Harvest season arrived in Calgary early this year, with home gardeners scrambling to rescue their tomatoes and herbs before our premature snowfall.

As a result, many of us have produce sitting on our countertops, and farmers markets are overflowing with the usual tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, onions and garlic all at their peak, and as inexpensive as theyll get all year.

Here are half a dozen things to do with them. Most double as ways of preserving whatever you have bushels of as cakes, stews and roasted veggies take up less space and are easier to store and freeze than their fresh counterparts.

TheFrenchProvenal vegetarian stew is one of my favourite things to make during the fall. The jumble of onions, garlic, zucchini, peppers, eggplant and tomato can be done in a pot on the stove or roasted in the oven, but I prefer the best of both worlds.

Have one pot simmering with caramelized onions, then quickly brown each batch of diced veggies for added flavour before tossing them into the pot. Simmer until you have a rich, soft, flavourful stew thats wonderful on its own, over pastaor even on toast.

Ratatouille

Set a large, heavy pan or small pot over medium-high heat add a generous drizzle of oil and saut the onions for four to five minutesuntil soft. Add the garlic and continue cooking for another minute or two.

Set a second large skillet over medium-high heat and add another drizzle of oil. When the oil is hot, add the zucchini (in batches, if necessary, so you dont crowd the pan) and saut for two to threeminutesuntil its turning golden and browning on the edges.

Add to the skillet with the onions and cook the peppers and eggplant in the same way, adding extra oil in between each batch and transferring to the pan with the onions as it browns. Add the leaves off a few sprigs of thyme, and/or some finely chopped rosemary (pull the leaves off the stems first) to the onion pan and stir it often as it simmers.

By the end, the second pan will have lots of nice browned bits in the bottom. Add the tomatoes to the pan and stir for a few minutes until they soften and release their juices, loosening those browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add to the remaining ratatouille, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, for 30-45 minutes, or until the mixture is soft and thick. Season with salt.

Link:
Julie Van Rosendaal: What to do with the harvest rescued after snowstorm

The Rug Shop - Ceramic Tile and Countertops
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Top 5 Reasons why choose Quartz in Fort Lauderdale | Half Price Countertops
Top 5 reasons why Quartz is a popular countertop material! 1. Incredibly durable, will last a lifetime Scratch, chip, and crack resistant 2. Harder than gran...

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Granite countertops Buckhead, GA
Summit Zone Kitchen and Bath was founded in Atlanta, GA and has been serving the metro Atlanta area for the past ten years. SZ Kitchen and Bath is dedicated to provide you with a wide range...

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Montral (PRWEB) September 10, 2014

In Europe, colorful glass countertops have enjoyed immense popularity among consumers and designers alike, but this hasn't been the case in North America due to a lack of quality options. LEEZA Surfaces aims to change all that with Kool Glass, its new, exclusive glass surfacing linea line that boasts pure glass and plenty of color.

"We use only low-iron, tempered glass," says LEEZA Partner, Mark Hanna. "Tempering makes the glass safe and strong. Low iron gives glass its crystal-clear characteristic, which helps colors truly pop. Since Kool Glass is inspired by the world of color, it's critical we do right by all the colors of the rainbow and then some."

Customers can choose from 16 standard designer colors in two finishes (glossy or satin), or they can custom match any color they have in mind. "The possibilities are endless," Hanna says. "If someone wants a purple-red that rivals a sunset, we can match it."

How does Kool Glass compare to other popular surfacing products? Glass is a naturally non-porous material, so it doesn't require sealing (like granite). It's hygienic, easy to clean, and impervious to water, making it ideal for many horizontal and vertical applications, such as full-height backsplashes. The satin finish provides texture, something that delights designers since it gives the surface an air of mystery.

Compared to other glass countertops, Kool Glass wins easily. Hanna says the problem is that other so-called "glass" countertops are rarely pure glass and they don't offer such vibrant hues. This is especially true of recycled glass countertops, which are usually an amalgam of glass and a binder, like cement.

"Kool Glass is 100% glass, and 1000% colorful," Hanna says. "It really is a cool product. And people love it. Requests have been through the roof, more so than any other product we've ever touched."

To learn more and to order Kool Glass samples, visit http://www.leezasurfaces.com.

About LEEZA Surfaces Headquartered in Montreal, LEEZA is recognized as one of North Americas leading suppliers of premium surfaces and sinks, including HanStone Quartz by Hanwha, Staron Solid Surfaces by Samsung, Accolade Stainless Steel Sinks, LEEZA Lab Tops by Durcon, and Pyrolave. LEEZA introduced its exclusive glass surfacing line, Kool Glass, in the summer of 2014. Visit http://www.leezasurfaces.com.

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Say Hello to Kool Glass, a Super Cool New Countertop Material

Anh Nguyen | Sept. 9, 2014

Retailers should not be afraid to fail, but be ready to fail fast, the analyst advises.

Wearables, smart countertops and facial scanning are just some of the technologies that retailers should be looking at implementing in their stores over the next few years, according to Forrester analysts.

In a report, 'The Emerging Technologies of the Digital Store', Forrester admitted that while concrete success stories about digital in-store initiatives were rare, it said that retailers should be looking to integrate certain technologies into stores because of the opportunities they give to retailers.

These range from enabling them to offer a personalised store experience, freeing up their sales staff to engage more with customers and using to their advantage the trend of customers using their mobile phones to research products while they shop.

Forrester said that proximity technologies, such as Apple's iBeacon and augmented reality (AR), are things that retailers should be looking at now.

Technologies in the near future But in a few years' time, RFID chips, video conferencing to connect customers in-store with remote product experts, facial scanning technology to enable a personalised service, smart countertops that provide extra information on products and wearables in sales, service and back office divisions, should all be areas that retailers pay attention to, the analyst said.

It provided some examples of real-life cases of these technologies already being explored by retailers.

Innovative high-end fashion company Burberry, for example, embeds RFID chips into its merchandise to unlock personalised marketing content for consumers when they log on to the Burberry website on their mobile device.

In addition, supermarket Tesco has used basic facial scanning software to deliver real-time, personalised digital signs based on the gender and approximate age of the consumer, while home improvement retailer Home Depot uses videoconference stations in its store to allow customers to interact with a remote kitchen expert to design a kitchen.

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Forrester's future retail store features facial scanning, wearables and smart countertops

(PRWEB) September 09, 2014

M S International, Inc. (MSI) is pleased to announce to fabricators, retailers, designers, and consumers the ability to quickly preview slabs of granite, marble, quartz, onyx, limestone, soap stone, and others located at the nearest MSI distributions center. With 17 MSI distribution centers strategically located throughout the United States, customers can quickly preview the actual slabs available for their project.

Steps To Preview Slabs:

To preview slabs available in your local MSI distribution center, navigate to http://www.msistone.com/countertops. Select from one of the twelve natural stone product categories and then the color category. From this screen, select the Preview Actual Slabs Available In Your Area button in the top right corner, just above the image of the slab. Select the MSI location nearest to you. View the actual slabs available in your area.

MSI sources the finest natural stone slabs available today, from around the globe. Marble, granite, soapstone, limestone, travertine, quartz, Venetian marble, onyx, semi-precious, quartzite, and a variety of pre-fabricated slabs are available for preview. Once a customer selects the bundle they are most interested in, information including the number of slabs, and the square feet available is indicated. It is recommended that customers write down the Item Description, Item ID, Bundle, and Location of the slab they desire. When visiting the MSI location, they can preview their choices, or explore other options.

Rupesh Shah, President of MSI states The slab selection process for a consumer can be overwhelming with over 400 colors to choose from. By allowing consumers to view on-line the actual slabs that are available in their area, we believe we can provide more choice and variety to the consumer and allow them to start the purchasing process from their desktop at home or with their mobile device and finalize the process during their visit to one of our showrooms. With over 30,000 pictures of slabs available, we believe this is the largest selection of real time slab inventory in the world.

About M S International, Inc. Founded in 1975, MSI is a leading nationwide distributor of flooring, countertop, wall tile and hardscaping products. Headquartered in Orange, California, MSI also maintains distribution centers across the United States and Canada. MSIs product line includes natural stone products imported from over 36 countries on six continents. In addition, MSI carries an extensive offering of porcelain, ceramic, glass and quartz products. The company maintains an inventory of over 50 million square feet. For more information on MSI, visit msistone.com.

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M S International, Inc.s Website Now Offers Preview Of Slabs Available Locally

Lake Orion Granite Countertops 866-784-8552
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Granite Countertops Cost
Granite Countertops Cost https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOA6UewQiV0.

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How to Install Laminate Countertops
Installing laminate countertops is the last step in this series to update your kitchen. For detailed instructions on this diy laminate countertops project, c...

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