Harvest Meals
meal ideas for the field or your backyard
Last weekend, we took our boat to the lake, which we try to do at least once before harvest starts. We spent the afternoon with some of our extended family, plus a group of families from our church, many of whom are farming families themselves. The guys talked about their crops and the upcoming harvest, as they do, and I spent the afternoon trying not to think about harvest.
After spending the afternoon on the water, with the sun lowering in the sky, we pulled our boat away from the shore. Rich called back to the group still on the rocky beach, “Happy Harvest!” And over the roar of the engine, across the water, the group in chorus yelled back, their hands cupped over their mouths, “Happy Harvest!”
This week, I’ve been putting together my meal plan for harvest. I shared on Instagram how I’ve kept my harvest meal lists, like a journal, for almost a decade. Before harvest, I refer to my past lists for ideas on what meals to make for this harvest season. Then, as harvest goes on, I check off the meals I make and keep notes for my future self. How many pounds of pork do I need to feed the crew pulled pork sandwiches, and does it take one pan of lasagna or two?
After I posted this reel (which I am not great at making and won’t be doing again anytime soon), a few women on IG asked me for some meal ideas to add to their rotation for harvest, so I am compiling some of them here. All of these can be made for the harvest field or your kitchen table—whatever summer looks like for you. 💛
Here’s a sampling of my meal plan for harvest 2024. I know I’ll need more meals than this, but these are my go-to’s.
Meatball Subs. This one is easy and always a favorite for our crew.
Place frozen Italian-style seasoned meatballs in the crock pot. (I buy the huge bag at Sam’s Club.) Pour marinara sauce over the top, then cook on high for 4-5 hours, stirring occasionally. Before heading out to the field, I toast hoagies in the oven on broil. Then, I put several meatballs into each sub, sprinkle Italian shredded cheese (or mozzarella) on top, and sprinkle parmesan cheese. Place the hoagies back into the oven and let the cheese melt. (Don’t turn your back for long; they can burn quickly!) 🤪
Next, I wrap each sub in aluminum foil and place them in an empty cooler to keep them hot until I get to the field.
That’s it! If you’re feeling fancy, you could make your own meatballs, but this makes a quick and easy field meal! Serve with pasta salad, chips, and beans.
Oven burgers are another favorite that I usually make twice during harvest. Once they are baked and ready to go, I put the wrapped burgers in an empty cooler and take them to the field. I bring condiments in a separate cooler, and everyone can decide what they want on their own burger.
Ultimate baked spaghetti. I always use disposable pans for easy cleanup, and I don’t worry about the pan accidentally getting broken when I take it to and from the harvest field. I make two pans of this to feed approximately 15 people.
Swiss steaks in the crock pot. For years, I used the same recipe on Pinterest but never printed it. Then, one summer, I went to make the same recipe, and the pin was no longer there. So, now I try to go off my memory and use this similar recipe from Pinterest. Because we have our own beef, I always have round or cube steaks, and I save them for this. If you’re using round steaks, you’ll need to pound them with a meat tenderizer to thin them out, which is why I always use cube steaks because that is already done for me. This recipe also tells you to brown the steaks before placing them in the crock pot, and I usually skip that step. I serve with a side of the Pioneer Woman’s mashed potatoes.
Walking tacos! Is this just a Montana thing? My brother-in-law and sister-in-law, who live in Portland, had never heard of them. Have you?
The Pioneer Woman’s pulled pork sandwiches. This one requires some prep and thinking ahead, as you have to let the meat marinate overnight with the rub, and the roast takes 7-8 hours to cook. Delicious! Serve with coleslaw.
Chicken fajitas in the crockpot. The recipe calls for two pounds of chicken, but my notes tell me four pounds will feed roughly 15 people. Adjust accordingly. I bring this to the field in the crock pot (the crock pots that the lids lock are a must for harvest meals!) and serve it with seasoned black beans and cilantro lime rice, along with all the sides for the fajitas.
Meatloaf and mashed potatoes. I have the BEST meatloaf recipe, but I printed it off the Internet years ago, and I don’t know which website I got it from. Again, I use PW’s mashed potato recipe as a side.
Lasagna. I sort of use my own recipe based on how my mom makes it, plus my girl, Ree. Ree makes her own sauce, but I just pour in a bottle of jarred marinara sauce, the kind that says “with veggies.” I also use no-boil lasagna noodles instead of the ones you have to boil. The amount of cheese that Ree calls for in her recipe is what I do as well. More cheese, please! Serve with garlic bread, salad, and green beans.
Fancy hot dogs. Occasionally, I’ll bust out hot dogs, but I try to make them “fancy.” Cook or grill the hot dogs. Place the buns on a baking sheet, and put in the oven on broil to toast the buns. Once they are lightly toasted, take the pan out of the oven. Spread mayonnaise on the bun, then place the hot dog inside. Then squirt BBQ sauce and brown mustard on top, then sprinkle with cheese. Place back in the oven to melt the cheese. If you’re taking it to the field, wrap each dog in aluminum foil and place it in an empty cooler. Or serve at home!
I do try to bring dessert every night, but sometimes, that just means the dessert is leftover from the evening before.
Boxed brownie mix. I add chocolate chips to the batter and call it good. I make brownies a lot because they are easy.
Scotcharoos. Classic.
Walking desserts. I’ve only made the banana pudding one, but the kids think its fun and it’s easy.
Chocolate peanut butter pie. Again, I’m sort of lazy, so I skip the step of making my own crust and buy the ready-made Oreo pie crust. Then, I follow the rest of the recipe for the filling. No one knows any different!
Strawberry pretzel salad. Honestly, this is my least favorite thing to make, but it’s Rich’s favorite, so I try to make it once during harvest.
I’m not an expert on harvest meals, but here are a few things I’ve learned in the last 11 years that make it a little smoother for me.
Use disposable pans.
Use slow-cooker liners; it makes clean-up so much easier.
Keep a notebook with each year’s meal plans and keep notes on what works/doesn’t work, how much to cook, etc. Save it from year to year.
Store your plastic utensils, plates, and napkins in a laundry basket. It’s easy to carry from the house to the pickup, then into the field, and back home.
Place towels in the coolers with your hot food to deliver to the field.
Clean the kitchen after the kids have gone to bed. This might already be a no-brainer for you, but it took me years to realize it was the better idea.
This tip isn’t for me but for the crew. Before harvest starts, I put baby wipes and hand sanitizer in each combine and the grain cart.
I use an empty laundry soap pump dispenser to bring hot water mixed with hand soap to the field. Each night, I put hot water and some squirts of soap into the dispenser, and then the crew can use it to wash their hands and faces before eating. (Pictured below.)
Plan a trip (it doesn’t have to be big!) after harvest with your spouse or family. It’s nice to have something to look forward to after a busy and sometimes stressful season.
For my farming friends, I hope you have a happy and safe harvest season! 🌾
Tell me in the comments, what’s your favorite harvest/summer meal?
I would like to point out the irony of you referring to yourself as “sort of lazy” in a post about making meals for large amounts of people over a sustained period of time 😉. This is amazing! I’ll be stealing a few for our own dinners.
Thank you for all these meals, so nice to have insight to what other farm/ranch wives are feeding their crews. We call them “taco in a bag” in Canada/alberta, they are often on menus at hockey rinks, rodeos, etc. here. We always do them camping!