Garden Soup/Soggy Vegetables

This is what the rain looked like late yesterday afternoon.

I think we've gotten over 4 inches in the last week, maybe more, so my garden is not worth even looking at...but I do because it always holds so much hope in it. The pathways are small ponds, and the beds are full of soggy, limp, bedraggled tomatoes that SOMEONE has been pulling up. Now why would that be?

Two days in a row the south bed was strewn with the plants I'd carefully planted on the one sunny day two weeks ago.

It is so disheartening to see this.

The robins love sucking up the easy worms.

And you can see to left of her that the pathway is muck.

This north bed of tomatoes was undisturbed by the vandals.

The cabbages are doing okay.
I wouldn't say they are thriving, but at least they survive at this point.
Gardening is such a challenge here with clay soil, the late frosts in June and July, the early frosts in August and September. And now the monsoons. We are trying our best to grow as many veggies for our own consumption and dealing with so many forces against us.
I'm beginning to whine so look on down to see what I'm doing while stuffed inside my house cage.




Aprons! I've made four this week and have three more to finish up.
It is so fun to create these cute reversable aprons for myself and others!

AND!

Today is our 5th anniversay, so I've picked some bouquets, fixed a lovely lunch and await my husband's gift of taking me to dinner.

I fixed up the table sweetly with a tablecloth and these bouquets around the dining/living room. It has been special.

We are doing well in this thing called marriage that neither of us excelled in before.

It is good!

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.