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!