tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post6088723251021129265..comments2024-03-17T05:30:42.919-04:00Comments on The Gardening Me: Harvest Monday - August 24, 2015Margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-2052650962025889372015-08-30T09:09:59.758-04:002015-08-30T09:09:59.758-04:00Tomatoes can be tricky and they are quite the dise...Tomatoes can be tricky and they are quite the disease magnet unless your weather is just right. I find it pretty surprising the difference in performance between varieties, so it's worth trying lots of different ones as you are bound to eventually hit "THE" variety that really suits your growing conditions. And I'm just loving the tiny jars!Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-42993842067156122432015-08-30T08:11:44.972-04:002015-08-30T08:11:44.972-04:00Oh, your tomatoes are so lovely! I have the hardes...Oh, your tomatoes are so lovely! I have the hardest time growing them, but I keep at it. One day I may get a decent tomato off of them. I think your plum jelly looks yummy! I don't eat very much either. I think next jelly/jam I make that I may try the smaller jars too.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04146196192793312353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-15086928591122979662015-08-27T16:00:01.488-04:002015-08-27T16:00:01.488-04:00Eek...I think I prefer the beetles & not havin...Eek...I think I prefer the beetles & not having to worry about being stung ;)Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-3216343532577511112015-08-27T15:59:41.861-04:002015-08-27T15:59:41.861-04:00Thanks Phuong! That's the thing with tomatoes...Thanks Phuong! That's the thing with tomatoes - so many things can influence their flavour that it's sometimes hard to know if bland flavour is because of the weather, soil or variety. Big Rainbow sounds good. I'm so glad that even with all that rain, you still have some yummy toms coming out of your garden!Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-14257685383222328702015-08-27T15:57:29.474-04:002015-08-27T15:57:29.474-04:00Yes, those darn japanese beetles. I think the big...Yes, those darn japanese beetles. I think the biggest problem was that I didn't start doing the ol' picking them off and dropping them into a container of soapy water soon enough & they probably notified all their friends. Next year, I'll have to be more on the ball.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-5739765109290515932015-08-27T15:56:52.063-04:002015-08-27T15:56:52.063-04:00Thank's Mac - I haven't tasted any of the ...Thank's Mac - I haven't tasted any of the Costoluto tomatoes this year as I'm hoarding them for sauce, but last year I wrote down that they actually taste pretty good, so in this case, their beauty is not only skin deep ;)Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-39968439822991760862015-08-27T15:56:18.558-04:002015-08-27T15:56:18.558-04:00Thanks Lou! I found that I prefer freezing strawb...Thanks Lou! I found that I prefer freezing strawberries to making jam with them - you can use them in so many ways then, and they stay "au natural". But the plum jelly is just amazing - we had some yesterday, even though it was mid-week. It's still summer vacation, so that's our excuse ;) I do recall making raspberry jam in the past (also no pectin) and really liking it, so I think I will try that at some point again. I can't wait until we have enough fruit to make jams & jellies for Christmas - maybe next year, if we are lucky. Ugh...those slugs just get into everything, don't they. That's the one benefit of having a dry year - they are much scarcer then.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-92137977845004630132015-08-27T15:19:36.102-04:002015-08-27T15:19:36.102-04:00No Japanese beetles we have wasps instead. Pity ab...No Japanese beetles we have wasps instead. Pity about the sugar free pectin.Sue Garretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164518448098182276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-70681480717869561142015-08-26T20:16:41.409-04:002015-08-26T20:16:41.409-04:00Love seeing your big bowl full of plums and basket...Love seeing your big bowl full of plums and baskets full of tomatoes. Your tomatoes are looking picture perfect. I've done a lot of canning but never tried making jams or jellies, yours look luscious.<br /><br />Isn't it funny how some tomatoes can surprise us with their flavor. A lot of the tomatoes were somewhat bland for me this year because of the tons of rain we got, but there were a few standouts. Like Big Rainbow, a pale yellow tomato with streaks of color and tart tomato goodness.Phuonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07658691564062044986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-68425813536550908362015-08-26T13:45:43.620-04:002015-08-26T13:45:43.620-04:00I grew Taxi a few years ago and that's how I r...I grew Taxi a few years ago and that's how I remember it - bright yellow like a Taxi cab and very tasty! I love making fruit sorbets too. Too bad the beetles like the plums as much as you do!Dave @ HappyAcreshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03441364543023807886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-37445870194199852642015-08-26T13:14:29.380-04:002015-08-26T13:14:29.380-04:00Wow, perfectly jelled plum jelly and beautiful Cos...Wow, perfectly jelled plum jelly and beautiful Costoluto tomatoes, I grew them once, they are so pretty but don't remember the taste. Machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08837486464329151966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-65208009822152043792015-08-26T11:58:59.854-04:002015-08-26T11:58:59.854-04:00Oh wow, that's a good harvest and lovely dishe...Oh wow, that's a good harvest and lovely dishes made from it. I'm not going to make many preserves this year for the same reason as you - all the sugar, plus even with giving lots away I end up with loads of jars still. I just found a jar of quince jelly from 2011, which is still good! But hopefully I will make apple and elderberry jelly, it has a really good flavour and I can't think of much else to use elderberries for, it makes a great Xmas pressie too. <br />All your toms look amazing. The ones that are a bit green remind me of the ones in continental Europe, that often have a green tinge but lovely flavour.<br />I've had a tomato damaged similar to your pepper but rather than sitting on the ground it's leaning on the glass wall of the lean-to. I reckon a slug is eating it at night!Lou@RainbowChardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01435858511588433002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-18159947579463665312015-08-26T10:15:14.403-04:002015-08-26T10:15:14.403-04:00Thanks Rachel - when it comes to peppers and tomat...Thanks Rachel - when it comes to peppers and tomatoes, there definitely is no shortage of varieties to experiment with!<br /><br />I've picked a few more Costoluto Genovese off the plant and each morning I'm out there doing the examination to see if there is that bit of blush on them. I really hope they hurry up as each day that passes makes me more and more anxious about my other tomato plants.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-11502070191892889492015-08-26T10:12:43.085-04:002015-08-26T10:12:43.085-04:00I haven't used our ice cream maker in years, s...I haven't used our ice cream maker in years, so it was good to bring it out and use it making a relatively healthy dessert with our own fruit. Basil ice cream sounds interesting - you'll have to let us know how it turns out.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-28460984843576819022015-08-26T10:11:37.850-04:002015-08-26T10:11:37.850-04:00Very true, Jenny - I want to taste those strawberr...Very true, Jenny - I want to taste those strawberries & plums, otherwise, what's the point?Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-70455473950821392722015-08-26T10:10:17.312-04:002015-08-26T10:10:17.312-04:00Thanks Jo! I love growing tomatoes - I think that...Thanks Jo! I love growing tomatoes - I think that is one crop where I will always want to try at least one or two new varieties, even if I really like the ones that I am already growing. At some point, I'm sure it will be difficult to decide which varieties get dropped from that years grow list so that I can keep doing that.<br /><br />Our plum trees are fairly new (5 years) and after getting a few plums as a teaser 2 years ago, we had nothing last year, which was very disappointing. Fingers crossed that your plum trees will step up next year and give you a nice harvest.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-64969391321982608932015-08-25T17:19:28.684-04:002015-08-25T17:19:28.684-04:00The plums look wonderful and I bet the jelly and s...The plums look wonderful and I bet the jelly and sorbet is tasty. I love the variety and colors of your peppers too. I am sorry to read about the blight on your tomatoes. The humidity has been brutal on the garden this summer. I hope you are able to coax out a few more Costoluto Genovese. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01129119492962711399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-73736020731388109142015-08-25T17:02:35.930-04:002015-08-25T17:02:35.930-04:00We just purchased an ice cream maker. I never woul...We just purchased an ice cream maker. I never would have thought of plums.<br /><br />We may however, make some basil ice cream soon. That'll be a first.A.J. Coltranehttp://cheapseateats.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-46474511792316391042015-08-25T12:55:51.317-04:002015-08-25T12:55:51.317-04:00What a wonderful harvest and fantastic looking jel...What a wonderful harvest and fantastic looking jelly. I also don't like to use too much sugar so a bit of real-fruit taste shows through. Jenny Rottingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09559432369642740389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-47733851411316896602015-08-25T12:06:21.296-04:002015-08-25T12:06:21.296-04:00I think the plum jelly and sorbet look delicious, ...I think the plum jelly and sorbet look delicious, I haven't had a single plum from my tree this year, fingers crossed for next year. I can see what you mean about the double Bloody Butcher tomatoes, none of mine have grown that way this year but I'm really impressed with them, I'll definitely grow them again. You seem to have grown a nice selection of tomatoes, different colours and different sizes, it's good to have a bit of variation.Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17436932004631816039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-17702606471535368672015-08-25T10:46:09.155-04:002015-08-25T10:46:09.155-04:00Thanks Norma - I was so pleased that both the sorb...Thanks Norma - I was so pleased that both the sorbet and jelly were delicious as both were a first for me, both in the making and the eating.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-28546282850868383542015-08-25T10:41:23.722-04:002015-08-25T10:41:23.722-04:00Thanks Susie - I'm actually a bit worried abou...Thanks Susie - I'm actually a bit worried about my plum tree. I've had to trim off some black knot this year & am worried that it will spread. I've already made a note to get another tree planted next year, just in case.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-78827569108542846642015-08-25T10:40:36.387-04:002015-08-25T10:40:36.387-04:00Thank you Daisy! A variety of colours really adds...Thank you Daisy! A variety of colours really adds to the visual interest on the plate. The trick is to find varieties that both look and taste good. Trickier than is sounds as so much can affect a tomatoes flavour like weather, soil, etc.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-3523575667684633522015-08-25T10:39:29.253-04:002015-08-25T10:39:29.253-04:00The yellow tomatoes are really good, with a light,...The yellow tomatoes are really good, with a light, fruity taste - you should give them a go as they really add to the beauty AND taste of a tomato salad!Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-34301143456089487062015-08-25T10:38:18.264-04:002015-08-25T10:38:18.264-04:00I really LOVE the look of the Costoluto Genovese t...I really LOVE the look of the Costoluto Genovese too - so beautiful. I grew them last year and found their raw taste to be really nice, which I was quite happy about - I always think it's such a shame when beautiful veg don't live up to their looks in the taste department. Unlike last year, when I basically combined whatever tomatoes were ripe when I made sauce, this time round I'm setting each variety aside to make variety specific sauce. I will definitley report back my results.<br /><br />Those plum rolls sound delicious! I actually had one last small picking of the Burbanks that are currently in the fridge. I think I will try making some.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.com