.

Denise

[Deleted User]

I sometimes make a veggie lasagne for my eldest DD and she loves it which is a miracle as she is not much of a veggie person at all.She works at a school and one day one of the dinner ladies dropped her a veggie lasagne into her office to try and maybe because she loves cheese and pasta I don't know but she will eat veg this way where she's not keen on it as a rule made 'normally'.I sometimes make a big one and once cooked and cold I will portion it up into those 'chinese take-away' boxes for the freezer.great for her to pop into the 'pinger' when she gets home as she is the only one in her house who enjoys it.Good way to get veg down her neck :):)

sillyvixen

you could always pickle the beetroot.