Source: 1000 Foods (pgs. 383 – 385)

            Before modern shipping and preservation, fresh vegetables were only available for part of the year. From late fall into the following spring, people had to rely on canned, frozen, dried, salted, and pickled options. Sometimes roots, cabbages, and apples could be kept over the winter in a cold cellar. After months of a monotonous diet, variety reappeared as fresh produce came into season. By late summer, there were so many vegetables people had to search for creative ways to use them. Even with modern technology, some things have not changed.

            In Romania and Bulgaria, one way to take advantage of/use up the late summer bounty is to make the vegetable stew ghivetch. The specific vegetables can vary, but according to the text, ideally there should be at least 20 of them. I counted 18 in the recipe which is supposed to serve 12 as a side dish. The side dish portions must be huge, because even after eliminating the okra and reducing the quantity of leeks and cabbage, the recipe still made enough to fill an entire roasting pan 6 to 8 inches deep. Even after putting half in the freezer and giving a container of it to a neighbor, it was hard to eat it all. Fortunately it tasted good, especially with a sprinkle of feta cheese.