ideas for tomatoes

i have been a stranger around these parts for over a month now. that doesn't mean the happenings around the farm have slowed down. not one bit, really. the work is never ending around here, but it brings about a feeling of satisfaction that can't be matched. there's always a project to complete, an animal in need of care, a garden to weed, produce to harvest & a bounty of delicious summer goodies to put up. we are thankful for this work & this season of abundance! 

abundance is indeed the word to describe this time of year. every day we come in from the garden with a basket of tomatoes, peppers, basil & cucumbers. i have pickled, canned, preserved & frozen baskets of deliciously ripe produce this summer. 

this summer i have also found two new, family-approved ways to enjoy these favorites in our garden. 

inspired by a flurry of women on social media, i tried that one pot pasta that so many have talked about. i was a bit hesitant at first to serve this up at dinnertime for fear of soggy noodles & flavorless sauce, but i can now confidently share that it was indeed a hit. that martha is a genius!  we mixed some garden tomatoes, purple onion, basil & garlic in with the noodles. easy cooking, easy clean-up & a delicious dinner. win, win, win!

i also tried my hand at roasting tomatoes. i chopped up tomatoes skin & all, both small & large, & placed them on a cookie sheet with parchment paper. i spread a bit of olive oil on the top & then added a mix of salt, pepper, fresh rosemary & whole cloves of garlic. the small tomatoes roasted for about 3 hours at 225 degrees in the oven. the larger tomatoes took about 4 hours. 

we have enjoyed these slow-roasted tomatoes on salads, in leftover pasta & as a snack. i froze the leftovers on a cookie sheet & placed them in a freezer bag for the winter. just another way to enjoy this season of abundance during the cold winter months!

what are some new ways you have found to preserve the summer harvest? please share!

saving garden seed

This is a great time of year to think about saving seeds. A number of garden plants are either starting to bolt and flower, or are already bearing seeds at this time. Rather than pull plants once they're past their prime, consider leaving some to complete the cycle of growth in your garden.

I have been been focusing almost 100% on growing heirloom varieties, which makes seed saving feel even more rewarding. For example, the melons I'm growing are from seed that dates back to the 1800s. There is quite a history in that plant! I take it as a responsibility and a challenge, and one that I enjoy.

I thought I'd share some of what's happening in our garden right now, in terms of seed production.

Sage seed is ready for harvest. See the dark, round seeds inside the dried flower heads?

We hardly need to save calendula this year, as I harvested an enormous amount last year, but I have been keeping a few seed heads here and there. Calendula seed is ready to harvest when the seeds easily rub away from the flower head.

I have had this enormous Bull's Blood beet plant in the garden all spring and summer (I should have taken a photo of the whole plant!). It's actually been kind of an unsightly nuisance, in the most inconvenient location, but I have been patient. There will be hundreds, maybe thousands of seed pods to harvest soon. Beet seed is also shown above in the first image.

 Some of the earliest of the pea vines I planted have a few pods coming close to harvest. With peas and beans, simply leave some pods on the vine until they are completely dried. Then you can remove the inner peas/beans and store.

Coriander (cilantro) seed is coming along. I will use some for cooking, and save some for planting. Cilantro flowers also add a delicate beauty to the garden bed.

Kale, planted last year, is another monstrous tangle that I have been waiting patiently for. The pods are now dry and the seeds fully mature. There is more than enough seed on this plant grow countless gardens full of kale.

 Honey bees like when plants are left to go to seed, too. They are completely crazy for the leek flowers shown above, and at most any given time you can go out and find 2-6 honeybees on any given flower head.

Here is a brief post I wrote about seed saving last year as well, if you are interested.

Do you save seed? I'd love to know anything you'd like to share about your own experience.

Late Summer

Each day we take our bushel basket down to the field garden in hopes of harvesting tomatoes, pumpkins, or melons. We often bring back basil, broccoli shoots, or kale.

My mom sent me several dahlia tubers this year. This is the first one beginning to open. It looks rather goofy, like it has bunny ears. I love its vibrant color. 

Baby Pam pie pumpkins, we are forever loyal to you. This variety is so reliable. We harvested our first this weekend.

New this year: Eden's Gem melons. We tried this variety because the seeds were local and the description promised that they would fruit and ripen before the frost. We have six melons that are almost ready! I'm excited, though I am having a hard time determining when they are ready. Any tips? I've been smelling the blossom end for fragrance. None yet.

Abby: these are our spilanthes plants. Every day I pop a flower in my mouth. Herbalists say eating one fresh a day is better than mouthwash. It's an acquired taste but I really like it. It basically makes your mouth feel tingly.

Chamomile in abundance. I've been drying some for my apothecary shelves. Thinking of making a chamomile tincture or a chamomile heavy bitters formula.

The onions are just about ready for harvest. We've already pulled our shallots.

What's happening in your garden this week?

pickling

  

 A recent rainy day presented the perfect opportunity to finally do some pickling. I’m growing Boston Pickling cukes this year, just for this reason, and they have been producing pretty well. I’ve been stalling on this project for a while. Being my first official foray into canning of any sort, I admit I felt a tiny bit intimidated. The worst that could happen though, is I would lose a few pounds of cucumbers. So!

 

 I followed the garlic dill pickles recipe from Marisa McClellan’s site, Food In Jars. This is a quick pickle (she recommends letting them sit 2-4 days before eating), so you won’t have to wait for weeks to try them. The only modification I made was I added 1/2 tsp coriander seed to each jar. I also followed her guide for salt substitution, and used the sea salt I had on hand in place of pickling salt.

 These were pretty simple to put together, just as I was assured they would be. The hardest part was just waiting for the water to boil to sterilize my jars, and then again for the water bath.  I realized halfway through sterilization, that I shouldn’t be using the canning pot on a glass cook top (indicated on the pot, and in part, because the base of the pot is not flat), so we moved outside onto a propane camp stove for the water bath. The water bath process can be skipped if one wants to keep their pickles in the fridge, but I’d rather have the fridge space.

 I waited about 36 hours to pop open the first jar. And yes, this is a great pickle! Classic dill pickle flavor, with quite a kick of heat. If you like it spicy, I think Marisa hit it just right (I think my 1/4 teaspoons were overflowing a little). If spicy is not so much your thing, you may want to tone it down on the chili flakes. I noticed that as soon as I finished making these, I felt excited about sharing them. I especially can’t wait to give some to my pickle loving sister.

I can see how people get really into canning. It’s a fun process, and the results are so satisfying. I am already looking forward to more. Next up? Maybe some tomato jam.

rooting plants in water

this is the time in my garden when some things begin to peter out and gaps and holes begin to appear in planters, window boxes and pots.

a simple way to increase your plant collection at no cost is to root your own plants. coleus, mint, basil, lavender, wandering jew, begonias, geraniums, sweet potato vine as well as many houseplants such as african violets, ivy, spider plant, philodendron and creeping fig all root well in water.

most plants that can successfully produce roots in water have thick, succulent leaves and stems. don't let the above list deter you from trying others though!

below is a simple guide to rooting your plants.

 ::water the plant thoroughly a day or two before taking cuttings so it is not under drought stress.

::take cuttings from a healthy, vigorous and disease-free plant.

::cut 3 to 6 inch sections of stem that each contain a growing tip, if possible, off the parent plant. make a clean, angled cut just above a leaf node.

 ::trim off any leaves on the lowest one-third of the cutting, keeping at least two leaves on each cutting.

 ::place the cuttings in a water-filled jar so that the leafless portion of the stem is submerged and the remaining leaves are out of the water and hanging over or resting on the lip of the jar.

::set the jar with cuttings and water somewhere that gets partial sun, like a windowsill.

::check the cuttings regularly. add more water to replace any that evaporates and replace water that becomes cloudy.

::if roots turn brown and mushy with rot, discard the cuttings and water, clean the jar and start over with fresh cuttings.

::once several roots have appeared and grown a few inches long, the cuttings are ready to be gently planted in moist potting soil.

 happy rooting!!

the august harvest

Recently harvested: basil, shallots, broccoli, heirloom tomatoes, green onions, chamomile.

 I thought it would be fun today to share some different ways that we've been preparing produce in our kitchen this summer.

Zucchini: We have a go-to zucchini pancake recipe that we love, and to that we've been adding corn kernels from 2 ears of corn. Make a big batch as these freeze well.

Basil: To top the zucchini pancakes, we made a simple basil oil. It's just basil and olive oil whizzed in the blender with salt and pepper to taste. I think this would also be lovely on sourdough toast.

We added basil to our latest batch of kombucha, and the results were truly delicious. I hope to try a batch with chamomile next.

Blackberries: This year I've been really into making infused fruit vinegars. Just remember to use vinegar that has at least 5% acidity.

Chard: My new favorite way to prepare chard involves removing the rib (and chopping it into small pieces) and then steaming or boiling both the rib and the leaf. This should be a quick process--only a few minutes. Then add it to a skillet with olive oil, garlic, chopped Kalamata olives, and diced banana peppers and heat until everything is warm. Serve topped with a very small amount of feta cheese.


What are some of your favorite, simple recipes for the summer produce you've been harvesting?

my new garden companion

I have no  acceptable excuse for my absence here other than it's been so darn hot and I haven't had much gusto to do much of anything in the garden and oh yes we got a puppy!!

Luckily though the garden still grows without my help and we have had plenty of rain to keep it going. Thankfully the weather broke last week and has been quite pleasant allowing me and Harry (our new pup) to get out there.

It's been so nice to have a companion in the garden who follows me around and keeps me company as I weed and harvest. He absolutely loves cucumbers!

The garden is showing signs of late summer and even peeks of early fall with it's Black-Eyed Susans and Joe-Pye Weed in full bloom. The Crape Myrtle's bark is beginning to shed  and I have seen a few Aster and Toad Lily buds beginning to form.

I hope to sow some fall greens in the next week or two, dry a whole lot of mint and get a spring bulb order in. All with Harry's help of course.