When family members have a beautiful hobby farm full of fruit trees and a generous garden in central Illinois, you make time to help harvest. My Aunt Lisa and Uncle Frank have a truly spectacular property, and I was thrilled to join them for the fall harvest. This year we managed a single full day on the farm; next year we’re already planning to stay a week. Picking the produce is one thing — figuring out what to do with everything afterward is the challenge.
Below is a recap of our day helping with the harvest and a collection of favorite seasonal recipes you should try right now.
Linley and I flew into Chicago, spent the night with my mom, and drove two hours south the following morning to meet Aunt Lisa and help with harvesting. Lisa balances a demanding job as a nurse anesthetist with raising a family and managing an impressive garden. Having grown up on a farm, she knows the land and practices that keep a garden thriving: when to harvest, how to deter wildlife, and how to get the most from each plant. We came away inspired and eager to bring some of her knowledge to our own future garden.
It was a warm, sunny August day. The familiar hum of insects and the gentle energy of the property felt nostalgic and comforting. Surrounded by strong, practical women — my aunt, my mom, and Linley — I left the farm feeling energized and motivated.
We began in the large hobby garden, where everything seemed perfectly ripe that day. We filled bucket after bucket with tomatoes, beets, zucchini, and kohlrabi — a real vegetable bounty. After the garden, we moved to the fruit trees, which were the main reason for our visit: peaches, apples, plums, and pears. Lisa and Frank had worked hard this season to protect the trees from raccoons and other critters that sometimes strip the branches bare. Many of the peaches were at peak ripeness, ideal for using immediately.
Back inside, we washed the harvest and got to work processing it. Here’s what we made that day:
- Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
- No-Cook Salsa
- Canned Peaches
- Peach Sauce (like applesauce, but with peaches)
- Peach-Infused Vodka
- Peach Nectar
- Steamed Beets in the Instant Pot
We learned a lot about home canning — both Linley and I were beginners — and it felt great to preserve the harvest. If you want to learn canning basics, there are many helpful guides and resources. We canned salsa, whole peaches, and made peach sauce and peach nectar. The nectar is especially simple and fantastic: lightly boil peaches to loosen the skins, blend the softened fruit with water, then strain. The liquid yields peach nectar, while the strained solids become a lovely peach sauce.
Quick tip: frozen peach nectar mixed with vodka makes a delightful summer cocktail.
I loved watching Lisa use the whole fruit or vegetable. She even uses peach pits to infuse vodka — a clever way to extract additional flavor rather than discarding them. Her practical approach to minimizing waste and maximizing flavor is something I hope to bring to our kitchen and garden.
Thank you, Frank and Lisa, for letting us join your harvest this year. We appreciated every moment and learned so much. I’m also obsessed with your dog Brody — he was the perfect farm companion.
Below are some seasonal Fit Foodie recipe suggestions for the produce we harvested: tomatoes, zucchini, peaches, and kale. These recipes highlight fresh summer flavors and are great ways to use a bountiful garden haul.
Tomato
Homemade Roasted Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce
Creamy Vegan Pasta with Sautéed Kale and Tomatoes
Whole Wheat Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Pasta
Sun-Dried Tomato, Kale, and Quinoa Mac n’ Cheese
20 Minute Healthy Tomato Bisque Soup
Zucchini
Pumpkin Marinara Zoodles
Whole Wheat Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins
Green Goddess Zucchini Pasta
Coconut Oil Zucchini Bread
Peaches
How to Make Easy Peach-Infused Vodka
Roasted Peach and Gouda Grilled Cheese
Strawberry Peach Quinoa Crumble
Grilled Apricot Quinoa Parfaits
Kale
Crock-Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup with Kale
Garlic-Roasted Kale Chips
Sweet Potato Kale Hash
Sun-Dried Tomato Kale Chicken Sausage Quinoa Bake
Dark Chocolate Date Protein Smoothie
I have a couple of questions for you: 1) Do you have a garden? If so, what are you harvesting right now? 2) What seasonal recipes have you been cooking recently?