how to get more greens into your diet

if you're like me, you have good intentions to get those greens in. that is... until your precious head hits the pillow & you realize you haven't even touched one leafy green. here are a handful of tips to get more greens into your diet. enjoy!

1. prep greens ahead of time. i am often in-between tasks when eating lunch. having pre-washed greens on hand makes me more likely to grab the greens instead of last night's dinner leftovers. my husband or i will usually harvest greens once or twice a week from the garden. we soak the greens in water, strain them, chop them, add them to a reusable container with a lid, & place them in the fridge for easy lunch and dinner prep.

2. mason jar salads. my girlfriend & i were just talking about mason jar salads. they're cute & make lunches-on-the-go fun! they're also easy to prep. here's a fun tutorial on making your mason jar salad. simply add the dressing on the bottom & then layer. 

3. freeze your greens. thicker greens, such as kale & spinach, freeze well. simply wash & chop your greens. add them to cookie sheet & freeze. once your greens are completely frozen, remove them from the cookie sheet & add them to a labeled baggie. frozen greens are perfect in hearty soups!

4. add additional greens to recipes. i love experimenting in the kitchen. even if you're a recipe follower, adding additional vegetables, such as yummy greens, to a meal can make it extra delicious and healthy. i love chopping up wilty greens & adding them to my pasta sauce. 

5. green smoothies. green smoothies are a great option for a healthy breakfast or lunch. my favorite smoothie recipe - 1/2 can of coconut milk, 1 banana, 1 tablespoon almond butter, 1/2 cup frozen mango, 1/2 cup frozen greens (kale is my favorite!), & 1/2 cup frozen strawberries. add & blend until smooth. enjoy in a mason jar with a fun straw!

6. weekly challenges. weekly challenges to change habits are a great way to stay mindful. try a weekly challenge of eating a side salad with your dinner every night for one week. ask the family to join in or a group of friends. it's fun & you're one step closer to a healthier habit!

- natalie

how to freeze fresh green beans!

hello, tend friends! this morning i have been busily working around the farm with a renewed sense of peace & an abundance of energy! 

i thought i would stop by this morning & share our favorite (& quickest!) way to preserve green beans from the garden. on tuesday, abby shared some of her favorite ways to prepare the sometimes overwhelming haul from the garden & also asked for favorite ways to preserve green beans.

our trick is freezing!

when we purchased the farm, my parents gifted us a bit of money to purchase a freezer chest. we are so thankful they did! we have already filled it up with homemade chicken stock, pesto, tomato sauce, tomato soup, bell peppers, corn on the cob, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries & so much more!

we also added four gallons of green beans to the freezer. luke harvested the last of our green beans earlier last week (a wonderful surprise given we rarely have green beans this late in the summer season!) & we were very surprised to fill four baskets of those delicious beans. instead of crossing our fingers in hopes that we would eat that many throughout the next handful of weeks, we set aside a little over an hour & processed our garden bounty!

how to freeze green beans:

1. depending on the size of your harvest, fill an appropriately-sized pot with water & bring to a boil.

2. while you are waiting for your water to boil, wash all of your green beans thoroughly. chop off the end where the green bean was attached to the plant. 

3. once your water is boiling & all of your beans are cleaned & chopped, add them to the pot of boiling water. depending on the amount of beans you have, keep them in the water for 3-5 minutes. you will know the beans are ready once they turn a bright green color but remain fairly hard instead of limp. 

4. once your beans have finished boiling, place them in a bowl of freezing water until the green beans have fully cooled.

5. transfer your beans to plastic freezer bags. (tip: if you have a bit of extra time, you can place them on a cookie sheet & freeze before placing them in the bag to prevent the beans from sticking to each other.)

don't forget to label your bag!

cook & enjoy during the winter! we love seasoning our green beans in a bit of bacon drippings with salt & pepper.

- natalie

preserving cherry tomatoes

i have been fortunate to find myself overrun with cherry tomatoes this year. i planted three varieties: sungold, matt's wild, and yellow pear. i also received one peacevine plant from our csa farm. between multiple plants of each of those varieties, we've had quite the bounty this year and no matter how delicious these babies are to just pop in our mouths each trip through the kitchen, we couldn't keep up.

not wanting to let them go the way of the composter, i decided to slow roast and freeze them last week. you can also freeze cherry (or full-sized) tomatoes whole and raw, but i decided to go the slow roasting route. i just halved them and spread them on a baking sheet. i drizzled the tomatoes with olive oil, salt, thyme, and oregano (you can use any seasonings you like). i cooked them at 300 degrees for 2 hours. once cooked, they cooled pretty quickly and i packed them into jars. i didn't measure how many i had to begin with, but i ended up with 3 half-pint jars for the freezer. i know these will come in handy to throw in soups, stews, lasagnas, sauces, or more over the winter. keep in mind, you can do the same with full sized tomatoes.

i got this idea from this post from food in jars. marisa has some other great ideas there for preserving small tomatoes.

how have you been preserving your harvest these days?