Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Showing posts with label Tomatoes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tomatoes. Show all posts

Thursday, August 10, 2023

Tomatoes ~ Clothesline Day ~ Hot Peppers

 One of my extreme clean projects (craft binders) landed on the kitchen table, and it made me realize, I need the table for tomatoes.  Yikes.  

Tomatoes, although we are getting black rot on some, are rolling in, so I have set up a small camping table for the extras, as they are not all turning red at the same time this year. 

The sound of locusts outside, reminded me to wash our bathrobes while I still had good clothesline weather.  Plus, they were on the bathroom door, and I need that door taken down to paint anyway.  Eventually. I didn't get a photo, but that clothesline was full.  I washed all the towels, clothing and anything else to beat the rain.

Speaking of laundry, my washing machine is now acting up.  I am getting codes, and it will stop completely.  We got it running again, but it is 14 years old.  It may be the next appliance to be replaced.  

So, what would eat jalapenos?  I have one plant almost eaten completely down.  Never, ever, have a seen this activity.  I went back out and did a good look-see to check for tomato worms too.  It could have been done by the last horn worm I removed.  I didn't see any other activity out there.

It's not a great year for my hot peppers.  Plants are smaller, peppers are smaller, and I had several rotten hot banana peppers on a few plants.  My cayenne didn't make it. No habanero this year either.  Just a weird year for them I guess.  My husband said someone took jalapenos to work, from their garden, and they too, were not hot.

We got a bit of rain last night, but not enough in my opinion.  It will be another hot day today.

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

Ha! No Quick Garden Days!

 

I finally found the other tomato worm, while I was tying the tomato plants up again.  By the way, the plants are as tall as me , and have gone way above their stakes.  I am a hair from being 6 feet tall, if that tells you anything.  We will be watching end of summer sales, for 6 foot metal (sturdy) tomato cages for next year.  I  don't know that they'll work, as our plants are fully loaded, and very heavy when the tomatoes are on. 




I don't know what I was thinking.  I went out, thinking I'll just quick pick green beans and be back inside for inside work.  Ha!  Not only did it take an hour to pick beans, but I had more zucchini, and cucumbers to pick.  I had no yellow squash, but the plants are once again loaded with blossoms, and the bees are a buzzing out there.

I sent more zucchini to work with my husband, and I will be taking any other extra to the library staff next.  I am still freezing some for us, but it is coming in daily here for us.  I am okay with that, as it is such a versatile vegetable (breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner).

The hot peppers are on, but not ready, as well as the bell peppers.  I have quite a few spaghetti squash on, for just one plant, and as well as pie pumpkins.  My acorn is just not coming on.  We have plans to put the pea fence back up soon, and fall plant some vegetables.  



We are enjoying the garden goodies daily here.  Every meal actually.  I even thawed some of last years frozen corn (off the cob) to make our favorite recipe with zucchini, and chopped cucumbers for our absolute favorite orzo salad.  We have talked about trying the salad with added black beans too.  I may try it with quinoa vs. orzo too, but we really love the flavors, and it's perfect for a hot day meal.  I cannot find the source of the recipe, but will post it soon. 


Although these einkorn flour "muffins" were delicious (and used 1 1/2 cups zucchini), they tasted like a cupcake.  I am not on the hunt, per my husband's request for a muffin that uses coconut or almond (or both) flour that are not chocolate. I may look for other einkorn muffin recipes, but the last einkorn/zucchini bread we tried was too dry for our taste.

Thunderstorms may roll in early today, so I'm getting this posted.  I need to tie more tomato plants up, to secure them again.  The heat is here for sure!  In the 90's now.

I think I asked last year, but does anyone have a healthy cucumber salad recipe?  I found one with sour cream, but I'm looking for a delicious low fat, low carb, zero sugar recipe for us.


Thursday, September 15, 2022

Rainy Days


We have had foggy, cool mornings for several days now.  However, we will heat up again next week.  Literally into the 90's for a few days.  We were not expecting that.

I had good intentions of going to the garden first thing yesterday (after two days of rain), but the weather was not good.  It was foggy, cloudy and misting.  Finally when the fog lifted and the sun came out, I was able to check the garden.

I brought in some hot peppers that went to work with my husband (not enough to can anything with), and another 40 some pounds of tomatoes.  


By evening I got, what felt like 2 minutes of crochet time.  I am learning a new crochet stitch that I came across the other day (winter scarf).  I'm using up stash I already have to keep costs down and prices lower for a craft show.  I'm sure my husband will be happy it's "stash" yarn, ha ha!



Saturday, September 3, 2022

Rain moving in.....

 





Well, here we are to the weekend.  The one and only perfect holiday weekend day to take the motorcycle out, and my husband left at 4am.

I have tomatoes to deal with, so that is happening after I down a pot of coffee and figure out a breakfast with minimal cooking.

I put up 22 1/2# of tomatoes yesterday, but here is the situation....I brought 38# back inside (bwahahaha!).  Oh my.

My husband is laughing, but I have no idea how I dealt with our 500# year.  I do need to freeze some tomatoes, can crushed ones, and make another batch of soup and pizza sauce (will gift the kiddos).

He joked "tomato fight" as the plants are literally almost dead, tomatoes falling off and some rotting as I try to keep up.  The summer heat waves were the cause of the late ripening.

I'm hoping to get my fall garlic planted.  Rain is moving in late Saturday and for several days (unless that changes).

Friday, September 2, 2022

Sunrise ~ More Canning with Tomatoes ~ Question




I woke up in time to see this beautiful sky.  I did however, sleep in, and did not get to see my husband before he went to work.  He is taking over a supervisor position for a few months.  Let's just say the coffee pot is pre-set at 4:30am now. 

Unless I try and put up another table in the living room, I am plum out of room for ripe ones.  I'm trying my best to get things canned, but I can only do one sauce/tomato recipe in one day.

We have surpassed 200 pounds of Amish paste this year.  There are more out there, and the plants are dying.  Sheesh, but so thankful for the stock up with all of them.


The recipe I use for the Lemony -Tomato Basil soup is from this magazine.  Looks like a magazine, but thick like the ball regular canning book.  I think I bought it at TSC farm store.  I canned another batch of this soup.



It is also the same magazine that has the BBQ sauce recipe that I can.  To me, it's the best one we've tried so far. I canned a batch of this too.

Question:  I bought a  motion sensor hand soap  dispenser a year ago and paid like 20-some bucks.  The same Simplehuman brand today costs $50!!  I kid you not.  I really want one for both bathrooms, but don't want to paid a fortune.  If you use one, what brand is it and do you like it?


Monday, August 29, 2022

Happy Homemaker Monday

Tomatoes are still rolling in.  I am thankful for that.  Bell peppers were picked but smaller than a typical harvest.

Several craft/fall festivals are happening, but I have zero time to participate.  I have created one new item while watching the canner pot.

Cute watermelon keyfobs.  I only got one made, but super cute.




Today I am joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

I will link up later when she posts.


The weather . . .

Rain.  Rain for the next two days.


As I look outside my window . . .

It's raining, and cloudy.


Right now I am . . . 

Making another pot of coffee, filling the canner pot, measuring and weighing tomatoes.


Thinking and pondering . . .

How much propane to pre-order, cleaning the living room to get the chimney swept soon, what I will can tomorrow with tomatoes, messaging the island store (they sold all of the camper ornaments I took over early summer), and packaging them this time.  I'm pretty sure we'll be gifting the kids canned tomato items this Christmas (they love tomato soup too).


How I am feeling . . .

So-so.  Overly busy.  


On the breakfast plate . . .

Most likely egg, cheese and sausage muffin sandwiches.  


What I am reading . . .

My canning recipes, ha ha!  


On the TV . . .

Mystery Channel


On the menu this week . . .

-sausage, green beans, onion and potato sheet pan
-chicken, broccoli sheet pan dinner
-possibly homemade corn dogs, I only make them once a year

Looking around the house . . .
Tomatoes!  Tomatoes everywhere!


To do list this week . . .
-can pizza sauce, more tomato sauce, more ketchup and tomato soup
-freeze bell peppers
-make a breakfast
-wash bedding
-water plants indoors
-laundry

There won't be much time for anything but making these tomatoes turn into something canned.


Something fun to share . . .

I bought two of the girls a fun pearl jewelry kit.   They had fun opening their mussel.  You make a wish before you open the can and then put your pearl inside the turtle.  Just something fun for them to do.


From the camera . . .





....from the garden yesterday.


Devotional . . .
I still have not found my devotional.  I need to put that on the to-do list too.

Monday, August 22, 2022

Canning Continues

 I've been busy with tomatoes, and more are turning red now.  It's been a strange season.  The squash didn't produce a lot, and is now ready to get yanked.  Same with the cucumbers and green beans.

Some tomatoes are splitting open, and some rotting due to the weather we are having.  Not sure how much we will get this year.


Took advantage of needing jalapenos in the recipe, and saved seeds for next year.

Tuesday, August 16, 2022

Canning Day ~ Leftover night

It's another canning day today.  The paste tomatoes are rolling in and I have 38# in my kitchen.  

Looks like we get to enjoy leftovers again tonight.  I made a sheet pan chicken fajita dinner and it I am loving it.  Sheet pan dinners are quick and meat and veggies, and less dishes to wash.  Work is buying lunch for the employees, so I only had to pack breakfast for my husband.

Breakfast was thrown together with what I had - zucchini, onion, garlic, eggs, tomatoes and fresh basil from the herb garden.




Monday, October 15, 2018

Tomatoes ~ Garlic ~ Plantain

Hubby and I were sipping coffee at 5am on the porch Friday morning (won't be many more mornings to do this), and the radio had garden talk and advice going on.  They gave advice on whether to pick your tomatoes and bring them in to ripen or have a tomato fight.   If you pick green tomatoes when it's in the 70's, they will ripen in two weeks.  If you pick them in the 50's, it will take 4 weeks. 





I decided to get out there and pick them all.  We had a frost warning, and after that they won't be any good.  The ladies and Stud Muffin Sparta had a hay day helping clean up too.

As for the garlic, it depended on the weather at 4:30pm when Hubby got home.  Rain was in the forecast.  We managed to toss down some peat moss, and get the garlic bed tilled just before rain arrived.  



Once the parsley left the dehydrator, plantain went in.  I'm hearing more people are getting bitten by spiders this year, and requiring doctor care.  It's also good to have on hand for a medicinal tea as well as a tincture.  It's good for colds, flu, bladder issues, bronchitis, etc.  You can also eat plantain for it's nutrition (calcium, vitamin K, A, C, and B-6, and more), but I have yet to try it.  I'm wondering if I should blanch some for winter?  I guess it depends on time, if we get a frost and so forth.  I'll be adding plantain to soups this winter as well.  It is highly nutritious.


It was perfect weather one day to get back to this job - removing nails, sawing them up, and stacking them for kindling.  We already have some cut and stacked.  


Got two quarts of pickled hot banana peppers made.


Current dishcloth on the knitting needles.

Saturday morning we woke up to a chilly 39° (felt like 34°F).  Due to the rain, no mowing could be done, nor gardening, but we still had a list.  First, work on our daughter's car, second pick more plantain if we didn't get a frost, fold laundry, run to the library, prepare more winter kindling, dog proof the house, clean bathrooms....and on and on.

Sunday the weather was a bit nicer.  We gained two dogs - Mia and Jesse.  Not sure how long we'll have Jesse, but it could be until June of next year.  Sunday morning Hubby helped me plant all the garlic.  Woot woot!  So happy to get it in the ground.  More mowing was done.  

It rained last night, so I was even happier not to have to water the garlic.  So happy that the sweet potatoes are still getting time to grow too.

It's too wet to work out in the garden today, but I have much to do inside as well.  I'm hoping for a good laundry drying day outside as the rain clears up.

Youngest got me with the plastic rat.  She stuck it in the cupboard and I opened it to get a glass.  Ha.  I'll have to find somewhere to hide it and get her now.  


Thursday, October 4, 2018

Pears ~ Cauliflower ~ Blueberry-Lemon Bundt Cake ~ Spooky Spider Ear Warmers

Pear picking has begun.  Deer have ripped down a branch, but the trees are loaded.  We carried back what we could, but need to go back out.  It may be the year to make pear wine.  We need more practice at it anyway.

I also picked another 6# of tomatoes.  Those went into the freezer with hopes for more.  Some plants are dying, while a few are thriving.



I was able to get 1 head of organic cauliflower in the freezer.  I snatched up one on clearance - $1.49.  I am hoping for more.

Here's what went with that leftover corn bread - dutch oven chili with bacon (but cooked in the crock pot this time).



Baked a blueberry-lemon bundt cake.  I felt bad when Hubby asked on Monday if I had baked anything "sweet."  Monday was a busy day.  It sort of stuck in the pan this time - added extra blueberries.  Lip smackin' good.

Got some more weeding done until I ran into this.....


I'm waiting on rain or Hubby to extract this, and then I'll continue weeding in that area.  No way am I even gonna try to remove it myself.

We'll be getting a dog soon.  Our oldest is moving and can't find a place that will allow dogs (that she can afford).  Mia will be getting "fostered" at our place for a while.  It will give us a chance to see if we want to get a puppy or not too.  She's well behaved, but doesn't like dogs she doesn't know.  We may get a puppy while we have her, so both can get used to other dogs.  Time will tell.

Believe it or not....got this out...



I actually took time to start reading it and love it.  I am shocked I put my crochet hook down too.  Boy it felt good to read a book again.  I also did some journaling.  It felt great to put a pen in my hand and get off the computer as well.  

Daughter came home from school, and saw what I was crocheting and gave me a suggestion.  Like I need a new project, but...



This is what was created.  

Wednesday I finally got to the library to return and pick up books.  My weeding was delayed and the weather really heated up fast.  I checked on my green bell peppers.  There are a handful, and they are still small (sad face).  I will need to buy more of those to put up for winter now too.  

Friday, September 28, 2018

Holy Tomatoes!

We've had a very happy garden moment!  I picked 17.5# of tomatoes on just one picking.  If you've been reading my blog regularly, you know we planted about 100 plants and got under 20# since they started producing.  I wanted to climb the roof and shout it to the world, I was that happy.


How to preserve tomatoes for sauce making.  Rinse and dry tomatoes whole.  Freeze in freezer bags or freezer containers.  Don't forget to label so you know the exact weight.  Thaw and use for sauce making recipes.    By the way, the skin comes right off of these when they thaw.  It didn't help me with my sauce making (I toss them in a pot, and run through a sauce maker), but if you don't have a sauce maker I thought I would share.


Dug this bad boy out for the first time this season.

Such a happy day for me yesterday!!  Tomato sauce!!

Thursday, September 7, 2017

This and That ~ Canning

It didn't take long for the recent medical bills to start flowing in (again).  I spent time on the phone taking care of those, so I can pay monthly until they are at reasonable amounts to fully pay off. 

A bit of sad news.  The small quilt shop that I have wanted to take lessons at (and procrastinated for years) is now closing it's doors.  It was very close to home too, and local.  I guess Youtube and I have a date this winter.  The sewing machine sits and waits for me.  Yeah, not happening any day soon due to the last haul of tomatoes.


Lemony Tomato-Basil soup was canned first.  I had very little basil in the herb garden, so I did a mix of parsley and basil this time.

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Grilling ~ More Tomatoes ~ Dinky Bell Peppers/Carrots ~ Chilly Temps

We recently grilled burgers and we took advantage of that open jar of canned caramelized onions.

 Mmm.  Goodness.  Grilled organic / non-gmo beef burgers, topped with swiss cheese, canned onions, and home canned ketchup.  I should have mixed some hot peppers and greens into the beef, but I was just so hungry, ha ha ha!

(15 lbs.)