Friday Quick Tip ~ Tomatoes

Growing up, I was taught that to ripen tomatoes,

 they should be in a cool dark place on paper bags and not be touching.

Get all that?

That's what I was taught, and that's what I've always done.

So when I had romas that needed to finish ripening,

I went to see what I could find in the way of paper.

Back in the day, groceries were bagged in paper bags, but alas.

I had these egg crates from buying a couple flats of eggs a while back.

They work superbly and are easier to maneuver.
Obviously, romas or paste tomatoes with their elongated shape fit best,
but it would work with any of the smaller varieties.

We are in the middle of canning tomatoes, drying apples, and hunting season.

More soon~

Total Garden Decimation!

This is so difficult to even write.

Last Sunday, we were called out of town for the day.

It wasn't an emergency or anything bad, just circumstance.

We did as we have been doing for the past several weeks

as far as the lambs are concerned.

Needless to say, they got loose and found the garden while we were away.

It wasn't entirely their fault or ours.

It's just what happened.

I am guessing they got their heads into the tomato trellises

and from there the rodeo was on.

The bird bath was tipped over and is broken on one side.

We had been enjoying salads nearly every day.

The beans were just ready to pick.

And the tomatoes were just coming on strong.

The lettuce, kale, chard, spinach, beet tops, and carrot tops

have all been mown.

The beans are destroyed.

There are a few that we might be able to pick and eat for a meal,

but not enough to can.

I am hoping that maybe the beets and carrots will still grow.

I will admit I cried a little that night.

We both work away from home full time.

We have poured a lot of sweat and time into those four plots.

They might not be fancy or valuable to others,

but for us, it is a large part of our winter food supply.

To many, I'm sure I sound completely ridiculous.

Yes, we could just go to the store and buy food.

But our food is "real" food we believe in.

It doesn't support Monsanto, require astronomical amounts of fossil fuel to transport, or involve foreign slave labor, and it is as organic as can be.

We amend the soil each spring with the compost we have made

 from the previous year.

We believe in this food so much we are willing to sacrifice

evening and weekend hours of our lives tending it.

In addition, there is money lost - not a lot, but some.

The real money lost will be that spent at farmers market purchasing

the things that were growing right out our back door.

(Our farmers market doesn't even have one organic booth
 but is semi-local at least.)

It's really not about the money though.

It's about believing.

When you work hard towards something only to have it trampled upon,

it hurts.

I have no doubt others have stories far worse.

We are not in harms way, we have a house to shelter us, and

for all our blessings I am extremely grateful.

But I cannot lie in saying I can't wait for butcher day.

I did right the tomato trellises, and get the tomatoes upright.

I added composted chicken poo around their bases and watered it in

with a really good soak.

They didn't actually eat those so I will remain hopeful.

I also found some organic green bean seeds and planted those.

I don't know if they will have time to grow,

but I had to try.

I still believe in our real food.

                                                        

We love these 3 cup jars, especially for things like green beans

that don't can as compact as things like corn or peas.

It's the perfect amount for the two of us. 

Harvest Blessings

There has been a lot going on around here
as there has been for many folks.
I'm not entirely sure just where to begin today.
My last post included a partial to-do list
some of which has occurred.
Today I found my kitchen floor.
You know, I think it was under there all along
and was just playing hide & seek.
At least we can walk across it without
it pulling our socks off now:)
The forests are open so we have brought in,
split, and stacked a couple trailers of wood.
We probably need one more good load or a couple small ones.
That's quite the workout, but is so rewarding.

A few days ago as I was picking 'more' plums, and
this nearly hit me in the head before I noticed it.
This whole limb will be pruned off 
so I am going to rescue it and bring it inside for the mantle.

The river is low but still sounds beautiful as
my head hits the pillow at night.

Tomatoes! Wow!
They leave me speechless.
There were a bunch that came up volunteer (in the potato patch.)
They are a little later than the ones we planted intentionally.  But look what they are doing.  The vast majority of these little ones go on the dehydrator to become 'sun-dried' tomatoes.  The ones in the upper right bowl are all from volunteer plants.
This year in addition to 'real' tomatoes,
we had little purple tomatoes and big orange ones - both good.

If you have never canned pears,

first let me warn you.

And second, 

you don't know what you're missing.

I have canned as much as we will eat,
gave away six big grocery bags full to some friends,
and they are still falling.
My neighbor was over today and asked if I wanted any pears.
I just laughed.
A good year for pears evidently.
Some folks don't realize that they fall from the tree green
then ripen over the course of about a week.

This was fantastic thought on God's part since they
are too tender, would bruise, and directly turn to mush
if they fell when ripe.

They are easy to can (one of the first things I learned to can.)
Just peel, core, slice, and top off with syrup.
Hot water bath for 8-10 minutes and presto.
I prefer a light syrup so use 1 cup sugar to 4 cups water.
Bring it to a simmer so the sugar dissolves before
pouring over the fruit.

And last but not least...
evening before last we fiiiiiinally had a little shower
move through, and as we looked out our back door,
this is what we saw over the mountain.

I hope each of you is finding your own form of blessings
and enjoying the tail end of the harvest season.

Until next time,
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches