Thought the tomatoes were slowing down but........

The tomatoes have slowed down a good bit since their peak two weeks ago but look below what we still have on the table. 
The main difference is the size and frequency we pick. We see fewer of what I call "big" tomatoes and many more smaller ones. still great tasting though. We also pick every other day now instead of every day.
Of course other vegetables like figs are just reaching their peak so there's still plenty of picking going on.

Picking figs and peppers and ........

Even though we've been picking since the 3rd week of June, the backyard garden is still producing vegetables and fruit. Today we picked over 60 figs, peppers, cucumbers- the latest in the season we have ever picked cucumbers- and of course tomatoes. 
Tomorrow we'll make mint jelly, fig jam and more of that delicious tomato jam!

 

Still picking and canning vegetables

Even though the garden has slowed down due to the hot weather and end of season stress, we are still picking and canning into the last week of July. Today we picked tomatoes, okra, peppers, cucumbers and figs. We made our first strawberry fig jam of the season with more figs on the way for sure. 
Click Here to see the video.

We also made more tomato jam (quickly becoming our Favorite tasting dish!), mint jelly and pickles. 

Figs and deja vu

Picked about 25 figs today for the first time this season. They are right on schedule and if last year can be used as a guide we'll pick for the next 2 weeks. Strawberry fig jelly time.

We also processed more tomatoes but as you can see from the picture below, there's still a table full of tomatoes. It's like deja vu but that's why we plant and work the soil in the spring to enjoy the harvest now.

Some days are.....

Some days are picking days, some days are canning days, some days it's both. Yesterday was a picking and canning day to the extreme.
We canned pickles using our cucumbers and our dill and garlic. 
We canned pickled jalapenos with our fresh picked jalapenos.
We canned hot dog relish using our fresh picked cucumbers and peppers.
We also experimented with a new item called tomato jam. We've been looking for something else to do with tomatoes besides salsa and whole tomatoes and I think we found it. Using our tomatoes and herbs, we canned 8 pints of tomato jam. It was sweet tasting and more like a barbecue sauce than a jam. Can't wait to try it as a marinade for chicken or on a cracker with cream cheese or even as a topping for grilled cheese sandwiches. 
We still have a table full of tomatoes too so this recipe will occur again very soon.

Heirloom tomatoes

Most of the tomatoes we grow are of the Big Boy, Better Boy hybrid variety, fast growing fast producing. These hybrids usually produce fruit at 72 days from planting in the ground. We started growing a few heirloom tomatoes several years ago and now we have a whole raised bed dedicated to them.  We grow the Brandywine variety of heirloom tomato. The difference between the hybrids and the heirloom? The maturation date is longer, around 82 days instead of 72. The color is more of a reddish purple instead of bright red. Lastly, the Brandywine are the largest and best tasting of all the ones we grow.
Check out the picture. This could be 5 sandwiches from one tomato but will probably be 2 very, very juicy ones instead. 

More salsa

Lots of tomatoes the last several days. I processed what was ripe from the table yet this is what's left to ripen and process in the coming days. Peppers will also be picked this weekend!

The beginning of salsa time

Salsa time is here! Processed 8 pints today of medium heat salsa and it looks as if I'll process more tomatoes tomorrow. The table is still pretty much full. It usually takes 2 days of processing to be ready for salsa. We try not to waste any vegetables.(actually I think tomatoes are a fruit.)

Just another picking day

Picked a dozen or so okra for the first time this morning. Okra needs warm soil to grow and produce so we always plant it later than everything else. Right now it's 3 feet high but it will double in size in the next month.
Also picked tomatoes and cucumbers. Salsa time tomorrow!

Salsa time

We are officially in tomato time which means it's salsa time too. We use salsa in a number of ways, with chips and tacos but also in casseroles that need the flavor kicked up a notch.
The salsa also includes our  jalapenos which provide just the right amount of heat.
You can see below what was on the table today before processing them into salsa tomorrow.
I'll pick more in the morning too!!
Tomato time. 

Tomatoes are back :)

The tomatoes are back and seem to be right on track for a BIG picking week to come. Over the last 10 years, next week is the average big picking time so we are right on schedule.
Sounds like salsa time!
This what's left after we processed several quarts this morning.

Also, as soon as I posted our favorite rosemary recipes in our last post, we thought of another- Rosemary Bread in the crock pot. Check out the recipe in the sidebar tab but here are some pictures.

This is after 2 1/2 hours in the crockpot 

After 4 minutes under the broiler

Planting something new in July

Here's something you rarely see in our backyard garden in July.
An open area of dark dirt, freshly tilled and ready to be planted.

This area is about 40% of our fenced garden, we utilize the fenced garden for raised beds and for vegetables we want to keep away from the deer and rabbits. 
This was the bean patch that produced 50 quarts of beans. Usually the beans would flower and put on another smaller crop of beans but 50 quarts was enough for us. We tilled it up and tomorrow we'll plant zipper peas for the first time.

This was our harvest for the day- cucumbers, sweet ant hot banana peppers, tomatoes, jalapenos and our first okra pods.

Herbs

Rosemary is one of our favorite herbs that we take from the backyard garden to table.

FACTS
Rosemary- perennial, likes full sun.  Planted today, you can be picking branches in 3-4 months and in a year you'll be wondering how it grew so fast. 

Excellent sources of vitamin A and C and also iron.
Used to flavor salads, soups, olive oil, baked vegetables, butter and meat dishes.

Our favorite use for rosemary? 
We have many but two stand out. 
Both are super easy for even novice cooks.

Click on the links for the recipes.

Rosemary crock pot chicken salad

Rosemary skewered kabobs

Another summer picking day

Just another summer picking day in our backyard garden.
Cucumbers which lead to pickles and peppers which lead to jelly are abundant at this time.
Tomatoes- half the table ready to make salsa and tomato sauce, the other half in line to be processed in a day or two.

Kitchen Herbs

Corn Chowder, with our fresh corn, is on the menu tonight along with fresh salad with tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. 

We decided to add some rosemary to the chowder for flavoring. Where do we find rosemary?Not a problem, we go to our kitchen herbs and  it's literally one step from the back door.

Check out how close and how much rosemary we have in our backyard garden.

More on the herbs we grow and use later in the summer.

Corncob jelly

We tried an old time favorite this weekend and it turned out great! Corncob jelly has been around for a long time, no you don't leave the corncob in the jelly jar, although I've heard of people doing that. It's made with the stock from corncobs though. Just another way to utilize everything from the vegetable or animal for that matter. How many of you make stock from Thanksgiving turkey carcass or make shrimp stock from the heads and shells? We do and it certainly adds a ton of flavor for future dishes.

We put a dozen of our corncobs in a pot, added water and then brought it to a boil. After 30 minutes we had the stock for the jelly, then we added sugar, pectin and put them in the canner for 10 minutes. The taste is sweet with a hint of corn and we made 17 jars.

The tomatoes have slowed down, although we still have 20 on the table, too much rain with too few consecutive sunny days. On average, for the last 10 years the second week in July is usually the time where we are inundated with tomatoes. 
Until then,the tomato sandwiches and salads filled with cucumbers and cherry tomatoes sure taste good!!