Hi Friends!

I know it’s not Monday and I really don’t have any excuse! I’m just coming off of 2 days off 1 on and then another 2 days off.  The days off have been full of fun and activity, and I’m a bit sad to be going back to work.

Anyways, let’s talk gardens – more specifically lets talk tomatoes!

Well, garden season is only hanging on by the smallest thread.  85% of the garden is out now – only leaving the onions, carrots and flowers which are oddly still blooming!  Next year I’d really like them all to bloom in the middle of the season instead of the end.

Pulling up the tomatoes was a big job, it took half of a day steadily cutting the branches off and then the tomatoes and then pulling the plants up.  After that I threw them all in the tub to wash off any dirt or bugs.  I then separated the cherries from the large ones and piled them on towels on the bathroom floor to dry for a few hours.  Lastly I’ve placed them in single layers in cardboard boxes in the office with a big blanket over the window to keep out the light.  They are ripening at a nice pace but I haven’t had a chance to do any canning yet.  I have tested out a roasted cherry tomato sauce which I really really liked so that’s what I’ll do with them.  I’ll have to can the big tomatoes in small batches as they ripen.

Here’s some photo’s of the process:

The potato harvest was subpar but they taste good!

How’s everyone else’s gardens doing? Clean up time?