Got Tomatoes?

The day starts early when you grow a garden, harvest it, and process it into canning jars (or the freezer).  I was cutting up roma tomatoes before the last kiddo got on her bus this morning.  I think I chopped up over 200 this time.

I have two tables of beef sized tomatoes, a strainer of cherry tomatoes and more romas, a generous amount of pears that were gifted to us (maybe I'll make jam), 2 spaghetti squash, and a bunch more green peppers.  Oh, and some cayenne peppers too.

I'll be back with an update.  Today's heat index is to reach 105° here, and it's too hot to even wear an apron in the kitchen. 


Oh....I forgot, we have 2 watermelons and a cantaloupe to cut up too.  I want to dry the cantaloupe, but not in this heat.


Yesterday, the temperature soared above the 90's, and even the barn cats were looking like road kill.

Here is Aurora (Rorie) hanging out on the grass just next to our horseshoe shaped driveway.  It's not uncommon to see her stretched out like that in the middle of the drive, in the early evening.

Dentists

Well, it's another day to the dentist today (long sigh).  My daughter, who was in a car accident a few years ago, still needed broken teeth fixed.  As many people know, insurance only covers so many crowns in a year.

Last week we went, hoping to get her current cavities filled (and crowning the last broken tooth), and once the dentist drilled the last one, she called me back.

The cavity was too close to the nerve (sigh), and why they didn't know that in the x-ray is beyond me.  Anyway, they put something over it, and we are heading back to not only have a root canal done, but top it with yet another crown.

What was expected to be a one visit cost of $187.00 out of pocket, is now close to an $800.00 out of pocket visit.  Aiyee!

My tomatoes are piling up and I don't have time to do anything with them today yet.  My son worked third shift last night, and there is no way I waking him up to chop tomatoes for me.  I guess they can wait one more day.

I was successful at getting some random writing done yesterday - about 200 words.  It's a start.

Tomatoes

Last night, I used some of my canned tomato sauce, to create a pasta dinner.  I boiled up some whole wheat pasta, and added to it, browned ground beef, onion, garlic, green and red peppers, and 6-7 fresh tomatoes.  I added home grown oregano, salt and pepper and a bit of crushed red pepper flakes.  

Some of the kids topped their dinner with grated parmesan cheese also.  This would be good with a bit of mozzarella cheese mixed in too.  After I mixed it all together, it was heated in the oven for about  30 minutes.  The only thing we lacked in this recipe, was my homemade noodles.

With all these tomatoes coming in right now, I have not had a day free enough to get my noodles made.  Hopefully, I can get them made this week.

These are just some of the tomatoes my husband and I picked last night.  I have enough roma tomatoes to make another batch of tomato sauce, and can more tomatoes.  I borrowed a book from the library and hope to get a recipe using more tomatoes in our dinner tonight.

Last year, I had red cherry tomatoes.  I used a recipe from the same book to make a bread with them.  This year I have orange cherry size tomatoes.  


I have also found a Vegetable Lasagna recipe in another cookbook.

It's an old book that I've had for years, but has good recipes in it.  I borrowed a photo of a similar one, from Amazon to show you.  The recipe for the Lasagna will utilize my garden zucchini, carrots, onions, and canned tomato sauce.  I can also utilize my farm fresh eggs and possible homemade noodles.  


Although, I have enough tomatoes today, I need to go pick whatever is ripe today also.  Rain is in the forecast, and it's already very wet in that portion of the garden.  If it rains too much, I may be at the end of my tomatoes this season.

Picture Post

Got newspaper?

Frog Pin Cushion

My 9 year-old daughter made this cute frog (felt) pin cushion last night.  Of all days, she picks a busy day, to ask for help.  I had just come home from the dentist, and was madly working away on laundry, dinner, and other things I got behind on.


This time, I told her she needed to trace the pattern, make her templates and complete the project 100% by herself.  She came to me often to ask questions, but did the entire project herself, aside from sewing on the eyes.  She had a bit of trouble and I had to help her with that.


I would not let her use my good sewing scissors, as they are extremely sharp.  She was very careful with my next best pair of scissors, and did pretty well cutting the patterns out.  She's so proud of herself, she now wants to make these (and needle holders) to sell in my handicraft store. 

Ragweed, Wild Flowers and The Mower

I've been chatting with a park district expert, in regards to the wild flowers, weeds and invasive plants on our property.  At first I thought it was fun to press some of them, but it's been more that just that.

I've not only found out we have some very interesting flowers, but some weeds that are the cause of our bad allergies.  In fact, the dork that I am, went out and pulled Common Ragweed from the goat's pen area.  I had gloves on, but after pulling two armfuls, I had to stop.  My neck broke out in welts and it had the appearance of poison ivy or oak.  My neck was read and very itchy.  However, after wiping it with a cold, wet washcloth, it disappeared.  Phew!  I woke up congested and could not smell my clothesline fresh bed sheets.  

In this one picture I took, you can see three wild flowers, and they surround one giant weed.  The Tall Ironweed in the picture is taller than me, and I'm tall.  I am pressing some of the Wingstem, and Tall Ironweed.  I have yet to pick some of the Goldenrod.  I found out that the Goldenrod we have can be invasive.  We have a ton of it.

This wild flower grows low to the ground, and I just discovered it this year, as we mowed a good portion of the back acres.  There are still many plants I need to identify.  If we are going to have cattle and a horse out there, we need to know exactly what's growing and what needs to be removed.

My husband had to replace the mower blades recently, and repaired the mower several times.  Finally, we go it working again.  The other day we were in the house, and heard a loud "POP!"  

"Uh, Mom?  Your flower vase just exploded," said one of my daughters.

It didn't take long to discover that my husband ran over a rock, that was slivered by the new mower blades, and shot it right through the screen of the window.  It hit my plant pot and broke it.  Luckily, no one was sitting in the reading chair by the window.  That's scary.  We blame the dog.  One of our dogs picks up rocks in her mouth like a stick and drops them everywhere.  We are trying to break her from this, as her teeth may get damaged too.

Those very sharp mower blades, or maybe it was his bad mower driving (he he) that destroyed one of my garden stakes.  Grrr!  He got a little too close to the garden.


Speaking of garden, I went out there last night to pick tomatoes.  I discovered my Rote Von Paris, heirloom bush bean plants had disappeared.  I stood there, looking at the last 1 inch of plant stems.  After we went through, and could not find deer tracks, we decided we have our first rabbit problem.  Ugh.  Good thing I pulled the dry beans of last week.  At least I have a few dozen for planting next year.  Bad bunnies!


And I knew that I would get the e-bee jeebies scared out of me again.  Last year it happened when I was walking through the yard in flip-flops and a black water snake slithered under me.  Last night, it happened in the garden.  With all this year's rain, we've had a lot of frogs in the tomato and pepper area of the garden.  I was picking tomatoes and reached down low on one plant.  Out slithered a snake.  I almost threw my basket of tomatoes straight into the air!  Luckily, it was a Garter snake, so I let him live.  I just told him he better leave my frogs alone and scare those rabbits off.

Wild Flowers and Weeds

Over the years I have collected odd books from used book sales.  In the beginning they were placed on a shelf for homeschooling, and for my public school kids.  So far, every book has been helpful with school reports and other needs.

One book I am using a lot lately, is a book on our state wild flowers.  I've had a flower press for many years, but have not used it recently.  I got it back out after finding these wild flowers on our property.

The other day I was flipping through the pages of the book, and said, "Hey!  I know this weed.  I've seen it before."

My husband responded with, "What your mother really means to say, is that she probably fed it to you."

Ha ha ha ha ha!