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Tomatoes and Life...

August 1st, 2012 at 03:38 pm

This is what's left from the tomatoes we've picked the last two days. I think there were a total of 37 tomatoes on Monday and Tuesday. Of course, we'd been gone over the weekend, but it's still a ton of tomatoes. All but a few of them are as big or bigger than my fist. Yum!



Yesterday we used many to make sandwiches and salads, and I gave a few to a friend. She just moved and left all her tomato plants behind.

Tonight we will make salsa, and then whatever is left goes into a bag in the freezer because there will be more ripe today. I have a bag that is filling up with tomatoes and cherry tomatoes. When it's full, I toss the contents in a roasting pan with some onions, garlic, carrots, zucchini... whatever I've got! I roast all the vegetables in the oven, puree, and voila! A delicious roasted tomato sauce for pasta or pizza or whatever. Then I freeze the roasted sauce in 2-cup portions. I like it because I don't have to waste anything. If we don't have time to eat everything from the garden, it's okay. This year, we somehow ended up with 3 cherry tomato plants. I am the only one who will eat them, and I can't eat as many as we get each day. So into the bag they go!

It's always amazing to me that a long weekend away actually takes so much more time than the weekend. We got home after midnight on Sunday (Way too late! Long drive!), and I spent Monday trying to unpack suitcases, start laundry, nap to recover a bit on the sleep, remove every bit from the car, restock the fridge. I had cleaned the house from top to bottom before we left, so at least I didn't have that chore. Of course, it was totally worth it, just took a little recovery time.

My friend is having her garage sale this weekend, so we're taking all our leftovers to her house. I don't expect to make much in the way of profit, but it will be stuff we don't have to move! Whatever doesn't sell gets picked up on Monday! In the past, we have had the kids sell cookies and lemonade and they've done really well. If there's time, we might do it again.

7 Responses to “Tomatoes and Life...”

  1. Thrifty Ray Says:
    1343837086

    Those tomatoes look good..and I will use your ideas when mine are ready to harvest! Nice job!

  2. North Georgia Gal Says:
    1343838841

    That is a bunch of tomatoes! Glad you aren't letting any go to waste!

  3. creditcardfree Says:
    1343843368

    Great plan for those extra tomatoes! Good luck with the sale, too.

  4. PNW Mom Says:
    1343843814

    I always clean the house top to bottom before we go away....it is so nice to come home and all you have to do is laundry and get groceries....good luck with your sale!

  5. PatientSaver Says:
    1343850944

    Love the tomatoes. Mine still green.

  6. crazyliblady Says:
    1343856645

    Do you do anything special to tomatoes when freezing them? My aunt used to blanch tomatoes which involved boiling them for a minute or so, then plunging them into cold water. Somewhere in there, the tomato skin came off. I think she may have mushed them up, too. She put them in freezer bags for spaghetti sauce and such.

  7. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1343876047

    When I left CA there were a good number of tomatoes in the green stage on several of the tomato plants - all quite large. Then of course the one plant with a bunch of what I call crab tomatoes (smaller than your palm.)

    You have a good crop so far!

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