“Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.’ – Margaret J. Wheatley
Saturdays on the farm are always my favorite. There is no need to set an alarm as I am usually up before the dawn anyway. The house is blissfully quiet as I tiptoe to the coffee pot, pour a cup of coffee and ease into my favorite chair to watch the sun rise over the mountains. As the sky evolves in color from grey to pink, orange to red, finally settling on its shade of blue, I have time to reflect on the week that has past and the week to come.
Today my reflection is on the cold weather that is certainly coming and the need to harvest warm weather crops before the frost sets in. I have left my peppers on the vine as long as I dare, as this past week I have had to cover them twice to keep the frost at bay. Today will be spent harvesting, roasting, drying, chopping and freezing peppers. Tomatoes are still going crazy, so these will have to be attended to as well. Fortunately, last week was spent sun drying tomatoes so I am able to check this task off my list.
Sun drying tomatoes is surprisingly simple to do. The biggest hassle is in keeping the insects away. I use cheesecloth to cover the tomatoes and cover the frames with an additional light garden cloth. Works like a charm. If you need something to dry tomatoes on, check out the homemade drying frames here. Once the tomatoes are dried, put a few in olive oil for a great addition to pasta or salad dishes, I like to eat them straight out of the jar, they are so sweet and better than candy.
Saturday would not be complete without a special nod to one of my favorite blog sites. This weeks nod goes to Earthward. Valeries recipes for pure food are always delicious with beautiful photography. While Earthward does post about local happenings, her tips on seasonal foods like Seasonal eats: 10 reasons to stock up on fresh local tomatoes are informative and worth taking a closer look at.
Enjoy your Saturday and don’t forget to take a few moments for reflecting. I would love to hear what weekend plans you come up with so drop me a line and lets have a nice little chat.
How to Sun Dry Tomatoes shared with:
*Imperfectly Happy: Green Thumb Thursday
You make it seem so easy! I want to try this! I have lots of tomatoes right now, so Im gonna give it a go. Thanks for the info!
Thanks for joining us at Green Thumb Thursday, We’d love to have you link up again this week!
~Lisa M
Lisa Murano recently posted…Green Thumb Thursday
Thanks Lisa. Feel free to give me a shout if you have any questions. I love to help.
Blessings,
Shari