To not want everyone's home grown fruit & veg...

[OnlyTeaForMe]

Yes, I know that I probably am BU and am lucky really, but please can I have a teeny rant first...

We have a fair few friends and neighbour's and some of DHs work colleagues who are amateur gardeners with veg plots and allotments. We also grow a few things ourselves - green beans, blueberries, apples etc.
I think this year has been a good year for produce so everyone seems to have more than they need, so they are offloading it all on us!!

DH went to see his parents and came back with huge tubs of blackberries and blueberries. He went to see a mate and came bag with a bagful of courgettes, marrows & green beans. We came back from shopping today and the neighbour has left a massive Primark bag of apples on our doorstep.
Thing is, it's always me that has to deal with them - washing, chopping, freezing and finding recipes to use them up in. DH just says 'hey, XYZ kindly gave us these' and dumps them in the utility room.
I spent half a day peeling and freezing/ storing our own apples this week, I really don't want or need any more, so I asked DH to take them back and says thanks, but we have loads, but he said that would rude and refused.
Now I'm having to ring round my friends to see if anyone wants them, but they all have loads of their own too.... grrr!

A food sharing app, that's wonderful!

Finding this thread hilarious! My DDad is always giving away his excess from bumper crops of tomatoes and courgettes. Their freezer is full of courgette soup. One year he grew broccoli which was absolutely covered in green broccoli coloured caterpillars. My mum and I threw it out when he wasn't looking! But seriously it is very sweet to share your harvest with your neighbours!

A recipe for marrow

Marrow is excellent with lamb - either shepherds pie style lamb mince or spice it with moroccan or greek style spices. Chop into rings or split in half and bake with lamb on top or chop into the mince. Whatever is easiest. A true marrow will hold its texture better than a courgette type and may have firm/ hard skin but I'd very happily eat either. I love it!

Works with beef too and I imagine with chicken, or a vegetable chilli? A bolognese sauce etc etc.

We def need a better way to deal with gluts - if this could be organised in advance then people could be made aware of a designated donation/ pick up place. It takes a bit of effort but it would be really worthwhile. The irony is of course that is is often the poorest who don't have the gardens and alotments in the first place but who need it most.

Sadly I'm not in a position to work organise something for health reasons but would if I could.

Perhaps try a card put up in the local shop if you don't live somewhere with passing traffic?

I know people are trying to helpful, but I don't really want to spend my bank holiday weekend signing up for food sharing apps, posting on freecycle or putting cards up and then having to wait in for people who (in my experience of freecycle) probably won't show up anyway!

I have chopped, purreed and pickled enough veg and my freezer is full!

This dumping of apples on a doorstep does feel a bit like those people who put a bag of old junk on the step of a charity shop when it's closed - it solves their problem of getting rid of it and let's them feel they've done something charitable.

I told DH that he will have to make apple and blackberry jam and his response was 'can't the kids eat them?'
They're not even particularly nice looking apples!

Cider?

I wouldn't mind if I never saw another marrow or courgette but I would really love a fat and juicy cucumber. The ones you buy in the supermarket are nothing like those that are grown in a proper garden.
I keep thinking I'll have a go at growing them myself, but never get round it to it.

Then composting is your friend. No need to feel guilty.

We have three very prolific apple trees and get loads of them , which I then chop and freeze over a couple of days , and tbh , I stick a Midsomer Murder or two on the planner when it's a rainy day , and I quite enjoy it .

Until last year , when one of DH's work suppliers gave him I kid you not , 20 fucking bakers trays ( you know the ones they supply bread in ) of the buggers , because it was a shame to waste it . I made 40 jars of chutney , apple ice cream , apple muffins , apple pies , crumbles , you name it . I couldn't look another apple in the core for months .

Then the neighbour dropped her plums round ........

My parents gave me a home grown cucumber earlier today.

You know the snozcumbers in The BFG? It's one of them. Warts and all.

We're getting three snozzcumbers a week from PIL. They are vile, all mushy seeds and thick skin. Also tough old runner beans and gigantic tomatoes.
I do make tomato and basil sauce but it's a labour of hate and a billion tomatoes only make a couple of tiny jars.

YANBU I feel the same way about people who love baking and try to offload all their bloody cakes and biscuits on everyone else. At least fruit and vegetables are healthy and versatile. Bah humbug!!!

FFS, our crop this year has been rubbish, this post is clearly a stealth boast 😂

YABU. Give them to me. Especially marrows, lovely filled with bolognese/mince topped with cheese and grilled. Supermarket marrows are horrible.

YANBU I bloody hate being given home grown stuff too for the same reasons. We have a large apple tree that is currently groaning in fruit which I rarely do anything with. Yesterday one of the neighbours gave he a huge bag of windfall apples from his own tree which were all bruised and manky staight in the bin they went along with the huge bag of rotting plums he 'gifted'
We also often get rhubarb (gag) courgettes, runner beans , lumps of mud masquerading as potatoes , tomatoes and beetroot dumped on the doorstep. I don't want it nor need it thanks!!

at my church I've noticed excess fruit and veg by the door "free".
I haven't had too much excess but I did come on the tread in case it was my neighbor complaining after I handed her some cherry tomatoes a zucchini and a lovely potato ;)
i grate and freeze zucchini and save it for muffins later in the year.

It does take ages to prep stuff. I have an allotment but always ask before giving people any of the glut!

A woman I used to work with liked to force her marrows and runner beans on us then rattle a charity tin in our face. "Save you going to the shops!" she'd say.

Hand them into a local community cafe or foodbank