There's a red river running through my kitchen these days. The Hubby likes cherry tomatoes, so he planted three varieties plus the Big Boys, and they've all fruited their little hearts out this year. The ones in the photo are romas, very meaty, mid-sized ones that will make great sauce.
Every few days I parboil, peel, and freeze them. I squeeze the fruit and strain the juice, and I save that too. It's easy but time consuming, and it involves a lot of pots. I'll be glad when we're done, but I'm sure I'll relish the taste of summer tomatoes in our winter soups and sauces.
The corn didn't do as well. We only got a few dozen ears. The peppers are finally ready, but again, we didn't get very many. And the "haricot" bush beans were a bust; delicious, but did not produce for long at all. Last year we had green beans all summer.
The cantaloupes, on the other hand, are completely out of control. We have packed them off with departing house guests, shipped them to relatives, and dropped them off at the neighbors, and we still have six in the fridge on any given day. They are amazingly sweet and juicy ones, but really. How many can anyone eat?
We've been very lucky, not needing to use any chemicals or pesticides at all. The bugs get their share of nibbles, and mice have hollowed out the occasional melon, but what's left for us has been perfectly healthy and clean.
It's a lot of work, but nothing beats the taste of organic food that's made of sunlight, rain, and the good earth of your own back yard.
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9 comments:
Hiya,
A healthful, happy and beautiful harvest. Homegrown Cantaloupe sounds so professional and exotic. Makes a fig seem infra-dig.
Do you remember the books by Jane Dunlap, a.k.a. Adele Davis?
"Let's eat well to get well", and other books on nutrition.
One of her chapters is titled:
"Which apricot grown where?".
That about sums up the grow your own aspect.
[jealous]
Google a recipe for BLT dip. You'll be so incredibly glad you did. Squeezing the tomatoes is what made me think of it. I squeezed them, chopped them and let them drain all day so the dip wouldn't be runny. Of course I used the juice and seeds in soup!
I love that you are saving for winter.. I wish I lived near you. I would love to come and learn Vicki.
I added myself to follow your blog. You are more than welcome to visit mine and become a follower if you want to.
God Bless You ~Ron
i'm so happy you have a feast of tomatoes
and cantaloupe and a bit of corn, too.
bounty from the garden is such a blessing.
How fun is this sweet tomato photo. You should have saved this for Valentine's Day.
Joco, they're really simple to grow. Just drop a few seeds in a hill and stand back. They sprawl all over the place. Not familiar with Jane Dunlap, but I'll check her out! Sounds like my kind of lady.
Caron that does sound delicious. I save the juice, but strain out the seeds. Now that I think about it, I should leave those in.
Michelle, I wish you were closer, too. We could have some great times together, I'm sure of it.
Geezer - Welcome! Thanks for stopping by and for the follow.
Myletters, it certainly is a blessing. Food takes on a different feeling when you grow it yourself.
Karen, we've had a lot of fun with that tomato. It looks like different things to different people.
;-)
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