To many, Fall is a season of pumpkin spice, apple orchards, and football. But to farm wives, it’s a time to start up a catering service with meals on the go. I’m fairly new to being a farm wife, but I’ve been around harvest and farming my entire life. I’ve picked up a lot of tricks and tips from my mom in this department. Today I wanted to share my easy harvest meals for this Fall with all of you!
MAIN DISHES
My main requirement when it comes to main dishes is that it has to be something that can go in the crockpot. The earliest I leave the elevator in the Fall is 7:00, and when you add in an hour to make supper, plus usually 15-30 minutes of driving time, it just gets to be too late. I try to have whatever I’m making ready that morning, bring it to work with me and put it in the refrigerator until it needs to start cooking, and head straight to the field from work. These are a few of the easy harvest meals that are on the menu for this Fall:
- Cheeseburger macaroni casserole
- Scalloped potatoes and ham
- Chicken enchilada casserole
- Chicken burrito bowls
- Crack chicken sandwiches
SIDE DISHES
I don’t even know if this deserves it’s own paragraph, because I keep it pretty simple in this category. I usually try to stick with celery sticks and carrots with dip. Also, I always have a bag of chips. I figure the majority of the casseroles I make are hearty enough, and the guys would rather have a second helping of that instead of veggies, fruit, etc on the side. Sandwiches are the one thing that I try to make sure there’s a side dish-and that is usually chips and sometimes a warm vegetable (corn or beans).
DESSERTS
I like to have a sweet treat for the guys, and my mom is way better in this department than I am (can you say homemade pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting?) My 2 go-to’s are: Scotcharoos and monster cookies. I can make a pan of Scotcharoos on Sunday afternoon and they’ll last the whole week. As far as the monster cookies go, I like to make a big batch ahead of time, and freeze them in balls so all I have to do is pop them in the oven. I usually will make 1-2 dozen at a time so they stay fresh that way.
- Scotcharoos (I make mine with Special K cereal instead of Rice Krispies, and I add an extra 1/2 cup of light corn syrup so they’re extra gooey)
- Monster Cookies (My sister shared this recipe with me and they are my favorite! Extra soft, and they make nice big cookies)
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR EASY HARVEST MEALS
Trying to figure out what to put on the menu is only half the battle. Here’s a few tips & tricks that make serving food out of the car a little bit easier.
- Insulated Crockpot Carrier: At times, I have to drive 30-45 minutes to get to whatever field the guys are working in. Having this insulated crockpot carrier keeps everything warm until I can get there.
- Paper product caddy: I found this caddy on Amazon, and while it’s handy, it’s too expensive for my taste. I have a small tote that keeps all my paper products together, and it was like $6 at Walmart.
- Deluxe Utility Tote: I have 3 of these totes from Thirty-One (one of them is designated for bringing meals to the field). It’s so convenient to store my paper products tote, garbage bags, serving utensils, dessert, buns, and chips. I like having everything in one bag, and not all over the back end of my car.
I hope this helps you in planning your harvest meals for this Fall. And I hope you all have a safe and productive harvest!
