While 'The Cat's' Away

This is what's been growing in my daughter's belly-garden! She looks so good now that she's over the flu and off work, on bedrest and drinking LOTS of fluids for Baby Dante.

She is at 34 weeks now, so he can be 'taken' because there are serious complications. Kimber insists that she feels well (and she does!) enough to drive. Isn't she darling?????

I knitted socks for much of the time I wasn't doing laundry or cleaning and cooking or playing with Isabella. One 'free' afternoon I joined my sister's quilt club for a few hours. The ladies were fun to watch as they made lovely quilts like the one displayed behind me. The shop was only 3 minutes from Kimber's home, so I felt comfortable being gone. It was nice to get our for a small spell and give Kimber some space too.

Also, I had the pleasure of watching Isabella's gymnastics class. She is now a 'Hot Shot' with five other little girls. This is the "Ta-Da" pose they are trained to do after each trick.

They've been doing handstands. And she is good!

We fostered out little Piper for some hectic days we thought we'd be staying at the hospital, but finally brought her home. Isabella really missed her puppy, kissing her, squeezing her, and sleeping with her when she finally arrived. I'm not sure if Piper was as glad to see Isabella as she was to see Piper.

I thank all of you who prayed for me during this stressful time. Round One is over. I've been home for a day, and I'll leave to go back tomorrow because there will be a break in the weather.

Kitchen Queen Rides Again

Okay, one more tomato has passed all the tests here. You can tell by my measuring 'stick' how big it is, almost disguising itself as one of those tasty Brandywines.......almost.

Its size and flavor live up to its name:

Super Maarmalade!

After harvesting all my tomatoes yesterday because the temperatures are dipping for good (there is snow on Grangeville Mountain today!) this relentless Amish Paste, below, surpassed all my expectations. This is a washtub full from ONE plant! I gathered 4 washtubs of greeningtomatoes, placing them in a cool dark room.

Salsa has taken a back burner to roasted tomatoes today. The aroma in the house induces me to snack all day long for want of a taste. Below is a mixture of zucchini, garlic and tomatoes covered in a drizzle of olive oil, some kosher salt, a healthy sprinkling of basil and oregano. It took about 2 and a half hours at 350 degrees and warmed up the kitchen right nicely. Thanks for this idea and the recipe help, Connie!

THEN!

The 'Piece de Resistance':

Green Tomato Pie

(my favorite, next to rhubarb custard)

Green Tomato Pie Recipe

Mix together:

1 1/3 cup sugar

6 2/3 T flour

1 t salt

1/1/3 t cinnamon or nutmeg

Add:

4 cups sliced green tomatoes

1 T vinegar

1/1/3 t lemon zest

Let sit while you make the crust of your choice. I always make a whole wheat crust because we don't do white flour any more. Place the filling into the botton crust, add 1 1/3 T butter in pieces on top.

Bake at 425 for 50-60 minutes.

Since I have only 10 inch pie pans I increase everything a little to adjust for a larger pie. You know how to do that, I'm sure.

I felt like the Queen of the Kitchen yesterday. And my DH, who has rules for what he eats (exotic? never eaten it before? "No thank you!"). could not stay out of the pie. After lunch I ask brightly, "Did you get enough?" His reply, with a twinkling eye, was "I think I need a few more vegetables." And, away he took himself to cut a big slice of pie. He is so funny! It is very much like Apple Pie, but not.

Tastey Tomato 'Keepers'

My new measuring 'stick' is butter these days. We all know how big one is, so it is a perfect comparison tool. You may recall a few blogs ago I used butter to show the size of our plums, which are nearly finished.

You might also recall that I had a 'plant failure' in June because I'd forgotten to take the cover off the plants one day when it finally warmed up. The plants were 'baked', so to speak, and have taken their time in the recovery room. Today, in this Indian Summer weather, I have picked a bucket of luscious keepers.

I would love to be able to grow Brandywines and Principe Borghese, but they don't do well in the cool summers we endure here at 3000 feet near the mountains in Idaho.

The two favorite keepers in the bowl are the Amish Paste Tomatoes we jokingly call our footballs. They are meaty and flavorful. The Fedco catalog touts them as "prolific, good in drought and wet weather. They were also ranked as the 2nd best-tasting variety at the 2006 Heirloom Tomato Tasting at Decorah, IA." This year I was willing to give space for two plants, and will certainly do that again next year! The Cosmonaut Volkov is the other tomato in the bowl. It is "sweet, rich and fullbodied", says the Fedco Catalog, "always good and occasionally sublime." Both of these tomatoes have passed numerous tests here in the high mountain country where the days are short and cool. The heat of summer is short. We've already had one frost that I know of. And these just keep on tickin'!

You can see the plants have recovered quite well.


I am getting about 2 1/2 gallons each day right now. And you KNOW what I do with them if you read the last blog on Salsa!