Today is another tomato story. The last for the season I should think. This morning, after a quick ride on my gorgeous new Mothers' Day present, we packed a picnic and headed to the coast. Our destination :: the gorgeous blueberry farm where our tomato patch was planted all those months ago. Our mission :: pick all the remaining green tomatoes.
Despite ambitions dreams, it wasn't a great crop this year, they got off to a slow start, and there wasn't nearly enough tomatoes to preserve. We kept hoping they would ripen, but today we called it, time to call it a day for those tomato plants.
First though, a delicious picnic that included rooster salad and rhubarb cake, sitting under the vibrant deep red blueberry bushes. Then we stripped the sad scraggly tomato plants and filled lots of buckets, about 20 kilos was the end tally, if only they were red! Work finished, we headed to the little beach across the road to enjoy the lingering late autumn sun.
We'll lay those hard green tomatoes out in a warm sunny spot and hope they will continue to ripen, those that don't will make green tomato jam or green tomato pickle.
Still a little work to do, so I guess it's not really the end of the tomato story at all.
Gorgeous photos of a gorgeous day Michelle.
ReplyDeleteWhile I was picking tomatoes this afternoon I caught myself wondering if these were the last. I think I'm almost tomatoed up til next year. I'll miss the bright red fresh ones like anything tho. xx
Fresh tomatoes are the best - but you have so many preserves you'll be remembering summer all winter! xx
DeleteI do love a tomato story & your pics are beautiful, they always are...
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words Reannon!
DeleteIt sounds like such a lovely day...Happy Mother's Day to you!
ReplyDeleteYour photos always portray such a beautiful life full of garden goodies and lovely family times. I love your stories. xo
Thank you so much Sarah - I hope your Mother's Day was special too x
DeleteBeautiful pictures,What was the cake? it looks amazing
ReplyDeletehttp://annabellethumb.blogspot.co.uk/
Hi Anna Belle - it's a rhubarb and polenta cake from Nigel Slater's Tender. Delicious and easy!
DeleteOh Happy Mothers Day to you, what a lovely way to spend the day.
ReplyDeleteIt was Brydie - thanks for reading!
DeleteSounds like the perfect way to celebrate mothers day.
ReplyDeleteYour new set of wheels are lovely.
x
Thank you Zara!
DeleteI love that cake. Crumbly goodness. I love that salad too! xx
ReplyDeleteIt's Nigel's Rhubarb and Polenta cake - so good!
Deletexx
Lots of deliciousness going on here Michelle! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm still dreaming about it Naomi!
DeleteWe've just pulled our last tomato plants out too
ReplyDeleteAnd the girls have had their last tomato rolls in their lunch boxes
Looks like you had a beautiful day - love the new bike
Thanks Ally - it's always a bit sad to pull out the tomato plants - but it's almost time to start thinking about sowing them again!
DeleteNice mothers day present, I love the Aus bell :) Hope your tomatoes ripen!
ReplyDeleteI think the Aus bell is my favourite part of the bike!
DeleteMine are hanging under the verandah slowly ripening.
ReplyDeleteI know exactly where that farm and beach are. Beautiful part of the world :)
I've pulled some whole plants out too - we'll see how they go. Yes, very lucky to live near such a beautiful part of the world.
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perfect! love your new bike and I am jealous of your harvest! We have yet to plant our tomatoes this spring. Must.get.on.it! xo
ReplyDeleteHi there
ReplyDeleteI read that if you put them in a box with a greenish banana and close the box, it can ripen them. I've been doing that with a banana box full (single layer of green toms) and it has actually worked fairly well. I've changed the banana once and the toms keep ripening. Not quite as nice as vine ripened but they're still quite tasty and make a nice roasted tomato sauce.