cooking up a story

thanks to my friend marley who passed this along to me. check them out HERE.

60+lbs of tomato's canned

this is a bit overdue but i've been meaning to post about my first ever tomato canning experience. i picked up over 60 lbs of organic (mostly) tomatoes seconds (several varieties and colors) from two local farms and three of us split the haul and did the canning together. you can see how beautiful the red, orange and yellow varieties of tomatoes look when all are canned together.

we started at 11 am and finished at about 5 pm with cleanup (but still had to wait on two batches). we went with whole tomatoes and tomato juice to keep things simple no sauces, diced, salsa etc. we meant business!

our yeild was aprox. 9 quarts (6 whole tomatoe/3 juice) and 2-3 pints per person (per 20 lbs). not bad!

our reward while we cleaned up and waited on the last batches was the freshest tomato juice bloody mary's ever! they were fantastic and i'm so glad we didn't waste the juice! all the tomato "trash" went to the compost pile as well so nothing was wasted.

last year i made a promise to myself to can tomato's since i don't have a large freezer but i also tried my hand at peaches, peach sauce, blackberry sauce and blackberry jam. i experimented with peach and berry infused vodka and vinegars which i still have on hand and they turned out fantastic. economically speaking i'm not sure if it's worth canning but i don't think that's the point. it was fun working together with my mom and my friend on this project and learning a new skill that is certainly useful. i'll probably be making some apple butter and apple sauce before the season is over. i'll certainly be enjoying these goodies all winter long!

*ps. a word of caution~we had one accident at the end of our long day when i set a jar just out of the water onto the granite counter top without a towel. explosion, big mess but no one was hurt. inexperience is the best teacher!

CSA Haul Week 2

serious bounty. we got spring onions, turnips, turnip greens, radishes, garlic scapes, asparagus (probably the last for the year), strawberries, mixed braising greens & snap peas. From the PYO (pick your own) garden I got dill, cilantro, gallardia, yarrow, bee balm, batchlor's button, lovage, nasturtium, lavender & mulberries! Whew, what a great week all for around $25!
i spent the weekend cooking and gardening, it was lovely!

Salmonella Problems in Tomatoes

as a master gardener i'm sometimes privy to some great info that's passed along to me. i thought i'd share for those of you concerned about the recent tomatoe salmonella outbreak. if you can buy local tomatoes, please see below for what kinds are safe (many) and continue to support the local farmers who are growing these and probably loosing money because of people who are choosing to boycot tomatoes to be "safe". happy tomato eating season!

Salmonella Problems in Tomatoes
Gerald Brust, IPM Vegetable Specialist
June 11, 2008

Here is some recent information about the outbreak of tomatoes contaminated with Salmonella. As most are aware this outbreak is linked to the consumption of certain types of raw red tomatoes and products containing raw red tomatoes. Since mid April, there have been 167 reported cases of salmonellosis nationwide caused by Salmonella Saintpaul, an infrequent serotype of Salmonella. The numerous cases in recent weeks indicate the suspect tomatoes have been widely distributed and probably originated from the same source. Symptoms of salmonellosis, which usually appear within 12 to 72hours of eating contaminated food, include diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, headaches, stomach cramps and fever.
The raw tomato types that are most inferred as the source of contamination are red plum, red Roma, and red round tomatoes. As of June 10, 2008 The Food and Drug Administration is advising consumers to limit their consumption of tomatoes to the following types: cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached, tomatoes grown at home or tomatoes grown and harvested from the following areas that have not been linked to the outbreak: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia, Wisconsin and from certain counties in Florida. Consumers who are unsure of the source of purchased tomatoes or raw tomato products (such as salsa, guacamole or other dishes) should contact the place of purchase for the information. Although restaurants, grocery stores, and food service operators have been advised by the FDA not to offer for sale or service raw red plum, red Roma, or red round tomatoes and products made from these types of tomatoes unless they are from one of the areas listed above, most stores and restaurants are still removing all tomatoes of these types as a precaution. This is the latest information, but be aware things can and probably will change over the next few days.

Happy Birthday to my Dear Husband

I just wanted to make a quick shout out to my wonderful Husband! He has finally caught up with me! Big Hugs to him!

Smokin Hot Black Friday Party

The Friday after Thanksgiving we had our 3rd annual Black Friday holiday party. This year it was a fairly large group of friends and family. We had a very funny "Black Elephant" gift exchange, tree trimming, a fire (in a fire pit-outside), warm mulled cider, lots of food, a specialty "Black Martini" and a really great time overall. The party certainly has gotten me into the holiday cheer and I've finished decorating the tree. Seems so early but it will just give us more time to enjoy it this year. This party really came about by my disgust for the consumerism of Black Friday and I choose to boycott shopping (by way of keeping busy cooking for the party) on Black Friday and the rest of the holiday weekend. I'm going to try to give all handmade (by me or other artists/craftspeople) items this year with the exception of some "charitable" gifts. Last year we gave all the kids in the family Defenders of Wildlife Wildlife Adoption gifts in animals of their choosing. I'm thinking along those same lines again this year but obviously we won't do quite the same thing.

Family Thanksgiving

Family Photo
Originally uploaded by we98bees

Here is the gang on Thanksgiving day. Clockwise from bottom left, Mom (Andrea), me, "Grand Bonnie", Susanah, Ryan, Hunter, Brendan and Dad (Ed).
We ate like kings and queens.
Our Menu:
Appetizers
Eggplant Caponata
Roquamole
Radish Spread
Mini Pigs-in-a-Blanket
Assorted Crackers and Cheese
Soup
Carrot & Ginger
Fish
Norwegian Fish Mousse (Fiskepudding) with
Mustard and Chive Sauce
Main Dish
Brined Roast Turkey With Pan Gravy
Side Dishes
Honey and Wiskey Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Green Beans With Ginger and Cashews
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Jamie Oliver 's World's Best Baked Onions Corn Pudding
Crock Pot Stuffing
Cranberry Sauce
Desserts
Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie
Crunchy Caramel Apple Pie
Chiffon Pumpkin Pie
Carrot Cake
_________________________

Calories 12602- Full of Bliss!!!

Our long hike at Seneca Creek State Park before our meal was a perfect way to enjoy what is sure to be one of the last warm days. As the storm rolled in the temps began to drop from 60 to 40 over the evening.

Jamie Olivers World's Best Baked Onions-I made these after seeing his Naked Chef episode where he made these for Jamiroquai (one of my favorite bands)
Mom's Beautiful Table!

Crunchy Caramel Apple Pie

End of Summer Harvest

Sorry, it's been too long. I have been busy, we took a trip to the beach which was much needed and truly relaxing! We were in Jersey visiting Wildwood and Cape May. I just love Cape May and have been going there now for about 12 years almost every summer. I love small beach towns with the charm of the colorful victorian houses and a slower pace. We ventured to the boardwalk one evening and rode a few rides including the teacup spin (which Brendan tried to make me sick on but failed) and bumper cars. It was fun acting like kids! I've also been busy uploading over 1000 pictures now on to Flickr. Wow, I've worked through the backlog going back about 5 years now and I'm so inspired to keep taking more photographs after this project. There are so many talented pro and amature photo's there, check it out if you need a little summer inspiration! We are off again this weekend for another river tubing trip in honor of the end of the summer. I'm still reveling in the last of the sun and heat filled longer days. I know I'll be missing the bumper crop of tomatoes, flowers and zuccini come winter.