fresh marinara sauce

i know that i said no more tomato pictures but they are so beautiful

we make marinara sauce all year with canned tomatoes but it never compares to the flavor when the tomatoes are fresh and vine ripened.  the portions are not critical and the amount of garlic depends on the diner. we like alot of fresh garlic and no, not the stuff in the jar.

marinara sauce

1/3 cup good quality olive oil

1 large onion,chopped

5 cloves of garlic or more, peeled and minced

 3 pounds of peeled tomatoes, cut in pieces

large bunch of parsley,chopped

1/2 cup chopped basil

salt to taste

fresh ground pepper

cayenne pepper if you like a bite

heat oil in sauce pan and add onion and garlic and cook till soft. add tomatoes and stir until they begin to simmer. simmer on low temperature until sauce reaches desired consistency, stirring occasionally. this will take about 1 1/2 hours but it really depends on the amount of juice in the tomatoes.( i use plum tomatoes which have more meat and less juice,) add minced parsley and basil  when cooking is complete.

serve over your favorite pasta with freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese

enjoy!

oven dried tomatoes

about 25 years ago, i was featured in a local paper. one of the recipes that i included was oven dried tomatoes. they were a fairly new item in the store at that time and very expensive so i fooled around with drying them in the oven. i have since purchased a dryer but still prefer the oven method for tomatoes.

heirloom black cherry

 oven dried tomatoes

this is a basic technique
select the amount you would like to dry.
preheat oven to 400 degrees
slice tomatoes and de-seed if they are larger than cherry tomatoes
line cookie sheets with foil and spray lightly or rub olive oil so that the tomatoes so not stick
place the tomatoes skin side down and sprinkle with salt
place in the preheated oven for 15 minutes and reduce heat to 200 degrees

this picture is a little darker than they really are

this stage of the drying process will take 12-18 hours depending on the type and size of the tomato. it is worth the wait. when the tomatoes resemble prunes but still retain their color, they are done.

i keep them in a jar  immersed in olive oil simply because i like to use the flavored oil in salads and cooking. they can be stored in plastic bags also.

2 large trays of cherry tomatoes yielded about 4 cups of dried tomatoes

club sauce

this is a tomato recipe, the first of many...but no more tomato pictures. enough already! i got this recipe from my next door neighbor jean who will celebrate her 90th birthday this september. she gave me the recipe the year i planted my first garden and put in 4 dozen tomato plants.

this recipe is a keeper. i tried many other chili sauces with spices over the years but this one wins out. the only changes i have made is to only use red peppers and i like a bite so i add either a hot pepper or some red pepper flakes
this year the color is a little different because i used cherokee and black krim heirloom tomatoes

club sauce-the ingredients
8 large tomatoes
2 large onions, chopped
3 cups sugar
2 cups white vinegar
2 tablespoons salt
4 large red peppers
1 small hot pepper(optional)

the process
peel and chop tomatoes
.if you have never done this just bring a kettle of water to boil and pour over tomatoes and let them sit for a minute. take a tomato and run under cold water and peeling them is a snap!
chop onion and add all ingredients except peppers
bring to a boil stirring constantly so sugar does not burn bottom of the pan ( i just did that and had to change pans)
simmer, stirring every few minutes for approximately 1 1/2 hours or until thick

meanwhile,grind peppers and let them drain in a colander while the tomatoes cook

a good time to prepare your jars and lids for canning the club sauce

since you are stuck in the kitchen , you might as well bake something. i made a couple of pies

again, canning is a timing issue with jars clean and hot, lids hot and ready when the cooking is finished
when the sauce is thick enough, stir in the peppers and bring to a boil.
do not let the peppers boil for any time. as soon as the mixture comes to a boil after the addtion of the peppers, turn off the stove.

ladle the club sauce into hot ,clean jars, clean the rim, and place hot lids and rings and wait for the ping. if by chance a jar does not seal, refrigerate and use.

this is 1 1/2 recipe. it made roughly 10 pints

enjoy

dinner

half pound, 2 pound and one pound tomatoes

there are no recipes to follow. i just wanted to take a picture of this 2 pound tomato. i don't remember growing any this size before so it needed to be celebrated before it was eaten. we had pesto on linguine and this tomato for dinner, a wonderful summer combination. i made the pesto this morning with the help of grant, my 13 year old grandson.

dessert was a blue berry pie

tomatoes and more tomatoes

black krim and cherokee, black cherry, roma, and glacier in the back

last year we decided to give growing tomatoes a try again. the eastern coyotes had thinned out the deer herd that live in the swamp and feast in and on our property. also, my husband is now retired and has become a wonderful help in the gardens. i started all the plants from seed and each was staked and faithfully tied . some of the tomatoes were six feet tall.

the tomatoes were just starting to ripen and along came 'late blight', the same culprit that caused the irish potato famine. within 2 weeks every vine and every tomato were blighted and soon dead. it is airborne and the entire area was effected. many commercial growers lost their entire crop.

well, since 'late blight' does not winter over in these parts, we decided to give it another try. the same varieties were started, planted by me and lovingly tied up by 'super hubby'. they are abundant. i am looking forward to making some club sauce as i have for the last 40+ years.

i still like to eat them fresh from the garden with a dash of salt  ;)

the yellow tomatoes are 'jubilee'

plant food

so far i have blogged mostly about people food. not today! those plants in your containers that are outside need food also and on a regular basis in order for them to flourish. i am a firm believer in 20-20-20 or a fertilizer with similar ratios for blooming plants. that means that the total nitrogen, available phosphate and soluble potash are the same. i use it for all my flowering plants in containers. it is sold by several well known companies and is easy to find.

now, here is the important part.

feed the plants every time they are watered. yep, every time!!

we don't like to eat every 2-3 weeks and neither do the plants.

do not follow the directions on the package. way too much for one meal

most important: use 1/2 teaspoon to a 1 1/2 gallon watering can

and no more than that

the planters on the chain link fence are not very large. they are only 2 feet long and 4 inches wide but i stuff them with plant material in may and by frost they are usually touching the ground. when they need to be watered, i get water from the rain barrel and add 20-20-20

potato salad

we are having a family dinner today and i am taking potato salad. now i realize everyone has a recipe for this side dish but i am including my take on it because this is my most requested recipe. my mother always made a cooked mayonnaise on the stove so i doctored Hellman's mayo with a pennsylvania dutch twist. this recipe will serve a crowd...today there will be 12 of us
potato salad

5 pounds of potatoes (cooked in skins,cooled,peeled and diced)
1 large bunch green onions
2 cups chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped parsley

remember: potatoes are still cooking as they cool. after boiling 20 minutes, stick a fork into them . if there is no resistance, they are done. while the potatoes are cooling, chop the other ingedients.

cut potatoes into a dice and place in a large container with other chopped ingredients
measure
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
pour over potaoes and mix 

the olive oil and vinegar will soak into the potatoes. set aside and make the dressing.

dressing:
1 heaping cup hellman's light mayonaisse
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
fresh ground pepper

mix ingredients and pour over potaoes and mix throughly

taste and adjust salt

enjoy!

chunky garlic dills

it has been a great growing season for cucumbers but they are near the end. i am making the last batch of sweet relish and the shredded ingredients are in the salt and ice water. they need to soak in the salt for a couple of hours. so, i have a little time on my hands and besides, i need to 'sit a spell'.

earlier this week,  i did a recipe of chunky garlic dills with the large cucumbers.  they have been on the counter in the crock for 6 days. i removed them from the crock and have divided them between 2 recycled plastic jars. i will put the lids on the jars and refrigerate these until they are eaten. they will keep a long time.

chunky garlic dills

this recipe can be as varied as you like. if a strong garlic flavor with a bite is not what you want, better cut back on those ingredients.

4 pounds of cucs, washed and cut in 1 inch chunks
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
8 large heads of dill, more if small
2 jalapeno peppers,sliced  (they are abundant in the garden) or 1tablespoon pepper flakes

place in a crock and cover with the brine

2 quarts boiling water
2 cups cider vinegar
1/3 heaping cup of canning or kosher salt
1/3 heaping cup of sugar
1/4 cup mixed pickling spice
1 tablespoon peppercorns
1 tablespoon mustard seed

fill a gallon zip lock bag with water and seal. place over the ingredients. this will keep the cucumbers submerged in the brine. check daily after 3 days to see if any scum is forming as the pickles work. remove any of the white scum and replace plastic bag. i kept this batch in the crock for 6 days and the pickles were cured. refrigerate and enjoy!

don't you just love phlox

a new adventure

i finally did it! i put one of my watercolors out there for the world to see. i am the newest member of the local art guild. it took 10 years of painting to get up the nerve to join but i did it. it is the art groups time for  the annual display in the public library. now i really have to put it out there and put a price on it. there is a book titled 'art and fear' and they could have written it about me but i did it. i put it out there and here it is ,minus the matting and frame.