I picked my first
batch of tomatoes for canning on Tuesday evening. As I picked the different kinds of tomatoes (Amish
Paste, Mr. Stripey, Mortgage Lifter, Pink Brandywine and our own “Mystery”), I brushed
against the leaves and was blessed with that strong, sweet tomato plant scent
that is every gardener’s favorite aroma.
Not that I consider myself a true gardener…I just plop seeds and plants
into the dirt and they somehow grow into lovely edible jewels.
The “Mortgage
Lifter” tomatoes that we are growing this year seem to be doing well. I picked one last night and it was huge! Although not completely ripe, I was afraid to
leave it on the vine for fear it would split.
It measures six inches across and over three inches tall! We will probably save this one for seeds to
plant next year. We’ve been saving seeds
from our Mortgage Lifters for the past few years and they never
disappoint. We ordered the original seeds
from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange in Mineral, Virginia Mid-Atlantic States . They also offer
hard-to-find seeds that you can’t find at the big box stores, such as the
Asparagus Beans that I was bragging about a few posts ago.
My first batch of
tomatoes for the year will be made into salsa.
Charming loves the stuff and will eat almost a pint with one taco
salad. That’s why I’m canning this batch
in quarts. Otherwise, I would waste a
lot of time running to the basement to grab another jar of salsa. For salsa, I use the Mrs. Wage’s method. I don’t care for growing cilantro nor do I
care for eating it. Therefore, as far as
salsa is concerned, I’ll leave the spices to the professionals. It’s quick, easy, gluten-free and Charming
likes the taste. That’s an all around
winner for me!
Although I do not
really like salsa, I do find it to be palatable in casseroles. I make a “Mexican Casserole” that is layers
of corn tortillas, grated cheddar cheese, and a mixture of canned chicken
(boneless chicken thighs that I can myself), rice, salsa, and a gluten-free
substitute for condensed cream of chicken soup that I concoct myself. Charming loves this casserole and will ask me
to make it on special occasions like his birthday. Neither I nor Mrs. Wage can ask for a higher
compliment than that!
Oh…one of my
readers brought it to my attention that, using Internet Explorer to access my
blog, she is unable to “see” my e-mail address and unable to access the “Comment”
section. (For some reason it is visible
to those who use Google Chrome as their web browser, but for not Internet
Explorer.) My e-mail address for this
blog is virginiarealblog@gmail.com
if you should want to comment or contact me.
I’m sorry for this technology glitch.
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| This "Mortgage Lifter" heirloom tomato measures six inches across and over three inches tall. I placed it beside these quart cans of beans (that I canned Tuesday night) to give you a sense of the tomato's size. |
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| My...or, rather, Mrs. Wage's...salsa. |
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| Canning the salsa. |
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