Janna--
My kids love the fresh salsa and bruchetta we make every year.
And sometimes if tomatoes come in faster than I can make chili or spaget. I blanche the skins off and throw them in a plastic bag and freeze them till later. I hate wasting a good 'mato.

Everything but lettuce and radishes (I think) can be frozen. Herbs can be chopped and frozen in ice cube trays. Then bag'em for winter soups.

Repeat....I HAVE NO TIME,THE FREEZER IS MY FRIEND!!!!

Don't forget like I did to label the chili/spaget. It all looks the same frozen.

This is making me drool for fresh goodies.
georgeanne

Janna, this may sound strange but i think the kids will like it. Butter some toast and slice very young radish on them. Radish especially English Breakfast or any french variety are sweet when young. This is a delicious treat. YUM!

GGG

We love creamed cucumbers and creamed lettuce from the garden. Very simple to make, just take half and half add just a pinch of sugar and add a little vineager to taste. Little salt and pepper too. We put that on lettuce or cucumbers and its my favorite summer treat. We also love batter fried zucchini. I simply by a batter mix from the grocery store and add a little garlic salt and pan fry. Yum!! Bruchetta is great with fresh garden tomatos. Take a slice of french bread and slightly toast it. Rub it with a little garlic and top it with a mixture of chopped up tomatos, basil and a little garlic. Wow I'm getting hungry now!!

My 'other' passion is cooking--nothing too fussy though. I make Marinated Tomato Slices, Seared Marinated Chicken Breasts w Tomatoes & Basil, Beer-Batter Fried Green Tomatoes, Tatooed Potatoes w Rosemary, Dilled Egg Salad, Cilantro Rice, Lavender Lemonade, Chocolate Zucchini Cake, and Rose Geranium Coolers as well as Rose Geranium Bread and RG Cookies. You can see these recipes and more at:

http://www.recipezaar.com/r/chef=177443/ls=d

Becky

If you have not served your family, especially your children a lot of fresh veggies on a regular basis, I would not expect them to like them right away just because Mom grew them. You may have to 'wean' them on to eating them.
Try:
1. Carrot cake - a moist, spice cake that tastes like pumpkin pie.
2. Zuchinni Bread or Soft Cookies ditto carrot cake. Both a great source of Vit. A.
3. Veggie Pizza - Take you favorite frozen pizza and add: thinly sliced zuchinni and/or with yellow summer squash on top of pizza; add sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle on your garden chopped basil, and top with lots of fresh grated cheese (to hide the squash and tomato)
4. Broccoli Dip with Doritos - cook broccoli in salted water just until it turns dark green. Drain. Chopped. Melt velvetta cheese with a can of mushroom soup, a tsp, garlic powder (or to taste), salt and pepper (to taste). Add the chopped broccoli and serve warm with their favorite Doritos or other tortilla chips.
5. Spring Vegetable Medley (A Homemade Skillet Casserole, fast, easy and yummy) - little kid-sized beef meatballs with new (baby) peas, green (baby) onions, baby carrots, etc. (I can post this recipe if anyone is interested).
6. Corn-on-the-cob (cut ears in half for kid size ears)
7. Veggies and dip - sliced cucumbers, bell pepper, broccoli pieces, cauliflower pieces, carrot & celery sticks, lettuce wedges served with Ranch Style Dressing.
8. Ants-on-a-log - peanut butter on celery, sprinkled with raisins
9. Tuna Burgers (toasted open-faced sandwiches that kids and grumps both like)- Turn on oven, Set on broil. Take burger buns, open, and lay halves on a cookie sheet. Spread each half with some Mayo or Miracle Whip, top with some drained tuna, sprinkled with a little fresh tarragon or basil from your potager; top with a thin slice of your garden-fresh tomato, then dill pickle slices, and top w/grated cheese, or American cheese slices. Broil in oven just until the cheese melts and is bubbly and the bun toasts a little. Serve with chips and etc as you would a hambuger.
(one of my kids's favorites besides the broccoli cheese dip)
10. Bruchetta (fresh tomatoes on halved, toasted French or Italian bread)- spread bread with a thin layer of melted butter, sprinkled with garlic powder or rub w/fresh garlic- toast lightly; then top with tomato slices, sprinkled with basil, some parmesan cheese if you like, and toast again in the broiler. (you can add slice zuchinni and extra grated cheese. Great with Spaghetti or just with a salad.
11. Chicken-Broccoli Alfredo w/Noodles Make Pesto with your BASIL. (cooked chicken added to noodles in a pesto sauce) - Use the pesto ('pounded' or processed fresh basil mixed in a food processor with olive oil, toasted walnuts, and Parmesan cheese). Cook noodles in salted water until 'al dente' (just tender). Drain. Mixed together it becomes Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
12, Ortega Apple-Jalapeno-Walnut salad Take 4-6 sweet juicy apples, coarsely chopped. (I use my Galas). Add to that a 1/2 cup chopped fresh garden jalapeno peppers, (or mix with some green cayennes or chilis for more heat). Set aside. Lightly toast 1 cup of broken walnut pieces or chopped Pinon nuts on a cookie sheet. Coarsely chop cooled nuts. Add nuts to apple and pepper mixture. Toss. To this add a 1/4 cp (dollup) of Mayo and combine. Serve right away. Absolutely DELICIOUS! Great with chicken, Bar-B-Ques or just about anything, even hot dogs. Family favorite. (Ortega family recipe).

Keep your 'Potager' dishes simple at first. As they get used to the strong taste of vegetables, you can expand your recipes to include other things. I can probably come up with more if you want.

~ SweetAnnie4u

Great recipes, Becky!
I will be going back to your site again.
Thanks!

~ SweetAnnie4u

You are certainly welcome, SweetAnnie4u. Yours look good, too!

Great thread idea, Soggy!

Becky

Great ideas! I can't wait to try some of them!

Annie, fortuneately, my kids have always like fruits and veggies, I just have never been creative about the way I serve them! So now, hopefully they will enjoy them even more!

Keep 'em coming!

Janna

Janna, here's my zuc pizza recipe. I've posted it before on the cottage forum so I hope no one minds seeing it again. It is really good and you can add the kids' favorite toppings, just like regular pizza. But I'm giving you a "gas" warning you - it's high in fiber. lol

Zucchini Crust Pizza

4 cups grated zucchini

2 cups grated mozzarella cheese (or cheese of choice)

2 eggs, slightly beaten*

Pizza sauce of choice 14 oz.

Spices, herbs, toppings of choice

Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions: Preheat oven to 400.

Grate zucchini; drain and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.

Mix 1 cup of cheese with eggs; add zucchini and mix well.

Spray / oil pizza pan or baking sheet; press mixture into pan. Bake 10 min.

Sprinkle spices on top; spoon on sauce to cover top; add remaining cheese.

Add toppings of choice and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top.

Bake another 30 min. Enjoy : )

Becky, I am definitely going to try some of those recipes. Thanks!

Di
* A friend uses egg substitute and says it works fine.

I have this every day in the summer. All things are from my garden except the onions.

Saute one potatoe, chopped with one chopped onion. When close to done, add a handful or two of grape tomatoes. When cooked down, add fresh sweet basil, a drizzle of olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinigette.

Sometimes I add zuchhinni to this as well. I loooovvveeee it!

Ah, alicate,
I make that too. I also add some fresh green onions & 'shrooms if I have them. Yum. You can brown some ground beef and add to that too.