Overwhelmed with vegetables

We look forward to Saturday mornings, primarily because that is when our community has its Farmers' Market. We know several of the farmers and enjoy perusing and purchasing items we don't grow such as fruit and the kohls (cabbage, broccoli), or that we don't grow enough of (peppers). We can also purchase jams, breads, cheeses, maple syrup and all sorts of other yummy homemade products. Around this time of year, however, it can all become a bit overwhelming. In the midst of of my own canning and freezing of a plethora of garden vegetables, I still went down to Main Street on Saturday with my bags in hand, ready to shop. I walked into the building, and then, reality hit. "What the heck am I doing here?! Am I crazy? Do I have time to do something with these vegetables? Do I have the motivation to do something with these vegetables?" I honestly was just about to turn on my toes and walk out when I spotted some dear friends and instead collapsed into a chair to chat. After a bit of rest, relaxation and reassessment, I determined I could buy fruit that could easily be thrown into the freezer or consumed. So I went after the peaches and blueberries. I also bought some maple syrup. I should have bought some peppers for stuffing or slicing and freezing, and more fruit for drying or freezing. After all, winter is a long season up here and it takes a lot of fruit to get us through it. But I didn't. I was just too overwhelmed. Apparently, this is not an uncommon feeling for those of us who put up a lot of food whether we grow it ourselves or purchase it through a CSA or Farmers' Market. There are just so many choices for what to purchase and what to do with it once it is purchased. And the idea that the vegetables won't wait around while you determine how you want to use them compounds the issue. I hate having to throw old veggies to the pigs (but at least they're going to the pigs and not to the compost). But I also know that much of the same types of produce will be there next Saturday. And by then, maybe I'll have psyched myself up to just do it!