Sunday, July 11, 2010

Harvest Monday, July 12th

It's Harvest Monday again! Thanks, Daphne for putting this thing on. This was a pretty hot week, so the tomatoes are going strong. I've got three varieties that have started producing; 4th of July (early), Big Mama (paste/roma type) and Red Lightning. The 4th of July plants have really started to turn, and I got quite a few of those. I've gotten about a half dozen of the Big Mamas, and I've picked 5-6 of the Red Lightnings. That last one I am hoping will be a nice one for great eating and interesting looks. So far, there's no big monster ones, but who knows, maybe they'll get bigger as the summer progresses. Here's a close up of the Red Lightning:


The summer squash have started producing. I've given a few away, although I don't feel inundated by squash yet. I planted four sets of 3-4 plants each, so the possibility is definitely there! I figure when that is getting close, I'm going to try stuffed, batter fried blossoms. I'll keep you updated on that. Anyway, here's a picture of some of the stuff I picked Sunday. I hadn't picked in a few days, and it's only a portion of the tomatoes.


This week I'll be canning some tomatoes and plums. Have you ever canned plums? They're awesome over applesauce. Oh, I have started keeping track of how much I'm getting! Here's the week's totals:

Plums .................8 lbs
Summer squash ..4 lbs 15 oz
Peppers ....................12 oz
Tomatoes .......... 10 lb 7 oz

16 comments:

  1. Wow! Love the look of that tomato! Do you know what the stores charge for that up here? An arm and a leg! :-)

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  2. I'm still waiting on my Big Mamas to ripen. I'm ready to start cooking some sauce!

    That's a nice assortment of veggies.

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  3. Becca, that's so funny. I'm just trying them this year and don't know if I will be doing them again. So far, I'm not impressed with them. The size is not great, and the flavor is nothing to write home about. If they don't start getting better, they'll be getting the axe!

    Allison, we're looking forward to our dinners with these!

    Villager, this is the 2nd year I've had Big Mamas. I just love them. They were the only ones that did anything for me last year.

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  4. That is a pretty tomato, I hope the flavor eventually lives up to the beauty.

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  5. It should be a law that tomatoes that pretty should taste good.

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  6. Oh 10lbs of tomatoes. I can only dream right now. I hope mine start ripening up soon.

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  7. Could you share your recipe for canning plums? I’m expecting big harvest this year and collecting all plum recipes I can find.
    That is lovely color on Red Lightning tomato!

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  8. Beautiful harvest! I love the look of that Lightening Tomato!

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  9. Purrrrrrrrrrty tomato, do let us know how it taste.

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  10. Michelle, I really hope they start tasting better, too! I can live with the size, but it needs to taste better.

    Cheryl, That would be awesome!!

    Daphne, I'm pretty stoked about that too. Most of them are from my 4th of July plants, which are the early variety.

    Vrtlarica, I'm getting ready to can plums today. I'll try to write down what I do and send you the info.

    Melissa, Thanks! They are pretty, aren't they?

    Mac, I'll be sure to post how they turn out later in the season.

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  11. Beautiful tomatoes! Still waiting for our slicers to ripen. I get envious looking at other peoples' ripe tomatoes!

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  12. That's really a tomato? Wow, looks like some exotic tree fruit. I agree with Cheryl, I also think pretty tomatoes (or pretty anything) should taste extra tasty. Love the new blog look! :)

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  13. Thomas, thanks! We're really enjoying our tomatoes, which for me are very early this year.

    thyme, pretty freaky, huh? I was excited to try this variety, but so far they have fallen short.

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  14. I agree, what a pretty tomato! If the flavor improves, it might be something to try in my garden next year. Great harvest :)

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  15. Nartaya, I'll be letting folks know how the flavor is later on in the year. I am really hoping that both the Red Lightning and Tye Dye are good flavored tomatoes. They're so pretty! We had BLT sandwiches for dinner tonight, and I used the Tye Dye tomatoes. They were a little yellow, but had good flavor! I'd have to look back on Burpee's site, but I think they are supposed to be a little on the yellow side.
    ~~Lori

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