Tomato Days 2017-Heirloom Tomato and Vegetable Plant Sales

I admit "Tomato Days" is not a creative name for my plant sales which begin on May 20th this year.
Perhaps it is because the Tree and Twig name has confused people for so many years, I thought I would just say it like it is.
So it is a tomato plant sale for sure. 500 or so varieties, black, brown, blue, green, white, yellow orange, pink, purple, stripes, speckles, blushes, fuzzy, waxy, minuscule and monstrous. Early, mid season and late. Dwarf varieties, determinate and indeterminate. Oh yes, and red...how did I forget that. Lots of reds, yet to be listed here.

If you haven't been out to my sale before let me tell you what to expect.
I open at 8 am, Saturday May 20th, and stay open for about a month or so selling plants.
If you come on the opening Saturday morning, expect a rush and a lot of people. I do my best to talk to people and help with selections, but it is the most difficult time to get my attention as I am always helping someone. I have thousands of plants, so there is no rush to be here Saturday unless you know exactly what you want.

I have lots of plants, but not huge quantities of everything. Some of the most popular varieties you will find in good quantity, like Pineapple, San Marzano and Beefsteak. Other lesser known varieties are here in smaller quantities and I know I have some varieties that people won't select, a shame really, because as I tell everyone who asks "what's good?", they all are!

The plants are all organized by colour and again organized alphabetically within those categories.
I have master plant lists with descriptions that you can look at while you are here, but I ask that they remain here so everyone can use them.

Hmm, did mom do a good job on this one?

I have a small legion of family and friends helping out on the first day and they will do their best to assist you. But please be patient, they don't know the tomatoes the way I do and will seek me out to find out the answers to your questions.

In addition to tomatoes, well, there's lots of wonderful things for your garden. I have loads of sweet peppers and hot peppers as well as some interesting eggplants. I have ground cherries and cape gooseberries, kales, lettuces, chards, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, cucumbers, squash, mouse melons, herbs, sweet potatoes, flowers and more. I also will be selling seeds for many things such as lettuce mix, carrots, chard, beans, beets and more again.

If you can bring your own box or flat to carry your plants, that would be a good idea.
The plants in the larger pots remain $4.00. I do not take credit cards or debit, just cash, personal cheque or if need be etransfer. The closest bank is in Smithville or Fenwick.

My road is quite busy on the Victoria Day weekend, so I ask if possible that you do not park on the road, but rather across the road on the grassy lane near the church. There will be signs directing you.

If you are having trouble finding me and have a GPS, my address can be entered as 74038 Creek Road, Wainfleet.

There will be other vendors here too, including coffee and treats, perennial plants, alpaca goods, preserves, honey and hop plants.

One additional note: I love, love love dogs, but if you could please not bring yours to my farm on this weekend, it would be best. It scares my cats and chickens and gets my dogs riled. Thanks.

I have been working hard and the plants are looking good. I look so forward to welcoming you!

Orange and Yellow Tomatoes 2017

Busy days are these. The transplanting is done, but the labels still need to be finished up and the preorders picked. We've gone through 10,000 labels now and working on more. It's a lot of plants.
Each label is handwritten, so when I am done in the greenhouse for the day, I clean up, eat supper and sit down to write out the labels. When you have so many varieties there just is no easy way. A glass of wine by my side can help though.
There are some outstanding varieties to look for that are yellow and orange. I am surprised when I fill the preorders that more people have not chosen "Florentine Beauty". Maybe I didn't talk it up enough when I described it, but it is wonderful. Beautifully ribbed, lemon yellow and wonderful sweet mild flavour. It produces so well and was one of my favourites last year. Watch for it at "Tomato Days", it is superb.
I do have the two hybrid cherries "Sungold" and "Sun Sugar", which could be known as "super sweet" and "super sweeter". What great tomatoes. You simply can't not eat them when you are fussing around in the garden. Other favourites of mine include Aladdin's Lamp, and some of the big oranges like KBX, Mahler Roth's Orange Brandywine and Myona. You just can't beat the flavour of a big orange tomato.
Here is what to expect...
Aladdin's Lamp,
Aurega
Aunt Ruby's Yellow Cherry
Amish Yellow Giant
Auriga
Big Sungold
Beam's Yellow Pear
Banana Legs
Banana Cream
Basinga
Barnes Mountain Orange
Cuban Yellow Grape
Coyote
Chuck's Yellow
Carmello
Chef's Orange Hyb
Dawson Russian Oxheart
Dr Wyche's Yellow
Dr Carolyn's
Des Andes Orange
David Davidson's
Egg Yolk Cherry
Earl Of Edgecomb
Florentine Beauty
Fablonelstyni
Flamme
Fruity Yellow
Floragold Basket
Gold Rush Currant
Golden Cherokee
Garden Peach
Golden Gates
Golden Egg
Goldie

Aladdin's Lamp

German Orange Strawberry
Golden Grape
Gourmet Yellow Stuffer
Golden Queen
Stokes Golden Queen
Golden Konigin
Gold Roma
Galinas
Huge Lemon Oxheart
Indian Moon
Ida Gold
Jaune Flamme
Jubilee
Jaune Negib
Jaune Coeur de Pigeon
Kellogg's Breakfast
KBX
Emmy
Manyel
Mahler Roth's Orange Brandywine
Mountain Gold
Moonglow
Mollie's Awesome YP
Myona

Madara
Nebraska Wedding
Nicholayev Cherry
Orange Polonaise
Orange Santa
Orange Banana
Orange Strawberry
Orlov Yellow
Olga Yellow Round Chicken
Orange Icicle
Persimmon
Yellow Centiflor
Plum Lemon
Pilser Vesey
Pike County Orange
Peg's Round Orange
Regina's Yellow
Sungold
Sunsugar
Storgul
Sungold Select II
Sakhara
Schellenberg's Favourite
Tess' Land Race Currant
Verna Orange
Yellow Bell
Wapsipinicon Peach
Tangerine
Tom's Yellow Wonder
Utyorok
Yellow Gooseberry
Yellow Reisentraube
Yellow Mortgage Lifter
Yellow Ping Pong
Yellow Currant
Yellow Brandywine
Yellow Furry Hog
Yellow Ruffled

Pink and Purple Tomatoes for 2017

Zapotec

Years ago when I first started selling heirloom tomatoes seedlings at the Fonthill Market people  were a bit unsure what they were. Another organic grower bought a few plants from me and I described to her exactly what fruit she would end up with. Of course people were still hung up on round and red fruit at the time, and I was selling a bit of that, but a lot that wasn't that. She bought a Purple Calabash from me, planted it and 3 or so months later came back to tell me she ripped the plant out because the fruit was horrible looking.
Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. My perspective on this fruit is that it is stunning. It is a deep purple black, flattened and highly ribbed tomato. And it tastes like no other. I would know the taste of a Purple Calabash with my eyes closed. It is strong flavoured and distinctive. And oh so good.
It is one of my favourites from the following list, but as I tell everyone when they ask what is good, they all are.

Amerikansky Sladky
Anna Russian,
Brandyboy Hybrid
Bali
Bread and Salt
Big Purple Brandywine
Brandysweet Plum
Brimmer
Burgundy Traveller
Brandywine Suddth
Brandywine OTV
Pink Brandywine
Cherokee Purple
Canary Rose
Chinese Purple
Dester
Dark Rose
Dingo Eye
Dolores' Romanian
Dr Carolyn's Pink
Evans Purple Pear
Earl's Faux
Eva Purple Ball
Eagles Beak
Ella's Pink Plum
Enormous Plum
Ferris Wheel
Gezhante Buhrurkeel

Gezhante Buhrurkeel

German Johnson,
German Pink
Gypsy
Gruschovka
Hungarian Heart
Japanese Oxheart
Jeff Davis
Kalman's Hungarian Pink
Kentucky Plate
Kolb
Lithuanian Crested Pink
Lincoln Adams
Millionaire
Maglia Rose
Marg's Polish
Marianna's Peace
Ozark Pink
Oaxacan Pink
Oxheart Pink
Purple Calabash
Peach Blow Sutton
Purple Pear
Pink Ruffled
Purple Dog Creek
Purple Smudge Orange Flesh
Rose
Rosella purple Dwarf
Rose de Berne
Snogs Pride
Trucker's Favorite
Turks Muts
Tiacolula Pink
Todd's County Amish
Una Hartsock
Ukranian Purple
Ukranian Pear
Wheatley Frost Resistant
Zapotec

Yuri

Green and White Tomatoes for 2017

A super huge Uluru Ochre

These two colours of tomatoes scare people. My standard line to the most commonly asked question about green tomatoes is "soft to the touch".  Green tomatoes are indeed ripe when soft to the touch, as are all tomatoes. Once you get over the surprise of understanding that some tomatoes are actually ripe when green and you taste them...well you might just be surprised how good they are.
When I was reviewing my preorders this year, I noticed that yes indeed, more people are ordering greens, with Aunt Ruby in the lead. That is a very good tomato.
White tomatoes are mild and sweet, really quite delicious. Just think of the possibilities.Perhaps  a white spaghetti sauce? The year we made a white salsa with beautifully coloured peppers was wonderful. I think it is time to do that again.

Aunt Ruby's German Green
Absinthe
Aunt Ruby's German Green Cherry
Emerald Apple
Green Envy
Gruene Helarios
Green Ghost
Green Doctors
Green Doctors Frosted
Green Giant
Golden Green
Green Grape
Green Belle
Green Bell Pepper

Lime Green Salad
Moldovan Green
Thompson Classic Seedless
Malakhitovaya Shkatulka
Uluru Ochre
Verde Rallado
Bianca Cherry
Blonde Boar
Cream Sausage
Don's White
Douce de Picardie
Great White
Ivory Pear
Old Ivory Egg
Ivory Egg
Isis
Mikado Blanc
Snow White
Super Snow White
Snowstorm
Snowball
Tomesol White
Transparent
White Wonder
White Currant
White Beauty
White Cherry
White Oxheart
White Brandywine

Ellie

Black, Brown and Blue Tomatoes for 2017

There are some pretty interesting tomatoes in this category. Blues are newcomers to the tomato scene and breeders have been busy adding blues to whites, as well as yellow, green and red tomatoes. Oh and more. It will be interesting to see what comes next. Black and brown have always been staple tomatoes known for their rich smoky flavour. Here is what I am growing this year, with additional ones found on my preorder list on my website.

Indigo Apple
Amazon Chocolate
African Brown
Amethyst Jewel

Bosque Bumblebee
Black Ethiopian
Black Cherry
Black Krim
Black Prince
Blue Beauty
Blueberries
Black Seaman
Black Plum
Brazilian Beauty
Black Brown Boar
Brown Flesh
Black Pear
Black Truffle
Brown Berry
Black Icicle
Brad's Black Heart
Blue Green Zebra

Black
Black Moor
Black Apple
Black from Tula
Cascade Lava
Cinnamon Pear
Chocolate Cherry
Cuban Black
Chocolate
Cherry Brownies
Clackamas Blueberry
Cafe Bule
Cappuccino
Dark Galaxy
Dark Italian
Debarao
Fahrenheit Blues
Indigo Rose
Great White Blues
Japanese Black Trifle
Mr Brown
Kumato
Joffre
Nyagous
Ozark Sunset
Osu Blue
Primary Colors
Plum Black

Paul Robeson
Sara Black
Tendence Bleu
Sandy's Chocolate Cherry

"Not a tomato" Ruby

Bicolour Tomatoes 2017

Again this year it is tomato varieties galore. While there still are lots of people that request a good red tomato, lots more people are venturing into some of the more interesting and colourful varieties.

With all the new breeding work being done with open pollinated varieties, there are some pretty incredible looking and tasting ones out there and they fall under my category "Bicolour".
     
The Bumblebee line, the Tigers and the Darby's include some very special ones indeed. These are the ones that you will find at my farm on "Tomato Days", being on May 20 at 8 am. Please note I have tried to plant loads of the ones that are the most popular, like Pineapple. I have tons. Figuratively. I hope it is enough. Some other varieties are more limited, but there are so many to choose from and you are going to get a great tomato. Additionally, there are some great bicolours on my preorder list on my website.

Here we go!

Aviuri
AAA Sweet Solano
Arkansas Marvel
Ananas Noire
Black and Brown Boar
Bicolor Cherry
Blush

Black Zebra
Big Orange Stripe
Big Rainbow
Beauty King
Beauty Queen
Blonde Boar
Black Vernissage
Big Zebra
BTR E38
Cassidy's Folly
Captain Lucky
Copia
Chocolate Stripes
Caytana
Darby Pink Yellow Stripe
Darby Red Green Stripe
Darby Yellow Green Stripe

Dino Eggs Green
Flame
Hillbilly,
Hillbilly Potato Leaf
Gold Medal
Green Sausage
Green Tiger
Green Zebra
Isis Candy Cherry

Little Lucky
Mammoth German Gold
Mary Robinson
Mr Stripey
Marvel Striped
Marz Yellow Red Stripe
Old German
Northern Lights
Oaxacan Jewel
Orange Russian 117
Plum Tigress
Polish Pastel
Pink Bumblebee
Purple Bumblebee
Pink Fuzzy Boar
Pink Tiger
Pineapple
Berkeley Tie Dye Pink
Peppermint
Pippy's Piedmont Pear Plus
Pixie Striped
Pastel Sleeve
RoughwoodGolden Tiger
Red Zebra
Red Belly
Ruby Gold
Red Furry Hog
Striped Black Cherry
Sweet Carneros Pink
Speckled Roman
Sunrise Bumblebee
Striped Roman Yellow
Striped Red Furry Hog
Striped Cavern

Tonnelet
T2
T4
T5
Tigerella
Turkish Monastery
Tuxhorn
Tiger Paw
Virginia Sweets
Violet Jasper
Velue Striee
Yellow Tiger Stripe
Williams Striped

Percy

2017 Sweet/ Hot Peppers and Eggplants

May is just around the corner and of course that means my annual "Tomato Days" sale is as well.
This year the long weekend begins on May20th, and that is when I begin selling my reasonably large assortment of plants. And yes, I have been busy. There are thousands of plants.
I began in February seeding the peppers and eggplants, following up with weeks of seeding tomatoes and an assortment of other enticing items. I continue to seed and transplant, water and protect the seedlings from extremes of weather, both heat and cold. This time of year is generally a bit of both and the fluctuations can be drastic.

But the plants are looking good. So let me begin by outlining some of what you may find here when you come out to my small farm May 20th and on. Remember there are some things I have lots of, like my best selling varieties, others it may be far fewer plants of that type. And some things sell fast.

There will be lots available that I do not list on my blog. Oh yes, but here I go. Ground cherries, Cape Gooseberries, sweet potatoes, basils, parsley, kales, lettuces, chards, zucchini, squash, melons....lots more too!

Sweet Pepper Varieties

California Wonder
King of the North
Kari Baby Cheese
Purple Beauty
Jimmy Nardello
Sweet Chocolate
Buran
Feher Ozon Paprika
White Bell
Orange Bell
Garden Sunshine
Thompsons Squash pepper
Sweet Pimento
Mini Chocolate Bell
Mini Yellow Bell
Mini red Bell
Marconi Red
Hot Pepper Varieties
Fish,
Filus Blue
Tricolor Variegated
Aji Limo
Biquinho Red
Carolina Reaper
Brown Bhut Jolokia
Chocolate Naga Brain
Chinese 5 Color
Bulgarian Carrot
Black Scorpion Tongue
White Ghost
Bhut Jolokia
Padron
Mustard Habanero
Maul's Red Hot
Red Habanero
7 Pod Brain Strain
Tabasco
Royal Black
Rooster Spur
Bellingrath Gardens
Biquinho Yello
Joe's Round
Hot Cherry
White Bullet Habanero
Matchbox
Serrano
Jalapeno
Peach Habanero
New Mex 6

Eggplants

Rosa Bianca
Thai Lavender Frog Egg
Shooting Star
Black Beauty
Ping Tung Long
Slim Jim
Finger Fruit White
Casper
Kermit
Green Beauty Long
Aswad
Prosperosa

CSA Week 18 and Guest Post -Mangels

Things are winding down here, but there's still so much to be done and lots of food in the garden. Despite what appeared to be a heavy frost Monday night, most things survived, except the new beans that were coming along so well. But nothing ventured nothing gained. I was late getting them in the ground.
Tuesdays baskets contained carrots, sugar beets,  a stir fry blend (arugula, tatsoi, mustard greens, chard), sweet peppers, malabar spinach, leaf celery and likely something else I can't remember.
Last week when I send out a note asking folks if they wanted to try the mangels, I knew Monique would be a taker, bless her soul. And even more she wrote a blog post about her adventures in mangels. So if you took mangels as well, here are a few ideas for you.

Mangels, not just food for cattle!

Long known as cattle food for farmers, mangels have been around since the 1800.  Mainly used to feed farm animals as it grows well and stores well.  But it is not just good for farmers, it is deliciously sweet and remains fairly tender even when large. Stores well if kept from freezing and you can eat the greens too!

Linda asked me last week if I wanted to bring some home and try some, so I said why not.  She told me it’s like a beet but not as strong as a red beet.  I tried to find the nutrition facts on mangals during my research but there wasn’t much available online because they say they are not that popular enough to eat.  But I did find out while researching mangels, that you can cook them and freeze them in a vacuumed sealed bag for up to 2 years or in a Ziploc bag for 6-8 months.

So I thought what can I make with these mangels?  

I love using my slow cooker because you can put anything in it to cook and walk away.  So I did some research and found that lots of people cooked their beets in the slow cooker with foil but I am not a huge fan of using foil so I decided I was going to try without.  I put two cups of water in the bottom of my slow cooker with some salt, cleaned the mangels really good to remove all the dirt and cut the tops and bottom off.  I placed two mangels in the slow cooker because that’s all I could fit, set it for 4 hours on high and then left to run errands.  When I returned they were done and ready.  I let them cool a bit so I could handle them while I removed the skin, which was super easy, then I let them cool completely to room temperature.  I decided to make a mangel hummus with some of them and I froze my hummus in small containers so I can use later.  I still had a lot of mangel left so I searched on pinterest and found a chocolate beet cake recipe and substituted the beets for mangels, it was moist and super delicious.  

I hope you enjoy the mangel hummus and find other great ways to cook and eat mangels.

Enjoy!

Mangel Hummus

• 2 cups cooked mangels
• 1 can chick peas (drained and rinse)
• 3 tbsp tahini
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp water
• 1-2 garlic gloves
• ½ tsp salt
• Pepper to taste

Place mangels and chick peas in food processor and pulse to combine. Add in the rest of the ingredients and process the mixture for a full 2-3 minutes or until the hummus is super creamy, stopping to scrape down the side of the bowl.  Serve with veggies!

CSA Week 17 and Farm News

The night temperatures are dipping and things are changing around here, and probably are where you are too.
It rained as well and that was the biggest change of all.
The fall crops I put in popped up and I was able to harvest lots of arugula today from a reasonably small patch, with another patch due to catch up soon.
The mustard greens, chinese greens and radishes I seeded look good, as do the turnips. It is amazing what a bit of rain will do.

As I dug the soil to retrieve the jerusalem artichokes I was surprised though at how dry the soil was underneath. We've got a lot of catching up to do after such a dry spring/summer and lack of snow last winter.

I'm not complaining though, it has been a pretty good season and like most, there have been some things that have done very well, and some things that did not. I'll take a dry season over a wet one anytime.
One thing that has worried me in the garden this year is the appearance of stink bugs . This isn't the first year I have noted them in the garden, but it is the first year I saw them in such numbers and saw the damage they can do. They were tough on the tomatoes, and I lost lots of early fruit to them, as they inject an enzyme into the fruit which liquifies it enabling them to slurp it out. Tomatoes with stink bug damage have obvious mottling and are not saleable or edible. Good thing I planted lots of plants. Buggers. I'll be notifying the Ministry of my trials with them this year as they continue their deadly march northward into Canada, following on the trail of ticks.
From what I can understand they are difficult to stop. Be aware that they like to overwinter in homes, so you may spot them in your home. I know if I see them in here I will not be kind and I'll also be mulling over my strategy to deal with them next year in the garden.

This weeks baskets were pretty full. The lumpy bumpy jerusalem artichokes (sun chokes) made their first appearance for my Tuesday folks. Tomatillos, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, arugula, kale/broccoli shoots, curled parsley, leaf celery, garlic, a few dahlias to cheer you up and possibly something else I have forgotten I added.

Some of you asked for and received mangels and a whole whack of herbs for drying for the winter. The herbs are pleased with the weather right now and doing well.
What to do with the jerusalem artichokes which, incidentally are neither from Jerusalem or in the artichoke family? I tell people to use them as they would potatoes. Roast them, mash them, saute them or of course make a delicious soup with them.
A wonderful recipe for Sunchoke and Garlic soup can be found here.
If you read the preamble to the recipe, you will be made aware that jerusalem artichokes can cause gas, so be aware of that as you begin your adventure with them. Eating them prior to a first date with someone is not advisable.
Enjoy!

CSA Week 13 (14) and Life on the Farm

Mollie is back at school and the wood for the winter is in the driveway waiting to be stacked under my shelter.
Hard to believe it could be September and hard to believe it is still so hot and dry.

Yes, I am a bit tired and every few weeks I'll check online for travel bargains in November. It's nice to dream and have something to look forward to. At this point in the season, I describe my energy level as "crawling towards the finish line", the finish line being the end of the season.
It has been a lot of work this year, and I think the hard work has paid off for the most part. The most disappointing crop for me has been the beans, and why they did poorly is anyone's guess. There have been some, but not nearly what there should have been. I put it down to the drought, but I watered reasonably well, or so I thought.

Cowpeas

Now it's time to think about growing for the winter, and time to clear the tomatoes out of the hoop houses and get the plastic ready for the winter.
I've seeded some new items outside, including turnips, kohlrabi, radishes arugula and beans. The days are shortening and the nights are getting a bit cooler and it would be a miracle if the beans made it, but they popped up pretty quickly and the heat is pushing them on. So with any luck, some of these new crops should be in the shares in a month or so.

Newly planted beans-good luck

The last date of my Tuesday deliveries is well into October, the 23rd I believe and Wednesday finishes the week before.
It has been a great group of people I've had in the CSA this year, and I thank everyone for their continued support.
I've been grateful for any and all feedback I have received, because I will tell you honestly, lots of times it is a guessing game. Everyone is different and what is too much produce for one person, is not enough for others. When people came to the open house I held, it was nice to get feedback on certain crops, because I was unsure how they were going over. The consensus appeared to be that papalo was not a hit with most shareholders, but the NZ spinach and malabar spinach were, and there could never be too many tomatoes.
Of course that's why it is good to have get togethers like that because it lets me know if I am on the right track, I can identify mystery items and of course you can see what I have been working all season at.

Very special De Djerba carrots

The baskets today were pretty heavy. Yes, that was one beet in the share, or mangel as it were, a big one and I figured it could stand alone. Also carrots, NZ spinach, chard or broccoli spouts, tomatoes, hot and sweet peppers, herbs (parsley, sage, basil), small onions, garlic,  and some sort of bean, lima or cowpea or tomatillos. Possibly more.
If you are looking for a quick and easy dish, grab the carrots.
This recipe is one I have made for years and is very simple, but good. Brown a pound of crumbled firm tofu in cooking oil of your choice, I use coconut. Shred a pound or so of carrot and cook with the tofu until softened. Add soy sauce to taste, and voila, a very easy main dish which can be accompanied with a green salad, or of course a tomato salad.
Enjoy!

CSA Week 12 and Summer Tomato Panzanella

This summer has had it's highs and lows, like every other season, every other year.

But some lows have been very low.

One such very sad event has been the passing earlier this month of long time seed saver and gardener Brian Calvert. If you have attended the Seedy Saturdays I organize over the years, you may remember Brian quite well.

Brian managed my seed exchange table for me at Seedy Saturday and perhaps you remember a conversation with him. He came well supplied with seed he had saved from his garden, all labelled and ready to share, and he eagerly told the story of the seed.

Brian was also an avid naturalist, animal rights defender and could tell stories with the best of them. A retired math professor from Brock, he kept his days busy and was known by many.  I think of the many conversations we had, and the many, many events we attended because of common interests.

You will be missed Brian.  I am sure your garden overfloweth.

It is nice to have had a bit of rain lately, but some of it, it seems, is localized to my area.
Good thing too.
I've just planted beans, a long shot I know. Why not though? I've heard two versions of the fall weather, the first being extra mild weather for September and October, and the other that we should brace for snow in early October. So, I choose to go with the first, and have planted 2 types of beans that are supposed to mature in 43 days. Will I be picking beans in October? I doubt it, but why not try?
The other things I have planted are turnips, kohlrabi, and arugula. I expect them to do something. Lettuce too of course, but it seems to have trouble sprouting because yes, the ground is still very dry.

The tomatoes keep coming, yes they do. Todays shares included 3 quarts, lots of different sizes, shapes and colours. Beans of some sort (lima, edamame or cowpea), summer squash, peppers hot and sweet, swiss chard, lettuce, garlic, beets (some of them monster sugar beets) and a smattering of herbs.

What to do with all those tomatoes? My paper, The Hamilton Spectator provide a great recipe tonight, so as originally printed in The Washington Post, this recipe is by Tim Carmen.

Summer Tomato Panzanella

3 cups torn sourdough bread-8 ox loaf
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/4 lbs heirloom tomatoes, bite sized pieces
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp garlic
1 Tbsp minced shallot
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
freshly cracked black pepper
10 fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Arrange bread on baking sheet, drizzle with half of the oil, toss to coat.
Bake for 15 minutes, until bread is dried, but not browned.
Place tomatoes in colander, sprinkle with salt and let them sit for 20 minutes, tossing gently every few minutes
Transfer the tomatoes to a serving bowl, along with bread. toss.Reserve the tomato juices in their bowl, add garlic, shallots and vinegar to the juices and whisk in remaining tbsp of oil. Season with salt and pepper and pour over tomato bread mixture. Scatter basil over salad and serve immediately.

CSA Week 11 and Life on the Farm

A bit of rain came, a few weeds grew and I enjoyed my company immensely the last few weeks. Now Sherry has returned to BC, and Izabell to New Brunswick and I realize that I have to buckle down a bit, do a bit of weeding and seeding and pick all those tomatoes by myself.

When in Niagara....

It has been so nice the last few evenings, with the temperature dropping down and finally a bit of relief from the scorching temperatures and the intense humidity.

My sweet boy Bandit cooling off

Indeed when I think back on this summer, I certainly will remember it as the driest I have experienced in the garden, and one of the hottest to work in.

In a nutshell, it has been a lot of hard work to keep things alive and growing. It certainly has been the talk of growers; the drought, the failures and the exhaustion.

In most cases I have succeeded, but not in all.  But there has been a lot of food, and there still is lots in the garden, although some fall crops have not done as well as they should have.

The ground has some nice moisture in it now from our recent rains, and I will be planting more lettuce mix, turnips, fall radishes with coloured flesh, arugula and mustards this week, and hopefully harvesting them in a month or so.

I really enjoyed having my CSA people out last week! Thanks to those of you who came out, and thanks to those of you who responded to my invite. It was great to show people the gardens, and what I have been working on since-wow- as early as January, when I seeded some of the ultra hot peppers. What a great group of people, and I really enjoyed chatting with you.

Percy has the crowd under control

Today's baskets included: tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, onions, garlic, beans of some sort-either fresh or shelling, carrots, radishes, ground cherries, NZ spinach, zucchini or summer squash and a whole bunch of herbs. Rosemary, thyme, basil, broadleaf thyme, mint (mojito), parsley. There might be something else I can't think of right now.

Yes, my friends...the tomatoes will keep on coming for the foreseeable future and it appears most of you are good with that, some of you even picking up extra ones at my CSA night here.

On the weekend, I made freezer salsa with some of my tomatoes. You can find the recipe I used here, but I did modify it to exclude the sugar and coriander, and I used the apple cider version. It is superb, but mine was very hot, and I had the unfortunate experience of splashing some in my eye while I was stirring it while it simmered. Advisable not to do this.

Or try this, from Smitten Kitchen
Scalloped Tomatoes with Croutons


3 tablespoons olive oil 
2 cups bread from a French boule, in a 1/2-inch dice, crusts removed 
2 1/2 pounds  whatever good tomatoes you’ve got, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons Kosher salt 
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup thinly slivered basil leaves, lightly packed
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese or vegan alternative
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high. Add the bread cubes and stir so that they are evenly coated with oil. Cook cubes, tossing frequently, until toasty on all sides, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper in a large bowl. When the bread cubes are toasted, add the tomato mixture and cook them together, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in the basil. Pour into a shallow (6 to 8 cup) baking dish and top with Parmesan cheese. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until the top is browned and the tomatoes are bubbly. Serve hot or warm with a big green salad, a bean salad and/or a poached egg from a happy chicken.

Guest Post -- Week 2 -- Epic Reunion

Well, it is week two of a reunion of three old friends.  East and west meeting in the centre (pretty much).  We have spent the last 10 days or so laughing, talking, catching up on things that have happened in our lives.  It's been 38 years since we have been together in the same room, so some of the details might have been left out.  We have also been picking vegetables, weeding and gaining some insight into what life is like on a farm.  It's a lot of hard work.  Especially when the summer has been as dry as this year summer has been.

The best part of these two weeks of reuniting - besides just hanging out with dear friends - is the experience of eating what we pick.  Fresh greens, fresh tomatoes (of course), beets, peppers, onions - you name it, we're pretty much eating it.  For me, a meat-eater, eating "vegan" has been a new experience.  And surprisingly, a very nice experience and one I hope to incorporate into part of my meal routine when I get back home.

Linda has a number of CSA customers and part of what we have done this week and last, is help her  prepare the CSA baskets.  This week's bounty included: tomatoes, hot & sweet peppers, edamame beans, carrots/okra, Malabar & New Zealand spinach, garlic, summer squash, radishes, basil, parsley, sage, celery and ground cherries.  A veritable feast for the taste buds.

Last evening she hosted a garden tour for her customers. The long-awaited rain came and went.  (It wasn't nearly enough.)  The sun came out and we were treated to a sunny, lovely evening.  Afterwards, we gathered to chat and snack on dips and crackers.

Below are three of my recipes, two from last evening and one, a family favourite, which also happens to be a Hungarian recipe.

Basil Lemonade                                    

1/2 cup rinsed, lightly packed fresh basil
3 TBSP sugar
4 cups water
Juice of one lemon
Lemon slices

Combine basil and sugar in a small dish.  With a wooden spoon, crush the leaves with the sugar until "bruised" or pasty.
Mix lemon juice and water in a pitcher, add the basil-sugar mixture.  Stir well.  Let sit to fully infuse. Pour through a strainer into glass or another pitcher.
You may wish to add lemon slices to the pitcher or glasses while serving.  Serve chilled.


Lesco

This is a tried and true family favourite in our house and I am sure in the houses of many Hungarian families.  It is versatile as you na service it over rice, mashed potatoes, or mixed with eggs as part of a breakfast meal.  You can service it without meat, with bacon or with tofu as we have been having this week.  (A spicy, firm tofu works best if that is the route you choose.)

Tomatoes, sliced / diced (which ever is easiest)
Sweet peppers (pale yellow ones works best)  sliced length-wise, seeds removed
Onions, sliced lengthwise
Hungarian paprika (Sweet, smoked or hot - whichever you prefer)
1 TBSP Olive Oil

Saute the onions in oil.  Throw in the tomatoes and peppers, saute until slightly softened.

That's it.

If you choose it for  breakfast meal, you can break and egg or two into it just before it is done.


Beet Hummus

2 cups of cooked chickpeas, drained
1 cup of cooked, diced beets (white), drained
lime juice & lemon juice (about 1/4 cup of each)
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp dijon mustard (or honey mustard
2 tsp tahini (or to taste)
sea salt & pepper to taste

Put all ingredients into a blender and process until the texture is smooth.

This hummus has only a mild beet flavour and was well-received by those who tried it.

** This recipe was modified because we didn't have all the ingredients the recipe called for, so you'll want to season to your own taste.





    

Quick Tomato Basil Pasta

While your organic pasta is boiling, whip several cups of tomatoes with four garlic cloves, fresh basil, cayenne, salt & pepper in a high powered blender until mixed but still chunky. Taste to ensure the right balance. Pour into a sauce pan and heat to encourage thickening. Add tin of drained organic cannellini or garbanzo beans. Drain pasta and toss with olive oil, crushed garlic, salt & pepper. Coat with sauce. Grate fresh parmigiana or nutritional yeast and enjoy! (I think this took me 20 minutes from start to finish!!) Side salad and some bruschetta completed this meal. 

Guest post:Roasted Broccoli & Cheese Quinoa Salad

Thanks to Trish who is in my CSA for the following recipe.

 Organic broccoli, washed and rough cut
Avocado oil
Himalayan salt
Fresh black pepper

Lightly drizzle broccoli with oil and toss with salt & pepper. Roast at 325 until still slightly crisp. Cool. 

1 cup organic quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
1/2 vegan stock cube

Boil covered until cooked. Cool and add broccoli. Chop 2-3 mild green onions and add them. 

Cashew cheese sauce:

Soak raw cashews (about 1/2 cup) in fresh water for a minimum of 4 hours, drain*
Nutritional yeast (about 1/2 cup but be generous as this makes the cheesy flavour)
Fresh lemon juice (1 tblsp)
Garlic cloves (2-3) 
Himalayan salt to taste
Pepper
Cayenne (6 shakes) 
Turmeric (5 shakes)

Mix cheese ingredients in a high powered blender with a little water until smooth. Taste and adjust accordingly.  Pour enough over broccoli & quinoa to coat. Make final taste adjustments, chill and enjoy! 

*Soaking the cashews makes a smoother sauce but I've also whipped up this quick salad without soaking and loved every mouthful. 

Guest Post: A Reunion

Thirty eight years ago, three young women, Linda, Izabel and Sherry met during their first year of university. Facebook helped us reconnect about five years ago, and we soon started talking about a reunion. A few years of dreaming became reality yesterday as Izabel from New Brunswick and I from BC arrived at Twig and Tree farm. We're here for two weeks to help Linda pick whatever is ripe and battle the weeds. And talk.

When you're talking about disco dancing, and professors you remember, and pub crawls you went on, and the fun you're going to have together in the coming weeks, picking 100 lbs of tomatoes goes by before you know it.

Linda is a vegan, and Izabel and I are not. But we came prepared to cook for the family, armed with our own favourite recipes that also happen to be vegan. One of my favourite meals is Mutter Paneer, a northern Indian dish traditionally made with green peas and a firm mild cheese called paneer. Tomatoes, onions and a few spices are simmered into a wonderfully rich gravy. Substitute tofu for paneer and the dish becomes vegan. Use chick peas if you don't like tofu. This dish is very mildly spicy, but if you don't like heat, omit the chili pepper and/or cayenne. If you've never tried cooking Indian food, this is a fast, easy place to start.

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Serves: 4 (easy to double)

The recipe has two steps: making a paste of tomatoes onions and spices, then simmering it for 15 minutes. In step two, you add a few more spices and the peas and tofu or cheese. Then you're done.

Step 1: Make the paste

3 medium sized ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 medium to large onion, roughly chopped
1 or 2 small green chilies, chopped (jalapeño or serrano work well)
1/2 inch fresh ginger, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp roughly chopped coriander (omit if you don't like this)
10 to 12 whole cashews
5 black peppercorns
2 cloves
1/2 inch cinnamon stick
1 tsp coriander seeds

Blend all these ingredients until smooth.

Step 2:

Assemble the rest of your ingredients

250 to 300 grams paneer or tofu
1 cup green peas
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp sugar, if needed
a few coriander leave for garnish
salt, to your taste

Heat about 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Add the 1/2 tsp cumin seeds and saute until they splutter.

Lower the heat to medium low and add the tomato/onion paste. Simmer for 10-12 minutes until the oil separates from the paste. The paste will sputter while you're cooking, so have a lid handy to partially cover the pan if it sputters too much. Don't fully cover the pan or you'll have watery sauce. Medium thick is what you're aiming for.

Add all the dry spice powders - turmeric, cayenne & garam masala. Stir well.

If your sauce is too thick, add a little water, and the amount of salt you like. Taste and decide if you want to add the sugar. Add the peas, paneer or tofu and simmer until warmed through.

Boom, you're done. Serve over rice, or with Naan bread. Garnish with a little fresh cilantro, if you like it. So good. Enjoy.

Now the important part of this post is done (food!) please enjoy a few photos taken over the last few days from this beautiful farm.

Ruby, who just wants to eat cat food.

A warm welcome.  That's me under all the blankets and Ellie waiting for me to get up

Sherry

Guest post Recipe for Red Curry Vegetables

Thanks to Dina for sending along this yummy sounding recipe to use up some of that zucchini that is floating around out there!

Red Curry Vegetables

1 tablespoon red Thai curry paste, plus more if needed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped 
4-5 small yellow summer squash or zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
2 large russet potatoes, peeled, cut into tiny cubes
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup lightly flavored vegetable broth
1 can coconut milk

Fine-grain sea salt, to taste

-Mash the curry paste into the coconut oil until the paste is well-incorporated.  Heat this paste in a large skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute

-Stir in the onions and a couple of pinches of salt and sauté until tender, 5 minutes

-Add garlic, cook another minute

-Stir in the squash, zucchini and potatoes and cook until the squash starts to get tender, a few minutes

-Add the broth and coconut milk. Bring just to a boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. 

-Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt or curry paste, if needed. Serve over rice.

CSA Week 8 and Life on the Farm

Hot and dry, hot and dry.
That pretty much sums it up.
This time of year I would usually be planting new seeds as soon as I have harvested in a certain area. But I have hesitated this year because getting seeds to pop has been it's own challenge. So the area I dug the garlic from sits and waits, until the forecast looks pretty clear about rain, then I will put in more seed.
Some I will hold off on until the month of September rolls around though. That's when I like to plant arugula as the flea beetles will hopefully have vacated, watermelon radishes and turnips. They grow much better in the cooler weather and I hope by then we are having regular rains.
In the meantime, the garden is producing reasonably well. The tomatoes are coming on, which always makes me happy and the hot dry weather is making them super sweet.
Here are a few veg and garden pictures:

One of my new favourites-Mount Vesuvius

Yup..it's growing.

The malabar spinach is loving the heat

One of the Darbys-Darby Striped Yellow Green

Poona Kheera Cucumber

Ruby checking things out

The baskets were pretty full today. There are many more varieties of tomatoes ripening, a quart was in the shares today, as well as cut lettuce, basils, kale or chard, peppers, beans (if you like them), golden beets, zucchini or summer squash, cucumbers and ground cherries. There may have been more as well.
Although there was no malabar spinach in the shares today, it will reappear. I would like to share a recipe idea that a shareholder sent along to me for when you see it again. The recipe is for a curry using the spinach and you can find it here
Happy eating y'all.