Harnessing the bounty: Time to put the backyard harvest to good use

WHEN Michelle Obama grabbed a shovel and started digging up the White House lawn for a kitchen garden last spring, she helped spark perhaps the biggest surge in backyard food production since World War II. But before declaring victory in your garden, you have to figure out what to do with its bounty.

Those cute tomato plants are a snarling mass of vines now, weighted down with fruit. Delicate basil sprigs have become shrub-size. And as for that little bit of parsley . . . well, no garden ever has just a bit of parsley.

Turn the page for recipes, harvesting hints and more. And consider heading out to Bucks County tomorrow and Saturday for the first-ever Burpee Harvest Festival at the seed producer's Fordhook Farm.

The two-day event will feature guided tours of Fordhook's beautiful grounds - including the Burpee test gardens where you'll get a peek at new varieties for 2010. There will be cooking demonstrations, lectures by cookbook author Laura Schenone, fall gardening advice and more.

"As we approach harvest time in most areas across the U.S., many gardeners may be left wondering how to put their bumper crop of herbs, lettuces and vegetables to good use," said Burpee chairman George Ball, calling the festival "both a celebration and a platform for education."

A survey by the National Gardening Association found that 43 million U.S. households planned to grow their own food this year, a 19 percent increase over 2008. About 7 million of those households are growing vegetables, fruits and herbs for the first time.

Done right, a typical garden yields about a $500 return on investment. You'll know the food is fresh and safely grown. Plus, nothing tastes better than homegrown.

- Laurie T. Conrad

Burpee Harvest Festival: 

Fordhook Farm, 105 New Britain Road, Doylestown, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday (rain or shine). $5, kids under 16 free. 215-674-4900, ext. 1401. To register online for Laura Schenone's lecture ($20), for directions and more, go to Burpee's Web site.