Big Red and I wish you a good morning
after nearly losing him...
I'm quite happy he is still with us
maybe next post, I'll tell you how we nearly lost him
he is looking brightly cheerful and red here after his bout
another cheerfully red view are the tomatoes in the veggie garden
they have been doing quite well this year
last year, we had some pest problems
this time, my husband used Neem oil to spray the plants as they grew...
up until they started to bud and we never had any pest problem...
insects or leaf diseases
and Neem is a natural repellent...
so we didn't have to concern ourselves with chemicals on our plants
if you google Neem, you can find info on this plant oil
our tomatoes are juicy and sweet and...
because I don't want them going to waste...
would love to have canned tomatoes at this time but...
because we will be moving soon and...
don't want to carry too many heavy jars of canned foods over the river and...
through the woods for almost a half mile, literally...
it behooves me to think of any way I can to use them up
recently, I discovered just how much roasted tomatoes taste good
so a good many of them have been getting cut into quarters...
laid on parchment paper...
drizzled with olive oil, salted and peppered...
and roasted in a 400 degree fahrenheit (200 celsius) oven for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours
can't beat the taste of this yummy stuff
it would make a nice roasted tomato soup
I don't mind the skins at all...
they get eaten, too
after these were done, I couldn't help it...
just had to have a plate of roasted tomatoes topped with capers
if I hadn't run out of my homemade farm cheese...
would've put some of that on top, too
the tomatoes are also going into soup pots
2 onions, chopped and sauteed in 2 TBsp butter till soft
add cauliflower florets and young cauliflower leaves
I snip the leaves with scissors
add salt and pepper...
add a cup of tomato sauce and...
enough meat or vegetable broth to cover...
and cook at a low simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes
at the end of the simmer, I like to add minced garlic and chopped fresh basil leaves
sorry to have forgotten to take a photo for a better end view result after cooking
homemade cornbread is really good with tomato soup...
and I like lots of butter on mine
*****
here is a quick update on our new cottage
the walls were made a tad higher than they were supposed to be...
making the windows look smaller than I wanted
we may add ventilation windows above them to add some height
the paint on the cottage is a primer...
it will have a different color than white in the end
we are a way off from finished but, close enough to think about moving
May your day or night find grace in the Lord
