I got a surprise produce bag from Too Good to Go and now I have so much veg that's got to be eaten soon or else it will go bad. I'm seeking inspiration for how to prep this for the week. Here's what I have:
VEGETABLES
Sweet Potatoes (3)
Asparagus
Fennel (1)
Green onions
Peppers (I think they're hot? Will probably make a hot sauce)
Beets (4)
Yellow carrots (3)
Celery stalks (2)
Orange carrots (skinny, 6)
Parsnips (3)
Spinach
Basil
Radishes
Tomatoes (2)
Salad greens
Brussels sprouts
Bok choy (3)
Small zucchini (2)
FRUIT
Apples (5)
Clementines (4)
Lemon (1)
Tiny bananas
Star fruit (2)
Pear (1)
Tamarillo (1, I have never had this fruit before)
How would you approach this haul?
by FeenStar
19 Comments
A minestrone soup could use up a ton of those veggies, and you’d be able to freeze it after you were done.
Fruits can be made into baked goods and frozen too (fruit pies, cakes, scones, etc). Great haul!
Banana bread/muffins, applesauce, soup, veggie fritters, savory pancakes/muffins, egg bite muffins, veg&cheese quesadillas, veg burritos, cold cut sammys, salad, rice/burrito/poke bowls, mixed veg medley, stir fry, pasta salad, spring rolls, dumplings, wontons, rice paper rolls
Take the fennel, celery, parsnips, onion, garlic and make a soup.
Cut the veg up, saute, cover with water, simmer until tender, then use a stick blender and puree it. This freezes very well and tastes delicious.
Apple sauce with the apples and lemons. Easy to make, easier to freeze.
Bake those sweet potatoes, then make a pie.
And I see a really nice salad, too.
Try baking the parsnips as you would bake potatoes!
anything you would use in a smoothie, soup, or stir fry, i would wash, chop, and freeze. its ready to throw in a blender, pan or pot as needed! that should help narrow down what’s left
Brussel sprouts for a salad. Baked sweet potatoes. Peppers Asparagus soup. Roasted Parsnips, celery, carrots, onion, for vegetable soup base. Pickled beets. Spinach Tomato Pasta. Zucchini, Pepper, Sweet Potato Hash. Bok Choy Tacos. Or added to Soup base. Stuffed tomatoes. Fennel with stir fried veggies. Lemon Bars or homemade lemonade. Apples and Cinnamon Sugar over Cooked Oats. Fruit salad. That’s a beautiful haul.
Something in my gut says sweet potato’s mashed, some blended apples and chopped Brussels could be tasty together?
Eat the most perishable stuff first – the root veg and apples and lemon will last much longer. The fennel will be fine for several days in the fridge – I recommend a gratin with that one. Divine!
This is such a good TGTG haul!!! I’m very jealous
Pasta primavera, maybe?
Roughly chop a head of bok choy per person and wok toss with a bunch of frozen precooked shrimp (you could do chicken or tofu or whatever instead), garlic, red pepper, soy sauce. Serve over rice or noodles.
Any of the veg will go great in risotto! Especially if you have an instantpot it’s so fast and easy to make. [example recipe](https://food52.com/recipes/85311-instant-pot-risotto-recipe) As long as you’ve got the base of oil, onion, rice, stock, Parmesan at the end, the rest is entirely freestyle and up to you. You could roast the veggies and add cubed after the main pressure cook, you could shred the Brussels sprouts and stir them in, the asparagus would be great cut up short – I really enjoy barely cooking it and ideally adding some char through pan frying or oven roasting. Freezes into portions really easily, too.
Huge veggie stew & freeze some for later.
Soup, roast veg sides, stock etc. Can also prep & freeze.
What a lovely problem to have!
Brussels slaw (raw) or roasted Brussels (with vinegar or parmesan).
Apples – apple cake, applesauce, apple crumble, apple topping for pancakes.
Salad with greens, apples, shredded brussels, fennel, and a lemon vinaigrette.
Fennel slaw.
Saute any veg and toss with pasta.
Carrots can be slaw, roasted, or steamed. I like them roasted with warm spices and served over Greek yogurt.
Blanch and freeze the spinach, bok choy, brussels sprouts, asparagus, maybe parsnips and carrots – I get similar hauls frequently and the leafy greens deteriorate quickly, so taking five minutes to prep them for freezing until I’m ready to use them cuts down on a lot of waste.
I don’t have any suggestions but want to applaud everyone for providing such great suggestions. I’ve already written a few down for my next meal prep. Especially minestrone – can’t wait to make it and freeze some!
I just made this stew and it was LOVELY!
https://thewholesomespoon.com/2025/12/19/tomato-pork-stew/
I’ve got this one pot orzo
https://thewholesomespoon.com/2025/12/17/one-pot-greek-orzo/
Sheet pan?
https://thewholesomespoon.com/2025/10/22/harvest-sheet-pan/
Casserole?
https://thewholesomespoon.com/2025/09/08/chicken-noodle-casserole/
Fruit cobbler for pears and apples, cut up the fruit in chunks and toss with cinnamon and sugar. A bit of lemon zest and a squeeze of juice. Top with flou crumbled with butter or margarine with a bit more cinnamon and sugar to top. Bake 30-40 minutes at 350
Whenever I see fennel, my mind goes to a pork roulade I made one time when I swapped the requested onions/shallots for fennel and leeks (migraine elimination diet). Or to the ciopinno with seafood medley from Costco (Giada has a great recipe)