University of Southern Maine Dining: July 13

Greetings,

Waste not, want not. It's easier said than done sometimes, and with a large garden there are dry spells followed by times of plenty. There are days when you think you never want to see another cucumber followed by days where you miss their cool crispness. The trick is a little bit of planning before the growing season accompanied by a bit of flexibility so that when things do all ripen at once, you are ready.

Over the last month and a half the greenhouse and raised beds have produced (and these are rough estimates, my friends): nearly 50 gallons of mixed leaf lettuce, five quarts of sugarsnap peas, three quarts of cucumbers, at least six gallons of spinach, two gallons of Italian large leaf basil leaves, one gallon of Pistou miniature basil leaves and branches, many handfuls of French tarragon, marjoram, parsley and chives, 25 cherry tomatoes, and six jalapeño peppers. And it's only July!

Everything on that list (except peas and lettuce) is still happy and producing more and more. The tomato plants are heavy with immature fruit, the cucumbers grow inches each day, the pepper plants are so loaded down that they are tipping over, and the garlic will be ready to pull up in a week!

What have we done with everything? Used it, of course! Some goes home with helpers and coworkers, some of the abundance of lettuce went to Wayside Food Pantry in Portland when there wasn't anyone eating in the dining center on campus, and everything else went into our kitchen and came out on the salad bar for the summer campers or was sliced up in specialty salads or used as an aromatic garnish for catering functions. The only exception is the cucumbers - we have made fresh pack kosher dill pickles with the first ones and are waiting on those results before we decide what to do with the oncoming crop. Nothing has gone to waste.

Enjoy the following photos of the bounty and come eat with us sometime!