Roasted Tomatoes and Soup

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

Blushing Tomatoes...

our tomato plants have done well these past couple of months...
they were loaded with tomatoes when we got back to the homestead from our trip

the ones we do not sell, we eat

I like to clean them off with a clean, dry cloth just to get any dust and dirt off...

and then, the nice ones get separated from the blemished ones...

and a few get put aside for the chickens

although the imperfect tomatoes are just as good...

customers prefer the ones without blemishes...

perception seems to be what counts

the rest go to my kitchen to be made into tomato sauces and bean soup broth

with just enough water to cover the bottom of the crockpot and pre-heated on high...

the blemishes get cut off and stems removed from the tomatoes

the tomatoes are then placed into the pre-heated crockpot to simmer for about an hour or...

until the skins start to peel away

it will only take a few minutes to soften the peel by stovetop...

but, I like to keep cook my tomatoes in a crockpot to simmer safely while I do other things...

and I like the way the tomatoes come out the long way in a crockpot

after simmering, the tomatoes are removed from the crockpot...

the juice in the crockpot from the simmering is saved...

once the tomatoes are cooled,...

the skins are removed and the tomatoes pureed in a blender

the tomato puree is put into containers along with the left over juice from the simmering...

and a bit of sea salt stirred in...

then it's refrigerated for the week's soups and sauces 

here's looking at gorgeous, blushing tomatoes

May your day or night find grace in the Lord.

Solution...

We have a small tomato patch in the back of the cottage

we love eating tomatoes...

but, so do the chickens

and because we range free our fowl feathered creatures...

I needed a solution to their tomato thefts

cheesecloth was my best solution

I cut the cheesecloth into smaller pieces and loosely wrap tomatoes as they start to turn pink

since then, the thieving has stopped

yeah, little peeper...

you get the bugs and I get the tomatoes

May the Lord bless your day, or night.

Mucho Plum Tomatoes...

Every day for the past few days...

we've been picking enough tomatoes...

more than enough

when you have more than can be used up in a couple days...

there is one way to keep them...

dry them

Now, usually I wait until they are fully ripe...

but, I was in a hurry to please my husband...

he wanted some dried tomatoes to put on his fried plantain chips

so, I just slathered some olive oil on the rack...

cut the tomatoes in half and scooped out the middle...

sprinkled sea salt over them...

put them in a pre-heated oven on the lowest temperature...

and let them dry until...

they were shriveled dry...

like so down below

it's that simple...

and good!

something about drying plum tomatoes that make the taste come out of the shell

Have a great day, or night.