ORONO The University of Maine Cooperative Extension offers advice for gardeners who seek to contribute to their community by donating extra produce.

Lasagna pasta is great for going meatless. It is a comforting, rich and hearty meal with meat or without. Go ahead and experiment with other vegetables to your taste. Many of you may say that it isn't traditional lasagna without the rippled pasta, but you just may be surprised at the taste and texture of rippled, and I don't believe you will ever notice the difference.

We finally planted our vegetable garden this past weekend. I was getting anxious because I hear gardeners say Memorial Day is the "do or die" critical garden planting day as if it was written in stone. However, we've had some really chilly days and nights (mixed with some heat as well) and the month of May and first two weeks in June simply didn't pan out for us to plant it.

Well, it sounds like a good excuse.

My husband built the raised bed about a month ago and my son finally picked up the compost last week. It was becoming a 'do it now or don't do it at all' scenario, so I bought some really nice plants at a couple of local greenhouses. Incidentally, it was actually a great time to get some discounts - $10 got me 13 plants. Area greenhouses begin to shut down by the end of June, so they start to clear out their leftover stock by the second week of June.

where fresh, local products are offered & socially like-minded people gather

PENOBSCOT COUNTY - Farmers' markets are growing in popularity around Maine. Most offer everything from veggies to meats, fruits to cheeses, even breads and other baked goods. And as appealing as all those fresh items are, those who attend will tell you that's not the only reason they're drawn to these outdoor bazaars. Wandering from farmer's stand to farmer's stand with others searching for healthy food choices is truly a social experience like no other.

"You're connecting with neighbors and farmers. It's like the 'Ye Old General Store' used to be," said Mary Lou Hoskins, owner of Greencare in Hermon. And Clayton Carter of Fail Better Farms in Etna agrees.

"It's about connecting with your community as well as buying healthy local foods," explained Carter. "Since we see some of the same faces, we can have conversations and ask how their week is and how their kids are doing."

There's no disputing that whiling away a couple of hours browsing the offerings at your local farmer's market is a pleasant way to pass the time. These markets offer all kinds of wonderful locally-grown organic vegetable options for your dining pleasure.

But maybe the farmer's market isn't an occasional thing for you. Maybe you and your family are devoted to the idea of not only eating locally grown food, but also playing a part in the actual farming process.

That's where farm shares come in.

I am continuing last week's article on vegetables because of the past few wintery months, during which many of us have become couch potatoes. If we aren't going to get off that couch, then the least we can do is put something nutritionally valuable into our system. I am adding some flavor and depth into our vegetable dishes this week, so I do hope you enjoy.

How many times have we heard those dreadful words uttered by our caring parents when we were growing up? It's funny because when we were children, we didn't understand the benefits of eating vegetables, nor did we care. Looking back (and being parents ourselves), it wasn't just the vitamin benefits of eating veggies our parents were concerned about, it was for financial reasons as well. Vegetables were (and still are) a way of filling our bellies with something a little cheaper while at the same time giving our bodies nutrients and vitamins only found in leafy greens and vegetables. Now to make these side dishes taste better than we remember. When you play around with veggies, adding this ingredient and that spice, it is so easy to come up with something great tasting and much more filling than we remember as children. Here are a couple recipes I think you will enjoy.