Garden Party - The Seasonal Recipe Edition

My garden has finally wound down, which makes me feel a little sad. It was a very strange summer, temperature-wise, so things didn't grow exactly as expected. I'm working on modifying my list of what I want to grow next year (you know that I'll forget if I wait until next spring), & devising a plan to use all of the luscious items that I froze for later consumption.

Here's are my plans for my harvest:

• Chocolate chip pumpkin bread with my wonderful garden pumpkins. Best pumpkin bread ever, if you're a sweet lover. This is definitely a dessert-like bread. :-)
• Incorporate my pesto into a variety of recipes. I'm thinking of trying this pesto lasagna, Tuscan Chicken Simmer, Pesto Chicken Florentine, Pesto Chicken Paninis, Spinach & Feta Pita Bake, to name just a few. If you have a great recipe to use up pesto, please share!
• I will also be using my fresh tomato sauce tossed with pasta & grated parmesan cheese as a side dish to lighter fish recipes. I made a few batches of a bolognese sauce that I've stashed away in the freezer for future use.
• Although I use most of my frozen blackberries for smoothies (my kids adore smoothies), I'm thinking of trying this Blackberry-Lemon Pudding Cake, that looks delicious.  

And, from my Garden spreadsheet, here are my plans for next spring!

4x the amount of cucumbers

Smaller tomato varieties (grape or cherry?)

Carrots

Green onions

Broccoli

Leeks

Greens

Onions

Snap beans

Snap peas

Basil

Strawberries

Blueberries

Radishes

Mint

For more posts on gardening & fall harvests, check out the Garden Party at An Oregon Cottage!