Months ago, I studied up on the unofficial rules to follow if you want to be cool with the blogging community. I think rule number one was “don’t steal stuff” – in other words, don’t try to claim an idea, recipe or quote if it’s not actually yours. So, in compliance with proper blog etiquette, I fully disclose that I totally copied the following recipe from the September issue of Better Homes and Gardens.
Slow Baked Tomatoes
• 1 1/2 lb. cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 8 cloves of garlic
• 1 hand full of fresh basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Combine all ingredients in a casserole dish and bake at 325 for 45-60 minutes until tomatoes become quite soft but retain some of their shape.
Serve hot, warm or cold on toast with a schmear of Chèvre.
Better Homes and Gardens’ recipe actually calls for mint but I prefer basil and they suggest whole cloves of garlic but I prefer a rough chop. Do those small tweaks make the recipe original and mine to claim? I wish. Tomatoes, with garlic, basil and olive oil is one of the greatest classic food combinations that dates back to the beginning of time and if you haven’t tried it…well….I’m sorry to say, you haven’t lived. I don’t know what’s better about this dish, the way it tastes or the way it smells. I popped it into the oven and then threw my canvas grocery bag over my shoulder and marched down the street to the market for a fresh loaf of bread. I had to hustle on my way home as it began to get dark and a bit chilly with a fall breeze and I overestimated my speed in the race against the kitchen timer. When I came running up my steps, I said to myself “oh please, please, please let that smell be from my kitchen” (as my neighbors can sometimes give me a run for my money) and mine it was.
The fresh bread was fabulous and it would be a shame to pair such a wonderful dish with a bread that’s anything less than bakery fresh and great quality. That being said, I’m still in disbelief that it cost me $4.52! What’s this I’ve been hearing about deflation?
With that, I admittedly break rule number two in blogging etiquette: “stay on topic”.
This ridiculous price for bread motivates me to read a book my friend Lana recently suggested called Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day, from a series that began with Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day, which shows you how to create a loaf of bakery quality artisan bread that costs less than 5 minutes and 40 cents. I’m not much of a baker but this is my next endeavor.
Here’s what happens: it rains off and on for a couple of weeks – not enough to saturate the ground but enough to make you feel like you don’t need to water. The tomatoes look fine and then all of a sudden there’s a down poor like the one last night, the ground becomes instantly saturated and the tomato vines start rapidly absorbing water like a sponge and feeding it to the fruits so fast that they burst open like little water baloons. The next morning your tomatoes look like this.
The most common advice for avoiding this is “water evenly and consistently” but this is the Pacific Northwest so that’s out the door. Your best bet is to try to get all of the ripe tomatoes off the vines before the monsoon hits. Other wise, get rid of the split ones right away before the fruit flies have a field day. Good luck!
A cold soggy Sunday at the end of summer was the perfect day for a garden feast. What started with early morning potato digging under a steady drizzle led to pulling up carrots, chopping up green beans, dusting off the crock pot and opening a bottle of wine. What we ended up with was a fabulous beef stew, some crusty bread, and a crisp side salad.
These tomatoes were calling to me too.
The salad also featured the famous “slug proof” Summertime Crisp Head lettuce and Red Torpedo Onions.
The measurements of the ingredients don’t really matter but here’s a rough recipe for today’s stew:
4 potatoes
4 carrots
1 onion
a handful of green beans chopped
1/2 head of garlic
1 pack of sliced mushrooms
1 pound of stew meat
1/2 cup of assorted dried beans
1 quart beef broth
1 cup red wine
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper
Brown the meat then combine all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low all day. Enjoy with a glass of wine.
Although harvest is truly the very best part of vegetable gardening, the anticipation of the harvest is always an equally exciting time. A simple cluster of tiny yellow flowers on the stem of a tomato plant can brighten my day as I think of the bounty of cherry tomatoes to follow.
Last year we grew a jungle of 5 varieties of cherry tomatoes on a quest to find a favorite. This is how we came to love Sweet Million for its ability to live up to it’s name. Instead of a jungle this year we’ve scaled back to 3 Sweet Millions and 2 plants of and old favorite, Yellow Pear.
I first encountered Yellow Pear tomatoes in a garden I sort of adopted in my early 20s. I moved into a rental house owned by a family friend and in the back yard were the remnants of a garden left by those who had lived there before me. I cleared away the overgrown weeds and discovered what I recognised as a tomato but the variety was a mystery. I would water it and prop it up with some stakes and give it a chance to grow. Later that summer my efforts were greatly rewarded with an endless harvest of the most delicious and beautiful little yellow pear shaped tomatoes I had ever seen. That was early in my gardening career and little did I know that I had a classic old heirloom that’s been documented as a pre-1800 variety. I haven’t grown it since but those fond memories of it brought me to plant a couple this year to enjoy and reminisce.
That old house is still there but the family friend who owns it is now in his final days and I wish peace for him and his loved ones. This year’s pear tomatoes shall be enjoyed in his honor.
