Harvest of Friends

This weekend, we harvested a large bowl of produce from the garden. Something about a week of rain must have signaled to our plants that it was fruiting time. We picked over a hundred cherry tomatoes, seventeen shiny ripe red peppers, and several perfectly-sized cucumbers.

I brought the produce inside and prepared some of it to have with supper on Saturday night. But there was so much of it, I wondered what on earth I would do with it all.

It was then that I decided we should do some Saturday afternoon visiting.

I decorated some small paper bags with a simple note and some ribbon and put a few peppers and about twenty tomatoes into each. The note said, "We just thought we'd share with you. -Your neighbors, the Kelly Family."

Then I called the children.

I told them about the packages I had made and asked them if they'd like to help me share them. Each child chose a neighbor, and we made our deliveries. It was fun to spend a few minutes talking with each friend we saw. One neighbor was happy because his tomato plants had succumbed to blight a few weeks earlier. Another neighbor was thrilled because there had been no peppers or tomatoes at the farmer's market that morning. And another came out to the porch to talk gardening with us while the children took turns jumping off her porch steps.

It was good visiting time.

And when we returned home, there was just enough produce left for our own family. On Sunday, I processed the tomatoes and diced the peppers to make a large pot of chili -- the perfect meal for a chilly Fall night.

Then yesterday, our sharing Saturday was returned in spades. The friend whose tomato plants had withered dropped by, bringing treats for the children. When I got the mail, another friend had fashioned a home-made card decorated with pepper and tomato shapes and a lovely note. Later in the day, the telephone rang. "Do you eat fish?" came the voice of our neighbor across the street. Just back from a fishing trip, he had cleaned and filleted enough bluegill for his family and ours to have a fish fry.

At the end of the day, I though just how lucky we are to live among such good people. All it took was a little effort, a small act of sharing, to renew our connections. That's when I realized that our garden had grown not just vegetables, but friends.

More to do with Tomatoes

Every year, I give a good bit of produce away to neighbors and friends, and always lots to family. They each have their favorites, whether it's cherry tomatoes, peppers, herbs or cucumbers. But this year, I gave away about twenty-five baby tomato plants to my husband's family. So, what I'm finding is that they're not as eager to receive my generous tomato deliveries as they've been in the past.

One of my commenters last week had a terrific idea about what to do with extra tomatoes. She suggested calling a local food pantry or soup kitchen to offer produce to them. What a terrific idea! As a matter of fact, that is a perfect option for any "bonanza" produce that happens to be coming out of your garden right now.

You can also try calling your child's school. Our school won a health grant last year to provide fresh fruits and vegetables as classroom snacks. So, each child walked in on the first day of school and found a shiny red apple on his or her desk. Offering excess tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, or carrots to your child's teacher as part of a healthy eating lesson is a great idea.

If you want to preserve some of your tomatoes for use during the winter months, though, freezing is an easy option. It's what I do, and it's not difficult. I prefer to freeze them whole, so that I can decide how to use them later on.

To freeze whole tomatoes, start by washing them. Boil a large pot of water and drop 8-10 tomatoes (I use Roma tomatoes) into the boiling water for 2 minutes. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and lay them on paper towels to cool. Once they are cool enough to handle, use a paring knife to gently remove the skin. Store in an airtight container or freezer bag and place in the freezer. They will keep for up to 1 year.

I use mine in soups and stews, and for large, bubbling pots of chili in the wintertime. As promised, here are a few more recipes -- this time, they're recipes you can use for your frozen produce. Enjoy them!

Julia's Chicken Cacciatore
Joe's Gold Medal Chili
NanaJane's Minestrone Soup

- Midwest Mom

What to do with All Those Tomatoes

The warm weather is here and that means two things: swimming season and tomatoes.

We've got the swimming under control this year. But every year, I scramble to figure out what to do with the tomatoes that fill and re-fill every container imaginable every time I make my way into the garden.

I have some tried and true recipes I make for my family. I make salads and sauces that warm my tomato-loving heart. But there's no way I can cook at the rate my tomato plants produce fruit. This year, in my wisdom, I planted about a dozen each of cherry and Roma tomatoes. And they're going like gangbusters.

If you're in my boat, here are a few of my favorite recipes. They may help you tread water a bit until you're happily overwhelmed by the harvest.

Julia's Greek Tomato Salad
Erin's Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Fresh Tomato Salsa
Broiled Tomatoes with Herbs
Cucumber-Dill Salad
Joe's Black Bean Salad
Summer Squash Salad

I hope you'll give one or more of these a try. You'll find there are plenty of ways to enjoy your tomatoes without getting bored.

Later in the week, I'll write a little about cooking with them, with recipes for soups and stews, and preserving what you're pulling from the garden now so you can enjoy your harvest during the winter months.

Until then, Midwest Moms is headed back to the garden. I think I spy about fifty-seven more tomatoes coming ripe since this morning!

- Midwest Mom