Gina Rae Mitchell

I have been lax about posting garden updates. So let’s just jump right into Garden Harvest 2018!

It started out to be a writing day for me. I had blog posts, book reviews, and the newsletter to work on. I had no more settled in at the desk when Tom came in carrying a small basket of roma tomatoes. Ok, not a big deal, we can have those for lunch. He went back outside. Again, nothing unusual there. But, when he returned…. he brought a colander full of blackberries, 2 large boxes of regular tomatoes, a small mess of green beans AND another box of romas! Now, you can’t just leave all that sitting around. The point of fresh vegetables is to use them while they are fresh!

Fresh Is Best!

  I started with the berries.There’s nothing like a blackberry pie with ice cream for a summer dessert. My berry pie recipe is the world’s simplest. Soak the berries to float out any hidden debris (ahem, bugs – yuck), rinse well, reserve about a cup of berries and place the rest in a bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup white sugar & 1/3 cup of flour. Pour into a pie shell. Now if you have time & are so inclined, make your own pie crust. However, there is no shame in my game so I try to keep a few store-bought pie crusts in the freezer for emergencies or busy days. I really love the Pillsbury ready-made pie crusts that come in a roll and to me, nothing beats a glass pie plate.

Back to the pie, sprinkle the reserved berries on top.

I don’t know why I do this step other than it’s how my grandma taught me?

Next you put on the top crust. Around here, we like a lattice top but it is just your personal preference. Whatever top crust you decide on, Give it a quick brush with milk followed by a sprinkle of sugar. Pay no attention to my uneven strips. I was distracted, lol. It tastes just the same.

I bake it in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees for another 20 – 25 minutes. I really go by when the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.

Plan your baking so one dish follows another to avoid a hot kitchen all day.

During the summer, I like to do all my baking at the same time so I only heat the kitchen up once. While the pie was baking, I washed the green beans & gave them a quick boil in a bit of water on the stove top just until they begin to turn tender & bright green. You will notice in the picture that the dish I baked the casserole in is a little messy. This is because when possible I mix & bake in the same dish. The green bean casserole is just the standard one although I have some issues with mushrooms so I substitute cream of celery soup.

Using a casserole dish, mix in 1 can of cream of mushroom/celery soup, 1/2 can of milk, seasonings of your choice (salt & pepper for mine), stir in your freshly cooked green beans and a cup of french fried onions. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, then sprinkle with more french fried onions and return to the oven for another 10 minutes. This mess of beans was on the smaller side & since there are only 2 of us, it was perfect for a medium casserole dish. If you are cooking for a larger crew, the recipe is super easy to double or triple.

Now on to those roma tomatoes

I love roma tomatoes, so meaty and flavorful. My first thought was pico de gallo but alas, no fresh cilantro or limes, so I did the next best thing. Make something up! I used my handy-dandy dicer to rapidly chop up about a dozen romas and a large onion. Hmmm, what else. Oh look, I have about 8 cucumbers sitting on the counter that we will never eat plain. Boom, into the dicer a couple of them went. I stirred it all into a large serving bowl, tossed with some salt & pepper, squeezed a whole lemon on top. Tomato-Cucumber-Onion Salad is done. When we ate it, I sprinkled a bit of Garam Masala seasoning on mine. That gave just the flavor boost I wanted.

Right or wrong, I tend to put off the least favorite jobs till last. Is that the way you do it too?

Time to tackle the huge boxes of tomatoes sitting in the kitchen corner. I have canned for years and this is how I do it. People (some experts, some not) will tell you this is completely wrong, unsafe, dangerous, etc. All I can say is this is what works for me & I’ve fed this to my family for years. If you are uncomfortable with my way, that’s fine. I won’t be offended. I am all about people doing what is right for them.

Garden Harvest 2018 is producing lots of tomato juice for a long, cold winter!

I thoroughly wash, core, cut out any suspect spots, and cut the tomatoes into chunks. There is no need to remove the skins. I use my largest kettle which is a Professional Tramontina 16qt with a heavy stainless steel bottom. My family calls this  the Christmas Noodle Pot! Throw the tomatoes into the pot as you chunk them. I start it over a medium heat and squish the first several tomatoes to get a nice juice covering the bottom. Continue to fill the pot, squishing as you go & stirring the tomatoes. When the pot is full, I set it on medium low and stir occasionally while the tomatoes render down. As this takes a while, I can start cleaning up the earlier mess or go sit a bit and rest.

I usually opt for at least a short rest in front of a fan or a quick dip in the pool!

When the tomatoes have cooked down, you will see lots of skins floating around with the tomato pieces. I turn the heat off, set up my next largest kettle which is an 8qt Saladmaster I have had for over 40 years. I’m a big fan of heavy-bottom stainless steel pans. I use a large bowl with a pouring spout and hook my food mill onto the bowl. If your mill will fit safely on your pan, that’s great. Mine won’t.

Carefully dip the hot tomatoes into the food mill, run them through and pour the juice into the kettle. Once it is full, I bring it to a rapid boil.

While this is happening, I prep my jars. I put clean jars, rings and lids in the sink & fill them with scalding hot water. Next comes the only time sensitive part for me. I dump the water from the jar, fill it with boiling tomato juice, add 1/2 tsp of salt, wipe the jar top, slap on a hot lid & ring, and finger tighten. Repeat! This works well with 2 people. Tom & I have it down to a smooth process. The jars will seal as they cool on the counter. After they are completely cooled they are packed away in a cool, dark place. Here on our farm, that is the unheated closet under the stairs until they are needed to bring back that summer taste in the middle of the midwest winter.

We celebrated the completion with a little leftover juice in a cocktail!

The above statement explains in part why this post is being written the day after garden harvest 2018. Once the kitchen was clean and I put my feet up with a drink in hand, I was just done for the day. We had a nice dinner of leftover grilled chicken, the tomato salad, green bean casserole and blackberry pie with a scoop of ice cream. We spent  the evening reflecting on how great all these summer vegetables will taste next winter.

Garden Harvest 2018 has begun. Look for more posts soon!

Below are some links to the same or similar items that I use. Let me know if you have a garden or frequent a farmers market to preserve summer produce for the winter.

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Farberware Classic Stainles...Shop on Amazon Mirro 50025 Foley Stainless...Shop on Amazon Goodcook colanders, Small, ...Shop on Amazon HÖLM 3-Piece Stainless Ste...Shop on Amazon CorningWare French White Ro...Shop on Amazon Eat Well Garam Masala Spice...Shop on Amazon