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Post by steff on Jul 23, 2012 18:33:20 GMT -5
My goal today was turning 167 roma tomatoes (yes I did really count them...lol) into spaghetti sauce for the freezer. Right now there's 2 big pots of sauce bubbling away on the stove. In a couple of hours it should be done. I haven't taken any pics today because I'm over run with tomatoes...lol
Picture 3 big bowls full like I've shown before. That's today sauce. Then my bar is covered in more tomatoes almost ripe (those will be salsa on Wednesday). Today hubby picked me 2 10 gallon buckets of tomatoes. Once the sauce is done & put away, then I'll start sorting tomatoes.
Death by tomato......
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Post by Forever Sunshine on Jul 23, 2012 18:43:28 GMT -5
LMAO! Awwww Poor Steff! Just think how much you're going to enjoy all this during winter. Do you get winter down there?
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Post by steff on Aug 2, 2012 15:07:19 GMT -5
Over the weekend, I turned 258 tomatoes into 8 quarts of spaghetti sauce for the freezer. Last night I finished turning 126 tomatoes into 12 half pints of salsa. Today I just finished a 5 gallon bucket of green beans into 7 freezer bags of beans. Now onto okra......I'm going to need a vacation once the garden is done.....
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Post by Forever Sunshine on Aug 2, 2012 16:17:01 GMT -5
Holy cow! Good job, Steff!
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Post by steff on Aug 13, 2012 17:24:50 GMT -5
Now the sunflowers have all turned face down. Got them covered in paper bags & drying out. This is one of nine heads we have.....
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Post by Forever Sunshine on Sept 2, 2012 8:34:59 GMT -5
Steff, did you get all your canning done?
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Post by Forever Sunshine on Nov 14, 2012 14:55:28 GMT -5
Ahhhhhhhh I managed, with the help of a couple of good-natured neighbors, to get the gardens ready for winter. A load off my mind!
Now, I'm going to scrub the bathroom, take a long soak afterwards and get ready to go see grandson's biddy basketball game. Should be fun! ;D
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Post by steff on Mar 11, 2013 16:45:27 GMT -5
We're getting cranked up for gardening season here. Making our lists & coming up with what new veggies we're going to add this year. I'm also trying out some new planting ideas I found online. I planted all my herbs in self watering 2 liter bottle "pots". I also planted 2 kinds of lettuce in a self watering Hi-C bottle...LOL I also found this really neat thing about regrowing lettuce you buy at the grocery store. You just take the root end of a head of leaf lettuce like romaine & put it into a bowl with a little water & lots of sunlight. In less than a week, I already have an inch of lettuce regrowth from my first try. Day 1: Day 3: Day 4:
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Post by Forever Sunshine on Mar 11, 2013 17:00:00 GMT -5
Wow! I had no idea! I think I'll give it a try!
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Post by steff on Mar 22, 2013 16:57:36 GMT -5
added 3 more heads of lettuce...first one is about 3 weeks in now....
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Post by steff on Mar 22, 2013 17:01:53 GMT -5
I have a very bright & sunny & rather large laundry room. It has the perfect shelf right next to the big windows. I found ideas for a self contained, self watering herb garden in 2 liter soda bottles (recycle, REUSE, renew). I also have red leaf lettuce growing in an empty Hi-C bottle.... red leaf lettuce Basil, thyme, cilantro, chives and tarragon....
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Post by mox on Mar 23, 2013 16:17:14 GMT -5
I like Prego...extra chunky tomatoes.
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Post by steff on Mar 28, 2013 23:44:44 GMT -5
So I found a copycat recipe for the house salad dressing at The Olive Garden. And it tastes exactly like the real stuff. And makes a HUGE jar of it. And my regrowing lettuce is just chugging along....
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Post by Forever Sunshine on Mar 29, 2013 8:02:20 GMT -5
Maybe you could share the recipe with us?
That lettuce is awesome! I haven't tried it yet.
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Post by steff on Mar 29, 2013 11:22:29 GMT -5
Copycat Olive Garden house salad dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil 1 cup vegetable oil 3/4 cup white wine vinegar 1 teaspoon dried Italian spices 1 teaspoon salt black pepper 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon mayonnaise 9 tablespoons water (that’s 1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon) 2 envelopes Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix (each envelope is .7 oz)
Combine all ingredients in a blender on high until combined, about 30 seconds. Let it sit in the fridge for about an hour before using....longer I let it set, the more like the real thing it tasted.
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Post by steff on Apr 2, 2013 14:26:56 GMT -5
and gardening season has officially begun! Expanded the main garden a bit...it's now 75x35 feet. We also put in a small 20x20 garden bed separate from the main garden for the vine plants like cukes, squash, cantalopes, and watermelons. main garden plot 2nd smaller garden plot just because it was sooooo pretty
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Post by steff on Apr 22, 2013 15:48:54 GMT -5
After weeks of tilling, fertilizing, more tilling, mulching, even more tilling.....today was planting day! We've got: grape tomatoes regular cherry tomatoes purple cherry tomatoes! romas (out the wazoo!) Big boy tomatoes Ruetgers heirloom tomatoes better girl tomatoes french green beans stringless green beans snow peas black eyed peas purple hull peas (cowpeas) radishes 3 kinds of corn: Silver Queen Sugar sweet yellow & white mix jalapeno peppers habenaro peppers mini bell peppers cayenne peppers sweet red cherry peppers hot red cherry peppers serrano peppers crook neck squash regular cucumbers Boston pickling cucumbers sugar baby watermelons cantalope I got everything to plant my potatoes in a laundry basket too. I have 2 kinds of lettuce growing in the laundry room. I added more chives & dill to my soda bottle herb garden too. so 2-3 months from now, I'll be swimming in tomatoes again!
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Post by weltschmerz on Apr 23, 2013 17:08:49 GMT -5
I still have a bit of snow......
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Post by steff on Apr 26, 2013 11:46:00 GMT -5
Here's current pics of my soda bottle recycle/reuse herb garden..... Looking good! Cilantro & my scraggly chives.... Basil, thyme & tarragon at the far right One of my lettuces...2nd one hasn't sprouted enough yet to show off. my dill is sprouting, but not the extra chives I planted.... and flowers in the laundry room because flowers make me happy....
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mmhmm
Not so new Crapster
Posts: 220
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Post by mmhmm on Jun 14, 2013 1:12:14 GMT -5
OMG, steff! Thanks for the info about regrowing lettuce! Mother and I love Boston lettuce, and I'm going to try that next time I buy it. I'd love to grow it! Too cool! I'm also going to try the dressing recipe. That really sounds good!
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