When Using What You Have Collides With Incoming More

Part of good stewardship is using what's been given to you. Not wasting means there will be more for another day or for someone or something else.

I think we can all relate to the occasional surplus beyond our comfort zone. Maybe we didn't plan well. Perhaps we've been gifted part of someone else's bounty. Or perhaps our circumstances changed and made it difficult to use what we'd acquired. Another possibility is a garden that has overproduced, leaving us with a glut of one or two vegetables. Whatever the reason, when that surplus comes face to face with a new supply, it can be difficult to not look a gift horse in the mouth.

I am grateful for our vegetable garden bounty. I really am. Right now, however, we've still got a surplus in fresh and frozen vegetables while the new crop is about to come in. And I don't want to face my no-waste mindset with even more.

I have a 5-lb bag of garlic bulbs still to use, and my garlic is beginning to show signs it will die back soon. I have a gallon-sized freezer bag of garden celery left from last year. It's mostly celery leaves, which makes using it take longer. (Celery leaves have a stronger taste than celery stalks.) I still have many jars of jam and preserves to use up, and I haven't made a single batch of jam or preserves this season.

For the most part we've used up most of what we put away for the off-season. But I do find myself scrambling to use the surpluses we do have as fast as I can.

The old-time sensibility would say to go ahead and put up (in whatever manner possible) what comes in this season, as you never know whether or not you'll have a bounty in the next season. And I think that's just what I'll do. If I have a big harvest of garlic later in August, and I haven't used last season's supply, I'll find a way to preserve the new stuff.

Chances are, we'll mostly use our surpluses between now and new harvests. But I will need to prioritize using these foods and de-prioritize buying a lot of fresh produce in the meantime.

Having an abundance of food is a blessing. Ultimately, recognizing this blessing shifts my perspective from simple consumption to deep gratitude. I am reminded that this abundance is not of my own work, but has been given to me. It's up to me to decide if I will squander this gift in wastefulness or be mindful of using every last bit. I believe that demonstrating my gratitude hinges on taking care to use it all.

Elevate Your Next Cook-Out: The Frugal Magic of a S'mores Board

 

I wanted to share something I made for our 4th of July cook-out that was very well-received. Food boards are still a 'thing.' There's something very appealing about their display that truly makes the sum greater than the parts.

Last week, I mentioned s'mores in my menu plan for the holiday. I had graham crackers and two large chocolate bars (one milk, one dark) on hand. I also had my personal s'mores favorite, a bar of unsweetened baking chocolate in the baking cupboard. While grocery shopping last week I picked up the bag of marshmallows that I still needed. The more I thought about offering s'mores, the more I thought it would be fun to add more to the mix. The result was a fun twist on the classic cook-out treat, elevating a simple dessert to one that felt like luxury: a Homestyle S'mores Board. And yet, I didn't spend anything extra beyond the marshmallows.

I gathered our ingredients and arranged them on a wooden tray, charcuterie-style. The overall effect of a food board should be one of abundance and variety, allowing the beauty of actual foods, unwrapped, to serve as artistic elements.

To fill out my board, I raided the pantry and fridge for all of the extras. Here's what I included:

• The Basics: Classic graham crackers and fluffy marshmallows.
• The Chocolates: Three different varieties of chocolate bars broken into easy-to-grab squares.
• The Refrigerator and Pantry Rescues: Slices of fresh banana, a jar of chocolate-hazelnut spread (donated to the cause by one daughter), a cup of natural peanut butter, and a jar of our homemade rhubarb-vanilla jam (which added a spectacular tart, gourmet contrast to the sweetness of the marshmallows and chocolate).
• The Festive Sparkle: Small vials of red and blue sugar sprinkles and multi-colored cake decors for sprinkling onto the toasty marshmallow edges as they oozed out from the graham cracker sandwich.

Cost-wise, the s'mores board was a massive victory, gaining its extravagance from the extras I already had on hand. A comparable dessert with great visual appeal would have either cost a pretty penny at the bakery or involved an hour or two of my time baking. Instead, what I put together used foods from my kitchen and took 10 minutes to assemble.

This 4th of July's cook-out s'mores board served as a delicious reminder that creating a special holiday memory doesn't require a large share of the grocery budget, special talent, or a lot of time. It just takes a little creativity, a bit of presentation, and the simple joy of gathering around the fire on a summer evening.

What's your favorite way to make a s'more? Are you a traditionalist, or do you like to mix things up? Part of our fun was comparing all of our s'mores. Some of us liked the fruity twist. Others went for the peanut butter and banana taste sensation. And one of us sampled it all on a single s'more. What would you add to a s'mores board? Share in the comments.