Cultivating Passion

The tomato harvest has been in full swing here in Zone 7. I love having lots of extras to share with friends and neighbors. A gift of home-grown tomatoes is a great way to make some friends, too! I got this fantastic recipe from Organic Gardening magazine several years ago. If you make it you may find out you have more friends that you thought!

Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

Serve on salads, pizza or as antipasto - anything on which you want a concentrated taste of tomatoes.

40 ripe paste tomatoes
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (plus enough to cover tomatoes after they have been put in jars)
20 basil leaves, washed and dried

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
2. Cut tomatoes in half from top to bottom. Use your fingers to scoop out the seeds and juice but leave the fleshy middle divers in place. Place the halves into a large bowl and season them with the salt and pepper, mixing thoroughly. Coat them with olive oil. (I use one of those handy kitchen pump misters to distribute the oil evenly.)
3. Place the halves cut side up onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 8 hours. Do not open the oven during this period. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and allow to cool.
4. Layer the tomatoes into clean half-pint glass canning jars, alternating each tomato slice with a basil leaf. Cover the layers with olive oil, leaving 1/4" extra oil on top. Tap the jars to dislodge any air bubbles. Tightly screw on clean lids. Place the jars into the refrigerator, where they will keep for up to 2 months. Or, you can freeze them if you are using can-freeze jars.
5. Bring to room temperature before eating. After eating the tomatoes and basil, you can use the olive oil for salad dressings.

Enjoy!

Posted by ammyers at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It all began with an old pickle jar, a strip of orange construction paper, and one dried lima bean. The paper was cut to fit snugly against the inside of the jar. The seed was slipped between the jar and the paper so it could be seen from the outside, and a sprinkle of water was added. It was a simple formula for a miracle.

Miss Anne, my kindergarten teacher, patiently equipped each 5 year old classmate with all the ingredients to create this everyday miracle. I was fascinated watching the tender white root split its shell into perfect halves and make daily progress downward, seeking non-existent soil. Fragile pale green leaves revealed themselves a bit more each day, drawn irresistibly toward the sunlight that angled across the wooden bookcase. I was enchanted. That humble seed knew just what to do.

Buried deep in every soul is a seed that knows just what to do. Too often it lies stunted under thick, moldy layers of ‘shoulds’, ‘musts’, unrealistic expectations and undeserved rejections. Yet it patiently waits to be summoned.

As a gardener of the soul as well as the soil, I dig each day, seeking the mystical pod that holds such perfect instinct. Gardening is a fine tool for this discovery. I find peace in the garden and am grateful for the occasional flutter of insight that comes when I slip into nature’s warm, easy rhythm

I humbly offer these musings to you. They are a peek into my journey and observations. Welcome. Feel free to pick a flower or two as you stroll through. And, take all the zucchini you want.

Posted by ammyers at 05:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)