 |
| This bowl of cherry tomatoes has become a fixture on my kitchen windowsill. |
This last weekend of summer has been brutally hot, with afternoon temperatures of 100+, so I have kept myself busy indoors, with much time spent in the kitchen.
 |
| The mozzarella doesn't show well against a white plate. |
I have stocked up the fridge with a
Key Lime Pie,
Mojo de Ajó, and
a variety of salads for the weekend (and coming week), including longtime favorite
Three Bean Salad and a
Caprese Salad using my homegrown basil and drizzled with the
Balsamic reduction that I have recently become so fond of. I also added slivers of red onion to this one since I had a bit left from another salad and it seemed a shame not to use it.
As pretty and practical as it is, I have given up trying to grow veggies in my beds...we have too many rabbits and deer and I just don't have it in me for the heartbreak (at least they are no longer eating my roses :). This leaves me growing in pots on the deck...this year I have basil (as always), cherry tomatoes, and jalapeños. It was time for another jalepeño harvest, so I
pickled more, hopefully we will end up with enough this year to get us through the winter.
It also seemed a good time to start putting away
pesto for the winter, putting away 1/2 cup portions in small freezer containers, just covered with a slick of olive oil. By next weekend I'll be able to harvest more basil for future use...I can't even imagine paying $2 anymore for the tiny little grocery package when I am cutting it by the armful. I also mixed up some
Pesto Cream Cheese for Christopher and I to share over the next week.
Now about the cherry tomatoes...our friends Doug and Sharon Trimmer own Trimmer Hardware here in Hamilton, and every year Doug starts hundreds of tomato plants himself to sell in the spring (they are his babies :). I sent Ben this spring to get me two plants, figuring he would get Romas, or some nice slicing variety, but he came home with FOUR cherry tomato plants. The plants have done beautifully in their pots and we have enjoyed the little bites of sweetness all summer in our salads, as well as roasted with olive oil and garlic slivers (my mouth waters just thinking of it). Well, what was a fairly small, but constant, supply over the summer, in this last week has exploded and I had several POUNDS of the tomatoes.
I have been craving
Tomato Pie anyway, so I used two pounds of quartered cherry tomatoes in place of the regular tomatoes and was not disappointed in the least. The resulting pie was not nearly as wet, and the tomato flavor was more concentrated (and sweet), so I think this shall be repeated. If you have not tried Tomato Pie before, now is the time. We have found it to be particularly nice for breakfast with some fresh fruit, especially summer cantaloupe.
 |
| Doesn't that make your mouth water? |
As pretty and practical as it is, I have given up trying to grow veggies in my beds...we have too many rabbits and deer and I just don't have it in me for the heartbreak (at least they are no longer eating my roses :). This leaves me growing in pots on the deck...this year I have basil (as always), cherry tomatoes, and jalapeños. It was time for another jalepeño harvest, so I pickled more, hopefully we will end up with enough this year to get us through the winter.
It also seemed a good time to start putting away pesto for the winter, putting away 1/2 cup portions in small freezer containers, just covered with a slick of olive oil. By next weekend I'll be able to harvest more basil for future use...I can't even imagine paying $2 anymore for the tiny little grocery package when I am cutting it by the armful. I also mixed up some Pesto Cream Cheese for Christopher and I to share over the next week.
Now about the cherry tomatoes...our friends Doug and Sharon Trimmer own Trimmer Hardware here in Hamilton, and every year Doug starts hundreds of tomato plants himself to sell in the spring (they are his babies :). I sent Ben this spring to get me two plants, figuring he would get Romas, or some nice slicing variety, but he came home with FOUR cherry tomato plants. The plants have done beautifully in their pots and we have enjoyed the little bites of sweetness all summer in our salads, as well as roasted with olive oil and garlic slivers (my mouth waters just thinking of it). Well, what was a fairly small, but constant, supply over the summer, in this last week has exploded and I had several POUNDS of the tomatoes.
No comments:
Post a Comment