Gardeners

[Gumby]

I am being overwhelmed by cherry tomatoes. Not sure how many more I can stomach. I've given some away and need to give more. I tried to make gazpacho with some, but the skins were unpleasant. I made a cooked cucumber and cherry tomato side dish that was pretty good. I made a cherry tomato cream sauce to go over chicken. That was good. I still have leftover chicken, so I'm switching to a sauce of late summer vegetables that includes green beans, cherry tomatoes, onions, and herbs. I have a recipe for cherry tomato soup that will take down a signficant number, but they keep coming!

The young wife has been making a gazpacho that is pureed in the blender. We like it a lot.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017577-best-gazpacho

 

[EastWest Gal]

This is the opposite of bragging about my tiny vegetable garden. The insects won. I grew broccoli from seed early last spring in my indoor hydroponic garden. Transferred them to small pots in the window sill. When they were big enough, I transferred them to the raised bed. A bunny got in them within a few hours. I fenced them in, and they recovered. The plants started producing in July, but by mid-August they became a white fly magnet, followed by a variety of bees and wasps enjoying the sweet stuff the white flies left behind. Despite every effort, the flies won. I took down all the plants yesterday and sprayed and bagged them up. It was pretty gross, and I put netting over my head so I wouldn’t be breathing white flies as I worked.

The poblanos have done very well. We’re having chili rellenos regularly, every week. I bake them rather than fry them, and no flour coating. I experimented with meat filling (ok, not great), and also filling some with a mix of tofu and grated Jack cheese with cumin and pepper, to improve the protein content. That worked surprisingly well.

Next year I’ll do tomatoes. I’ll probably put a bunch of coriander seed down when it is a little cooler, after adding some compost.

 

[Gumby]

We had chile verde tonight for dinner, made with the poblanos, cubanelles, jalapenos, and tomatillos from our garden. The only thing we bought was the pork shoulder. I made margaritas for the young wife (I don't like them).

 

[simple girl]

I am being overwhelmed by cherry tomatoes. Not sure how many more I can stomach. I've given some away and need to give more. I tried to make gazpacho with some, but the skins were unpleasant. I made a cooked cucumber and cherry tomato side dish that was pretty good. I made a cherry tomato cream sauce to go over chicken. That was good. I still have leftover chicken, so I'm switching to a sauce of late summer vegetables that includes green beans, cherry tomatoes, onions, and herbs. I have a recipe for cherry tomato soup that will take down a signficant number, but they keep coming!

I love to make Pico de Gallo with mine, as well as roasted cherry tomatoes. FYI food pantries often are thrilled to receive garden donations, in my experience.

 

[Winemaker]

I am being overwhelmed by cherry tomatoes. Not sure how many more I can stomach. I've given some away and need to give more. I tried to make gazpacho with some, but the skins were unpleasant. I made a cooked cucumber and cherry tomato side dish that was pretty good. I made a cherry tomato cream sauce to go over chicken. That was good. I still have leftover chicken, so I'm switching to a sauce of late summer vegetables that includes green beans, cherry tomatoes, onions, and herbs. I have a recipe for cherry tomato soup that will take down a signficant number, but they keep coming!

DW takes our excess cherry tomatoes and seasons them with herbs from the garden. She roasts them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper til they have a slight char. She then puts them in the smallest canning jar and freezes them. We have tomatoes year round.

 

[O2Bfree]

This is the opposite of bragging about my tiny vegetable garden. The insects won. I grew broccoli from seed early last spring in my indoor hydroponic garden. Transferred them to small pots in the window sill. When they were big enough, I transferred them to the raised bed. A bunny got in them within a few hours. I fenced them in, and they recovered. The plants started producing in July, but by mid-August they became a white fly magnet, followed by a variety of bees and wasps enjoying the sweet stuff the white flies left behind. Despite every effort, the flies won. I took down all the plants yesterday and sprayed and bagged them up. It was pretty gross, and I put netting over my head so I wouldn’t be breathing white flies as I worked.

I had more trouble than usual this year with cabbage moths chewing up my kale. The heat didn't help the kale either. Next year I might put some netting over it.

One good think about the heat is that I've seen only three slugs all year! Usually, DH goes on slug patrol in the mornings and scoops up a half-dozen or more every time.

 

[simple girl]

DW takes our excess cherry tomatoes and seasons them with herbs from the garden. She roasts them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper til they have a slight char. She then puts them in the smallest canning jar and freezes them. We have tomatoes year round.

That's exactly how we love to roast them - so good! Never thought of freezing them - great to know they taste well when you defrost and reheat. Thanks!

 

[Gumby]

When I make tomato sauce, I slice the tomatoes about a half inch thick, put them on a cookie sheet, put salt, pepper, fresh thyme and fresh rosemary on them and convection roast at 425 until they get a little charred (about 40 minutes). I separately wrap garlic cloves in foil and roast them alongside. When charred, I take them out and crank them through the food mill to remove the skins and seeds. A little char flavor makes a real difference in the taste. Then I pressure can in pint jars for 20 minutes.

So far this season, I've canned 36 pints of sauce.

 

[street]

When I make tomato sauce, I slice the tomatoes about a half inch thick, put them on a cookie sheet, put salt, pepper, fresh thyme and fresh rosemary on them and convection roast at 425 until they get a little charred (about 40 minutes). I separately wrap garlic cloves in foil and roast them alongside. When charred, I take them out and crank them through the food mill to remove the skins and seeds. A little char flavor makes a real difference in the taste. Then I pressure can in pint jars for 20 minutes.

So far this season, I've canned 36 pints of sauce.

That sounds good!

 

[Pellice]

I just charred and then froze some of my cherry tomatoes, with oil and herbs. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[street]

Garden was a great success this year at home and what I planted at the ranch.

I have picked ~10 MN Midget cantaloupe and they are still maturing. Here is a picture of my GD's signatured pumpkins for Halloween. I scratched their names in about a > month ago and will be something different for them. Both are larger than a basketball.

 

[NW-Bound]

Now that it has cooled down and the high is only 100F, I started to till the planting raised beds in the backyard garden to prepare for winter veggie planting. Working in the 78F in the morning is nice, but I could only work for so long with the sun beating down on my back and turned my T-shirt wet.

I mixed in steer manure every year to soften up the soil. Just paid $29 for 10 bags of manure. I posted about this high price on another thread. Maybe more people take up planting or something. How else manure is getting scarce?

 

[Gumby]

...
I mixed in steer manure every year to soften up the soil. Just paid $29 for 10 bags of manure. I posted about this high price on another thread. Maybe more people take up planting or something. How else manure is getting scarce?

It's heavy and more expensive to ship.

 

[harley]

I mixed in steer manure every year to soften up the soil. Just paid $29 for 10 bags of manure. I posted about this high price on another thread. Maybe more people take up planting or something. How else manure is getting scarce?

It's all being shipped to DC and Wall Street.

 

[street]

Now that it has cooled down and the high is only 100F, I started to till the planting raised beds in the backyard garden to prepare for winter veggie planting. Working in the 78F in the morning is nice, but I could only work for so long with the sun beating down on my back and turned my T-shirt wet.

I mixed in steer manure every year to soften up the soil. Just paid $29 for 10 bags of manure. I posted about this high price on another thread. Maybe more people take up planting or something. How else manure is getting scarce?

I use horse manure I get from a friend horse herd. Free for coming and getting it. If you could get some straw from a wheat farmer in the area and till that in the soil, it does wonders for making the soil loose mellow and soft.

 

[Gumby]

We picked and steamed the last of our sweet corn today. Always a bittersweet day. We got a lot of good corn this year, but now we have to wait another 10 months for more. I also cut nine large butternut squash and pulled the vine up today. My Minnesota Midget cantaloupes are done for the season, but I'm still waiting on the watermelons (Black Diamond and Moon & Stars varieties) to reach full maturity. In addition to the watermelons, we still have a wide variety of peppers, eggplants, okra, sweet potatoes, beets, carrots and kale in the ground. My goal is to have everything up and to till the soil by 10/15.

 

[street]

We picked and steamed the last of our sweet corn today. Always a bittersweet day. We got a lot of good corn this year, but now we have to wait another 10 months for more. I also cut nine large butternut squash and pulled the vine up today. My Minnesota Midget cantaloupes are done for the season, but I'm still waiting on the watermelons (Black Diamond and Moon & Stars varieties) to reach full maturity. In addition to the watermelons, we still have a wide variety of peppers, eggplants, okra, sweet potatoes, beets, carrots and kale in the ground. My goal is to have everything up and to till the soil by 10/15.

Gumby about how many did you harvest of those MN Midgets? I just picked my 14th and there is about that many more that should be ripened in a week or two.

No frost yet here but close!! I will cover mine Midgets if I see it will freeze. I'll take a picture of the harvest at the ranch when I do the harvest.

Butter cup are ready to pick but will wait till the first frost advisory than go harvest them and the pumpkins. Been still picking some sweet corn a few days ago from the last seed planting. I get all the large muskmelon from a friend that grows them and take as many as I want. I just picked a couple of them yesterday.

Just finished eating a buttercup tonight and always enjoy them in winter time.

 

[Gumby]

I got about 14 or 15 of them.

 

[street]

I got about 14 or 15 of them.

Thanks.
I'm at that now and should be about that many more if we get another week to ripen.

 

[Winemaker]

We didn't get one stinking butternut, acorn squash. We did get 4 zucchinis and 1 crookneck. All told, 8 plants, diddly harvest. we do have tons of beets, carrots and tomatoes of all kinds. We were skunked on peppers this year, as well. The container peppers did well; they'll go to the green house to extend their season. The new asparagus patch is thriving; I started it with crowns and seeds. Cuke harvest was meager.

The 2 apple trees gave their best harvest in 33 years, I hope they're not going out with a bang.

 

[MC Rider]

One prior place of ours had an old peach tree that did that. Each year there were a few peaches off the small tree. One year it had a big bumper crop. Next spring it grew no leaves and was dead. Hopefully you have better luck.

 

[street]

We didn't get one stinking butternut, acorn squash. We did get 4 zucchinis and 1 crookneck. All told, 8 plants, diddly harvest. we do have tons of beets, carrots and tomatoes of all kinds. We were skunked on peppers this year, as well. The container peppers did well; they'll go to the green house to extend their season. The new asparagus patch is thriving; I started it with crowns and seeds. Cuke harvest was meager.

The 2 apple trees gave their best harvest in 33 years, I hope they're not going out with a bang.

I wish you would close, I would give you squash. I been baking buttercup and are so good. I just made one for DIL I will take to her tomorrow when we go help son with kids while she is away for work.

 

[Gumby]

I wish you would close, I would give you squash. I been baking buttercup and are so good. I just made one for DIL I will take to her tomorrow when we go help son with kids while she is away for work.

Me too. I have so much butternut and spaghetti squash that I'm taking some with me to choir practice tonight in the hopes of giving it away.

 

[Winemaker]

I wish you were close, we'd be trading wine for squash! It was frustrating, to say the least.

 

[Pellice]

DW takes our excess cherry tomatoes and seasons them with herbs from the garden. She roasts them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper til they have a slight char. She then puts them in the smallest canning jar and freezes them. We have tomatoes year round.

Thanks for this idea. I have been charring and freezing cherry tomatoes ever since, and have enough for replacement of cans of diced tomatoes all winter. They are still producing, but much less.