I haven't posted about our garden since we planted it back in May. But after much watering and weeding and watching, it has grown like crazy. We did have a few obstacles along the way, namely an earwig infestation early on that devestated our baby seedlings and forced us to replant a bunch of stuff. Our carrots never made it. *sniff*
A quick digression: those earwigs were gross, I tell you! It took me forever to figure out what was destroying our garden, but I figured out that whatever it was must be nocturnal. So I went out late one night with a flash light and the whole ground and most of my plants were swarming with writhing little earwigs! Not to mention earthworms, spiders, and many other forms of insect life. It was pretty interesting. And pretty gross. So Jared and I were out there like little old people for a couple of nights with flashlights and sticks, whacking earwigs and trying to save our cucumbers. Also, we heard empty tuna cans filled with soy sauce and vegetable oil were effective traps, so our garden smelled like a greasy Chinese restaurant for a while.
After Earwiggate '09, though, our little garden grew quite nicely. We enjoyed lots of peas, beans, and lettuce earlier in the summer. And now we are rolling in cucumbers while we wait for the corn to ripen. But the real producer has been the tomatoes. We have 15 tomato plants, all dripping with red or soon-to-redden jewels of deliciousness. We pick the cherry and pear tomatoes for snacking, but what am I going to do with all the rest? We've been having lots of salads and sandwiches and tacos and such, but I am asking you, dear reader, if you have any good ideas. (Sadly, I don't can. I'm a lazy modern girl.)
Also, does anyone have a good recipe for fresh salsa? Hurry, before my tomatoes get too squishy!
I was so proud of our veggies, I took a lot of pictures at the beginning. Aren't they pretty? Those round yellow things are lemon cucumbers.
4 comments:
I was just thinking today how I wished I had a butt-load of tomatoes. I'd make a big old pot of Bolognese sauce and freeze it in gallon ziploc bags. I've never frozen spaghetti sauce before, so I don't know how well the it would work. This is a good recipe for Bolognese sauce:
1 lb beef
2 1/2 lbs tomatoes, peeled and smashed
2 shallots
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
1 cup white wine
1 pinch nutmeg
1/3 C olive oil
1 pinch garlic
1 sprig of parsley
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
1 pinch of oregano
Finely chop carrot, celery and shallots. In large pot. Warm oil and add vegetables. Let cook 10 minutes. Add beef and white wine. Cook until wine is evaporated. Add tomatoes, garlic, thyme, bay leaves and oregano. Let cook one hour. Finish with a pinch of nutmeg.
Okay, so it takes awhile to make, but it is so good.
Thanks, Tai! That recipe looks great. I had actually seen a recipe for Bolognese sauce yesterday (not as good as yours, though) and wondered how it would freeze. I will definitely be making a batch! Any excuse to buy wine, right? :)
I wish you could magically transport some of them to my front door step! I have about the reddest, or whatever the opposite of a green thumb, ever. I couldn't even keep my hanging flower pots alive this year. Good luck with using yours up, Taliatha's recipe looks really good. I'll have to settle for going to the farmer's market instead of my back yard for produce this year.
I want some!! Too much rain on our garden this year--all the plants are being attacked by mold and not surviving too well...
Post a Comment