It's Tuesday...

what's going on.


Protein Wisdom:   Today’s lesson

Tom McLaughlin:  It's The Religion, Stupid

Northeast Intelligence Network:   Obama’s blood trail from Benghazi to Boston

 Sentry Journal:   It’s called the “Marketplace Fairness Act” and it’s anything but fair…

iOwnTheWorld:   Obama to Attend Planned Parenthood Gala as Kermit Gosnell on Trial

Nox and Friends:   * Boston Bombing :17 Unanswered Questions


After yesterday's pruning fest (filled the pickup twice with huge branches of evergreen cuttings), I'll be staying in and doing girly stuff (like sewing and letter writing.)

The evergreens tamed:

There's more pictures but booger blogger doesn't want to open them and I need my breakfast.  The coffee can with holes punched in the lid was used for moth balls to keep stray cats away.  It didn't work.  Sigh...

I was planning on moving the tomatoes to the cold frame today, but today is cloudy so I'll wait until tomorrow.

The tomatoes now:

Most have been transplanted into gallon containers...

San Marzano tomato

Beefsteak tomato

 The earliest tulips are starting to bloom

 

Look at those tomatoes...w/Update

holy carp!

And that's only half of the first row (minus all the tomatoes the pheasants ate.)

What am I going to do with them?

Glad you asked.  See below the pictures.

Update:  Hubby (bless his heart) has picked the rest of them.  To give you an idea of how many tomatoes there are, the newest full bowl is 16" in diameter.

After holding out the best for fresh eating the rest will be made into roasted spaghetti sauce.  The original recipe calls for cherry tomatoes, but these full size ones will work just dandy.

General directions:

•  Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Wash and slice the tomatoes into pieces about 1 1/2 - 2 inches 
• Add a bunch of peeled garlic cloves
• Put them on a rimmed cookie sheet or baking pan lined with parchment paper
• Drizzle them well with olive oil
• Sprinkle with Balsamic vinegar (it must be Balsamic)
• Toss the whole thing with your hands (fun!)
• Roast in 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes
• Add fresh oregano and basil if you have it.  If you don't have fresh herbs, a sprinkle of Italian herb blend before roasting is okay

If you're following a Paleo or Primal diet, roasted cauliflower makes a great base instead of pasta.

To roast cauliflower

•  Heat oven to 450 degrees
• Cut up cauliflower into flowerets
• Put them in a resealable plastic bag and add a bunch of olive oil to coat.  Pretend it's a maraca and give it a bunch of shakes.  Shaking your booty at the same time is optional, but encouraged.
• Put them in a baking dish and roast for about 25 minutes.

Add a couple of meatballs or some chicken chunks and you have the perfect Primal meal.  

Tomato Update: Florida Weave Supports...

are working better than expected.

I'm sold on the Florida weave method of supporting tomatoes.  In previous years I've tried many different methods of support for the plants.  Cages are almost impossible to get in due to the rocky condition of our soil and by the end of the year they fall over or break.  Stakes never worked that well and I was always tying up stray branches until the whole plant was a big blob.

Here's a diagram of the Florida weave:

I used a metal ranch fence pole at either end of a row of four plants.  I added one post in the center.  Starting at one end you weave twine around the plants.  As the plant grows, you simply add another row. 

Here's some young plants (not mine) at the start of the process:

One small problem I encountered was the plant tipping to one or the other side.  It was easily fixed by tying a small piece of twine on the supporting twine on either side of the plant essentially trapping the plant.  Next year I think I'll use a stake between each plant and will also be more careful to group my indeterminate and my determinate plants together so I won't have a height disparity making it easier to weave.

This year I also used landscape fabric between the rows and covered it with pine needles.  Can you say "no more weeds?" 

My tomatoes:

Whoa, that's a bunch of "tomates"...

Finally - some cherry tomatoes...

The big guys are in quick pursuit of the cherries and should be ripening in the next few days.

I used fabric in the main veggie garden, too.  (Yeah - I know those are zinnias.  They're in last years tomato place.)  The center row is Romano beans.  I'll be freezing 20 or 30 bags of those tonight. 

 Eggplant Parmesan on the menu...

and cucumber salad, too

Time to water...