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End of Gardening Season: Celebrate the Harvest!
We have had our frost warning in my zone 7 Maryland area and I went out the day of the prediction and gathered all of the green tomatoes still on the vine and harvested a large number of chile peppers still hanging on the plants. The chiles still need to be processed; I will dry some of them, make salsa and hot sauce with some and of course eat them every day with every meal. I cut annual flowers and herbs and filled the house with bouquets of zinnias, nicotiana, marigolds and nasturtiums and basil—all of them will turn black with a frost.
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Is it Welsh Rabbit or Rarebit?
3 commentsRarebit or Rabbit--it's basically a cheese sauce over toast. I made this for the Great Hops Cookoff (had just 10 minutes) at the IHA conference and of course, I added herbs and a good hoppy IPA for maximum flavor, along with a dead ripe summer tomato. This is a quick and easy dish to make when you don't know what to have for lunch or supper and you don't feel like another sandwich.
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Growing Tomatoes and Peppers in the Garden using Black Plastic Mulch
Oh boy did I open a can of worms when I started to do research on the pros and cons of using black plastic mulch! Yes, it does warm the soil, extend crops growing time, hold moisture in the soil and keep down a plethora of weeds. No, black plastic is not organic. Most black plastic eventually goes into the landfill in a season or two—unless you use one of the newer biodegradable or photo-degradable black plastic mulches.
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Summer Bounty
15 commentsIt's that time of year when we are reaping the harvest--benefiting from all of our earlier hard labor--and approaching a vegetable glut! Hot weather makes us want to cook less, so think about making salads in the morning or on the weekend to have for supper, then you just need to slice some tomatoes and cucumbers and maybe steam some corn. Enjoy the bounty now!
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Tomato-Raisin Chutney
18 commentsIf you still have homegrown tomatoes here is a recipe to try! We recently made this chutney for our reception at the Herb Harvest Fall Festival featuring foods of the British Isles—it was my favorite recipe of the evening. The members of the Ozark Unit of the HSA prepared all of the foods after researching through many cookbooks and this recipe is adapted from a recipe from The Irish Pub Cookbook by Margaret Johnson.
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Garden Bounty: Late Summer Garden Happenings
11 commentsWhat's going on in your garden? As the harvest season is peaking and some of our summer vegetable and herb plants are winding down, it is time for preserving, tidying up and getting ready to plant a few fall crops.
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Toss a Tomato Tasting Party
9 commentsIf you want to be the most popular gardener in your neighborhood, plan an end-of-season tomato tasting party. It’s a great way to make friends, celebrate the harvest and find new tomato varieties to plant in your garden next year.
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Drying on the Vine
13 commentsIt turns out there’s an alternative to drying tomatoes in the oven or using a vegetable dehydrator in the kitchen. Just let the sun do the work.
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Grafted vs. Ungrafted Tomato Report
5 commentsGardeners will start seeing more grafted vegetables on the market next season. But are they worth the extra expense? Here are the results of one gardener's side-by-side tomato trial.
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Small Batch Preserving
6 commentsSmall-batch preserving is perfect for gardeners with small gardens or those with vegetables that don’t ripen all at once. It's also an easy, time-saving alternative to marathon canning sessions. Here's how to fill the freezer with small batches of tomatoes, peppers and zucchini.
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The Sweetest Tomatoes Win Top Prizes
3 commentsThe NatureSweet Homegrown Tomato Challenge is back on the calendar this year. Home gardeners in three cities line up to test their tomato-growing skills against others.
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Tomato Abundance
12 commentsIt is the end of August and we are at the peak for summer tomatoes. Here are 15 ways to eat tomatoes (hum this to the tune of "50 ways to leave your lover" as you harvest).
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Tomato Cutting Continues to Grow
8 commentsAt the end of last year’s gardening season, I snipped the terminal shoot from a tomato plant, plunked it in a jar of water and kept it over the winter. Here’s how it looks today.
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Grafted Tomato Trials Set to Begin
6 commentsThis year’s gardening trials for Harris Seeds includes a side-by-side comparison of three varieties of grafted heirloom tomatoes versus non-grafted varieties.
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Tiny Tomatoes for Indoor Gardening
5 commentsIf you have a sunny southern window, you just might be able to enjoy fresh tomatoes through the winter. Tiny Tim is an heirloom variety that’s a perfect “pet tomato” for growing indoors this time of year.
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Tomatoes and Chiles = Salsa, part 2
Combining our peak of the season summer vegetables--tomatoes and chiles to make salsa--results in a fiery and flavorful dish. Homemade is easy to do and so much better than store-bought. Chop it by hand or use the food processor.
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Tomatoes and Chiles = Salsa, part 1
When tomatoes are in abundance it is time to make salsa! Here's a little chile talk on the back porch before going inside to prepare salsa--see how easy it is to make your own.
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Food Fights: Wacky Fun or Wasted Food?
6 commentsHow do you feel about food fights as entertainment? I’d be interested to hear your opinion.
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Canning Tomatoes, Step by Step
9 commentsHome-canned tomatoes have flavor that simply can't be found with store-bought canned tomatoes. Canning tomatoes is easy, and you put a little bit of summer in every jar.
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Three Garden Structures You Can Build
10 commentsLashed poles, hoops,l and sticks give vining beans and tomatoes handsome support. These structures, from the gardens of historic Old Salem, a Moravian village in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, are a useful addition to your veggie garden.
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