Thursday, 1 October 2020

October 1, 2020

 I cannot believe it is October. I have come through my first month back at teaching. It is only now that I feel like my students are comfortable with and know the routine. This now feels like the new normal. Although, when I was driving home out of the small town in which I teach at the end of the day and I saw a school bus with the driver wearing a mask, it still made me shake my head a bit. The new normal.

Apart from how my professional world has been turned on its head, everything else is pretty good. I am very rural, our numbers are extremely low, and life is continuing on without much of a hitch. There is much talk of the second wave. In my own opinion I think a total shut down cannot happen again. It must be specific to certain areas, with a focus on the most vulnerable in our society. My opinion. 

In other news, our fall colours are breathtaking. We have now had some rainy days with a couple more to come and that usually takes away many of the leaves, but they are beautiful at the moment. There is such an exquisite feel to the air. I felt it when I went out tonight after supper to close up the chickens at about 7:15 p.m. It was cool, the grass was damp, there were leaves on the ground, and the light was rapidly fading. The chickens were already "in bed", I just had to close their little door. They know. The seasons have changed. They are also molting and from nine hens we get a massive two eggs a day. It comes with the season.

You may be thinking, dear lord, please don't let her write about tomatoes again, but here it goes. 


I gathered these from the very soggy garden today when I got home from work.



These were already in the house. I don't have a picture, but just assume there are more on the windowsill. 



This is what I made and used up maybe a whole eight tomatoes. This isn't the finished product, I browned some ground beef and added that, and two small cans of tomato paste to thicken it a bit. I served it up with penne and some shredded parmesan cheese. It was simple and tasty.


For someone who reaped maybe two tomatoes last year and not much more the year before, this glut is welcome and makes me happy beyond words. Husband is doing his part by eating a toasted tomato sandwich every day. Last night I made a tomato pie. I should have taken a picture. It was lovely and although a bit sloppy, it tasted delicious. I had never heard of tomato pie before I read Mrs. Moon's blog. Now I suspect I will make it every year, at about this time, when I'm looking for ways to use up these last tomatoes.

Enough of food. Well, actually maybe not. I discovered a series on Netflix called Somebody Feed Phil. Many of you probably know it. I had always seen it listed, but ignored it. I have now watched several episodes, often with my daughter and husband. I am really enjoying it. Phil travels around the world meeting chefs and local people and his enthusiasm toward whatever he is eating just puts a smile on my face. I recommend it!


49 comments:

  1. Just found your blog. Really enjoyed this article. So nice you have chickens would love to see and hear about them. Wow you gotta a lot of tomatoes. This summer our tomatoes didn't do to well. Thanks for sharing

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    1. Thank you! Sorry your tomatoes weren't great this summer.

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  2. That is certainly a lot of tomatoes - big fat, perfect tomatoes. Lately tomatoes are giving me dreadful heartburn - so I am missing my usual feast of toasted tomatoes with lots of mao. I chuckled that you shook your head at the bus driver wearing a mask - it seems that mask wearing is the normal & I shake my head when I see someone not wearing ... Mary-Lou =^[..]^=

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  3. I am jealous....I had one or two tomatoes last year and the year before and was so excited to have three on my plants this year. And then some animal ate half of each one.Bah! And Humbug! I love Somebody Feed Phil. I think a new season comes soon....

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  4. Do you can or freeze your surplus? Or make tomato jam or something.. you are going to be well tomatoed out by the time you get through even the ones pictured. And the green ones at the end? Yeras ago i cound a recipe in t'internet for green tomato marmalade (with orange and possibly lemon i think) and it was fantastic stuff on hot toast. Green tomatoes seem to be something you only have (or can get) if you grow your own.

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    1. I've made lots of other stuff (see previous blogs) with my tomatoes, this is just the last of them.

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  5. What’s the difference between knowledge and wisdom?
    Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is
    not putting it in a fruit salad..

    Why did the tomato go out with a prune?
    Because he couldn’t find a date..

    Why Did The Tomato Blush?
    Because he saw the salad dressing..

    What did the pasta say to the tomato?
    “Don’t get saucy with me!”

    How do you fix a broken tomato?
    Tomato paste!

    I~LOVE~TOMATOES..Stuffed tomatoes being my
    favourite..My neighbour gave me a bag full
    from his allotment yesterday!
    Two of which l've had with my fry up this
    morning..! Yum! :). 🍅 🍅 🍅 🍅 🍅 🍅

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    1. I like the 'wisdom' one. So true.

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    2. Oh, very good! I also like fried tomatoes. A friend does thick slices of tomato on the top rack of the barbecue with cheese on top.

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  6. A lovely crop and good to have enough to put by. I have tried dehydrating some of mine as an experiment, then using them in cooking...when I manage to grow enough I will certainly do that

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    1. I don't have a dehydrator. I wonder if I would use one?

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  7. I am told that cooked tomatoes help guard against prostate cancer in men (well obviously men I suppose). We all know the other precaution.

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    1. You made me chuckle at that. I believe it's the resveratrol in tomatoes. Also to be found in red wine!

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  8. Glad to hear that school is going well. That must be a relief. Your tomatoes are beautiful. What variety did you grow? Fall is definitely here, and its a good one for 'leaf peeping'.

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    1. I believe they were Big Beef and Mortgage Lifter. I grew them from seed during "lock down".

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  9. Tomato pie is so yummy! Like you, this year I had an abundance of tomatoes after many years of nary a one!

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    1. Yes, just like you! I honestly was so disappointed last year, experiencing two years with little to no tomatoes, that it was so wonderful having a great year this year.

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  10. My chooks go to bed early now and a few are moulting. From seven grown up girls, I have recently added two chicks, I am now getting one egg a day.

    I am boiling, skinning, tomatoes and freezing as well as making a similar sauce to yours for pasta and also batches of sausage and tomato stew. With two allotment plots between three of us we have had the most tomatoes we have ever had. I shouldn't need to buy tinned tomatoes for a long time and of course we are eating them in our lunch sandwiches too.

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  11. We roasted two big batches of tomatoes yesterday (along with some garlic, onions and a single chilli) and then put it through a food mill to make a wonderful soup. Straight into the freezer ready for those cold winter days that are coming.

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    1. I definitely need to buy a food mill. What else do you use it for?

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  12. Will have to check out the Feed Phil on Netflix. Enjoy cooking shows that cook and use good fresh ingredients. I think because I look at time spent is spent on something I can learn from. I don’t watch to be entertained. I know I am an odd duck.

    I will borrow your recipe for the pasta sauce if I may. Now that I have my freezer I can do some freezer storage instead of canning everything.

    So glad to hear someone else has “nekkid” chickens too! Production down and the coop inside looks as if a massive pillow fight was held in it.

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    1. I am amazed at how many feathers are gone! I think it's mostly my non-brown chickens. When I only had the standard brown hens (produced to be commercial layers, I guess), they never went through this kind of molt. Now that I had Columbian and Barred Rock, those are the ones that are molting the most.

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  13. I just wash my tomatoes, bag them up and freeze whole. When we need them. dump them into some hot water and the skin pops right off.

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    1. I've only done that once, freezing them, and I never really used them. They just ended up in the bottom of the freezer under everything else. I don't know why, I just tend to use the canned stuff first.

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  14. Congrats on your bumper crop of tomatoes this year!

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  15. Such a wonderful tomato crop this year! I never heard of tomato pie. Hmmm, I'll have to go look that one up. I love that you take good care of your chickens. Enjoy your weekend, hugs, Edna B.

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    1. I had never heard of tomato pie either, but essentially it's tomatoes layered with green onion and basil, and then topped with shredded cheese mixed with some mayonnaise or miracle whip (in a pie crust). It is surprisingly good.

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  16. Tomato pie....interesting. I must look into that.

    God bless.

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    1. Yes, it was new to me, too. See the explanation above.

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  17. Thanks for the Netflix recommendation - I'll look for it! You are making good use of all of your tomatoes. Well done!

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    1. Yes, I will be happy when they are all used up in one way or another. I'll get my counter top back.

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  18. I almost miss having a garden. But, I am thrilled for yours.

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    1. What did you grow when you did have a garden, Joanne?

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  19. Hello! I am happy to hear you have completed a month back at school, and things seem to be adjusting to the new normal. Your tomatoes look amazing! Tomato sandwiches are my favorite lunch lately. I enjoyed hearing about your fall experiences. I am enjoying fall here as well. Have a cozy weekend.

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    1. Thank you. I need to check out your blog to see where you are from. The fall colours are still pretty good here, still.

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  20. I'm happy to hear things are going reasonably well in this new normal. I suspect it will be this way for some time yet.

    The tomato sauce looks delicious. I made a sauce too but from canned tomatoes with a bit of tomato paste and some Italian spices. It was good, but I suspect yours with home grown tomatoes tasted even better.

    There is a different sense to a fall evening, isn't there? Perhaps it is the odor of the leaves and other vegetation beginning to deteriorate, along with the cooler air. Whatever it is, it's definitely a favorite time of year.

    Take care and stay well.

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    1. Even more of a fall sense tonight, I could smell the smoke from someone's wood stove!

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  21. Hi Jenn :) I'm so envious of your tomatoes! I didn't get any this year, the frost killed all of my garden...oh well, next year! Putting the chickens to bed each night sounds like a nice life. :) It's fall here too but the Atlantic winds just blew all of the leaves off the trees overnight, looks like winter out there without the snow!

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  22. I envy your lovely tomato crop! We've tried growing them, but we just don't get enough sun on our shady property. We usually get home-grown delicious tomatoes from our relatives out of state, but can't now because of the pandemic. The ones we picked up at the farmers markets were a real disappointment. Enjoy your bounty!

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  23. Toasted tomato (and basil!) sandwich is my favorite. I am so envious. I got two tomatoes on my plant, one the size of the bowl of a teaspoon and the other about the size of a head of garlic. Not elephant garlic. It looks divine and you will enjoy it for months to come. (I had to buy my tomatoes!)

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  24. I never tire of tomato posts; they are like food porn to me.

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  25. It wasn't a good season for tomatoes here. Some years we have so many we can share but not the case this time. I like seeing what you're harvesting and cooking.
    We have the Chicken's door on a timer but as these days it gets dark earlier, sometimes it needs adjusting. Also, Jim moves the tractor every Saturday and its best to check to make sure the door still closes that night.
    Sammie

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  26. Oh, what lovely tomatoes! We are still getting a few, but nothing like your bounty. I agree about targeted shutdowns. It seems to work in many other countries.

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  27. Nice post and beautiful tomatoes

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