You say tomayto, I say tomahto

Last year I grew tomatoes in my office window. I had so much fun and learned a lot so I figured I'd try it again this year. Below are my results.

Back in May I posted Fresh Starts, which included the planting of new tomato seedlings: Roma tomatoes and Golden Sunrise tomatoes. Taking lessons learned last year, I've been making sure to pick out the suckers, which forces the plant's energy to concentrate on growing fruit. After a time, I also started cutting back leaf stems, as they were shadowing the fruit clusters too much. Even still, this is what the vine currently looks like --
Yeah, the plant is so crazy it's tilting in the pot and forcing the supports to go cattywampus. But check out the fruit! Below are just three clusters of ripe tomatoes.
Here's a close up. They've all turned yellow now and have been picked for tonight's dinner. Thinking of making my famous stewed vegetables and use yellow tomatoes this time instead of yellow. Stay tuned for results!
Hmm . . . maybe I should be thinking Fried Green Tomatoes here -- Here's one of the Roma's. Unfortunately, they're not as prolific as the Golden Sunrises, but at least they're now starting to turn red. I'll have two Romas unless the other flowers fruit. What to do, what to do . . .
Last year when I grew my first tomatoes, I didn't realize the flowers had to be polinated. Never occured to me, but being in the office window with the window open on nice days probably encouraged a few flying critters to come in and walk around on the flowers, inadvertantly polinating them. Or it's possible the breeze carried pollen from flower to flower. I have no idea, but we did get a few small tomatoes that were very tasty.

This year I mead a point of using a little (clean) paint brush and touched it to each flower as if it were a bee, and it seems to have worked. That and picking off suckers. Currently, there are some 40-50 green tomatoes left on the vines. I've picked off the first 10 ripe ones for tonight. They're not huge . . . maybe a little bigger than a golf ball . . . but it's the flavor I'm after. I don't eat raw tomatoes so I'm very hopeful for the cooked ones.

Having said that, Peter had one in a sandwhich last weekend and said it was one of the tastiest tomatoes he's ever had, so they must be good!

Other than that, not a lot to report, but I hope you enjoyed seeing the *fruits* of my summer labor.

Visit my post Farm to Fork to see what I did with the tomatoes last year.

Fresh Starts

Spring is here and with it everything that involves fresh starts. And not just all that stuff going on outside with the flowers, trees and little lambs, foals and calves!

Here are a few of my fresh starts for the year --

Last year we grew some tomatoes in our office window. You can see that post here. The vines went wild and we only got a handful of small fruits that looked more like cherry tomatoes than the fist size ones we should have had. So before trying again this year, I read up on the dos and don'ts of tomato growing. Contrary to popular belief, it's not just a matter of putting a seedling in the soil and watering it occasionally. There's an art of pinching back suckers AND they do like the occasional feed. Go figure.

So this year, we picked up two more seedlings. One is for yellow ones called Golden Sunrise and the other is a red called Roma. They were both the same size when we bought them -- about 2 inches -- but the Golden Sunrise seems to be growing leaps and bounds over the Roma. They're both large enough now that I can get out my rings to hold them up. I don't think I'll let them get as high as the ceiling this year though ;-)

Another project on the cards, so to speak, is wool. Anyone who knows me knows what a knitting enthusiast I am. Give me a couple sticks and anything resembling a long, fiberlike substance and I'll make something out of it! I have yet to delve into spinning though, which is where this project comes in.

We take our dogs running at a place called The Curragh, currently a national parkland, was once a place where ancient kings of Ireland raced their chariots and horses. The Curragh today has multiple functions, including being home to the Curragh Racecourse, a golf course and the Curragh Camp where the Irish Army trains (not the IRA, sorry folks, and yes neutral Ireland has an Army!) And some seens in the movie Braveheart were filmed here, amongst other places in Ireland (that was an Irish movie folks. Don't let the Aussie in the skirt fool you!)

Around 50,000 acres makes up The Curragh, most of which is grazing land for sheep to help keep the grass down. County Kildare, by and large, is flat compared to most of the rest of the country -- real Big Sky Country -- but the Curragh is actually made up of short rolling hills and drumlins, and thousands of gorse plants. Gorse is a thorny shrub that blooms amazingly yellow this time of year. Sheep bed down under it for protection at night. As a result, they're constantly getting their wool snagged on the thorns. Which is where I come in!

When we take the dogs running up there I sometimes take a little plastic bag with me and collect the cleaner bits of wool snagged on the gorse. Then I bring it home, wash it and card it into something that can be spun. This sample was from the last collection, which has been washed and ready for carding. In fact, I have carded it now, removing all the seeds, burs and tangles. I just need to find my drop spindle and learn how to spin it! But hey, free wool, a little processing and then I can knit with it!

Incidentally, the peasants of Ireland who couldn't afford to buy prespun wool, or who had their own sheep and wanted to add weight to their fleeces before sale, would gather wool off the gorse, as I have. This is where we get the term 'wool gathering' when we're thought to be day dreaming. Girls who went gathering wool would often daydream in the process. So there you go now, as the man says!


My other project for the year as part of my fresh starts is actually a starter. A sourdough starter, in fact. I was given a packet of Gold Rush starter, which is a dried active yeast from a San Francisco starter that's about a million years old and figured I'd better use it. This picture is a bit dated now, but this starter was born on 27 April 2011 and is growing by leaps and bounds.

I've never done this before so it's all a great learning experience. I'm a firm believer that no matter how old you are, you should ALWAYS learn one new thing a day. Every day I work with this starter I'm learning something -- mostly that I suck as a baker!

Actually, I'm getting better. I've made four loaves of sourdough bread so far, each one tasty, but all of them with problems, which is why I'm not sharing pictures yet! I'll post the recipes i'm using and the process of the perfect loaf when I have a perfect loaf.

That's not to say I haven't used the starter with great success. The very first thing I made with my starter was pancakes! The starter was only five days old but they came out great. I'll put up that picture too when I update this topic with bread pictures. I'm also looking for a good pizza crust recipe, too, so if anyone has one to share . . .

Life is full of ironies. It was just this morning Peter said to me, "We decide to cut back on our carbs and what do you do? Start filling the kitchen with bread." Yep, that's me. Full of irony. And a little contradiction. :-D

Farm to Fork

I'll just let you savor this photo for a minute. Go on, have a look. Don't you wish you could smell it? All the herbs, fresh veg, spuds two ways... It's okay to drool. Have a good look. Yummy!

In Ireland, Farm to Fork is an initiative of traceability of food, literally from sourcing at the farm and tracing each step until it reaches your plate. Since the initiative was introduced, the quality of home grown foods has improved significantly. When I say 'home grown' I mean food grown in Ireland for consumption in Ireland. These foods have a modern history of only being available at farmer's markets, and while supermarkets are keen to sell Irish grown produce, farmer's markets are still THE place to go for the best of the best. Unless you grow it yourself. In this case, I'm talking tomatoes. Or in Irish, trátaí...pronounced traw-tee.

In my last post, I shared a photo of our tomato plant, which we're growing in our office window because it's so bright and warm there. Also on that post is a photo of the first of the tomatoes to fruit on the vine. Well, here are those same tomatoes, ripened and ready for eating.

Aren't they pretty little things? They weren't very big. Perhaps the size of a small lemon. But they were firm and smelled lovely. So I gave them a rinse and prepared them for the meal. A vegetable fritatta with tomato salsa.

I have to stop here and say I've never grown tomatoes before, so this has been a great learning experience for me. I tried growing one vine years ago in my kitchen window when we lived in Macroom, but the window just didn't get a lot of light or heat. The vine grew a little, then died. With our new office window and so much warmth and light, it was the perfect place to grow tomatoes. And the vine has gone insane. It's currently up to the ceiling, curling around the ceiling and will probably need another support so the flowers will develop into tomatoes and have support so they don't break the vine. After this first batch, I'm determined to grow as many tomatoes as possible while I can. And look how gorgeous they are sliced in half. To be honest, there weren't a lot of seeds. and they were so ripe, the skins peeled off in a snap.

So, onto the fritatta. We had leftover new season spuds from the night before and some off cuts of various veg in the fridge that needed to be eaten. I'm tired of stir fry so what a better way to use them up than in a fritatta. Here's the recipe I used, but keep in mind that any veg you have going spare in the fridge, or even some peas or corn from the freezer, works great. I also added in a couple slices of thick cut BBQ deli ham...since we had it. Us whatever your favorite combination of veg is. Just make it colorful. Like, don't just use all green or it will just be boring looking, even if it tastes good. Part of eating enjoyment is the visual. You'll see what I mean in a minute.

Here's the recipe...

4 new season spuds, precooked and cooled, skinned, slice two thinly, dice the other two, keep separate
1 medium yellow or white onion, diced (can use scallions if you prefer, or more onion if you really like onion)
1 medium bell pepper, diced (red, yellow or orange, or a combination of colors)
1 handful of broccoli, sliced thin
1 handful of asparagus, diced
1 medium ripe tomato, deseeded, skinned and rough chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, rough chopped
2-3 teaspoons dried mixed herbs (or if you have fresh, go for it!)
8 large eggs, scrambled well
1 large dollup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
Good olive oil for cooking

Method

Turn on the broiler or grill first so it can heat up while you're sauteing your veg.

Put a medium sized heavy non-stick skillet on medium to high heat, add a generous amount of olive oil. When hot, gently toss in your sliced spuds. You want to lightly brown them on both sides. While these are cooking, you can prepare your other veg, unless you're efficient and have them already done. Brown the spuds in batches so you don't break up the slices. As they cook, remove onto kitchen paper to drain.

When you're done browning the sliced spuds (remember they're already cooked, you're just reheating and browning), cook up your diced spuds. Cook them like country fries. You want to be sure there's a generous amount of oil in the skillet for this because you want these crispy when they're done. Cook in batches so they don't just steam. Remove to kitchen paper to drain and get ready to saute your veg.

Your veg should be diced. Not too finely, but not too chunky. You want them to saute quickly. You probably won't need more oil after the country fries, but if you do, use it. I never said this was a non-fat meal! When the oil hot, toss in the onions and peppers first. Mix well and saute for a minute or two before adding in the broccoli and asparagus. Continue stirring occasionally so nothing sticks or burns.

While this is cooking, mix all 8 eggs in a large container and scramble well with the sour cream. Add a little salt and pepper if desired.

Just before the veg is completely cooked, add in the garlic and mixed herbs and stir well. Be sure the veg is evenly coated with the herbs.

When this task is completed, remove the veg from the skillet into a bowl and wipe down the skillet to remove any residual cooked-on bits. Return to the heat, add enough olive oil to thinly coat the bottom of the skillet. Turn down the heat to medium and return the sliced spuds to the skillet. Arrange evenly at first. Any leftovers can be doubled up to cover any big gaps in the first layer. Then spoon your cooked veg onto the spuds and layer evenly.

At this point, if you want to add in some sliced precooked meat, such as the thick sliced BBQ deli ham I used, or even some precooked chorizo, which would be nice, add it now on it's own layer. The result should look something like the picture below on the left.

Once your layers are completed, pour your scrambled egg mixture over the lot. Gently giggle the skillet to jostle the veg and allow the eggs to get into all the gaps. Use the back of a silicone spatula to press the veg down and to rearrange the veg so all the colored veg is spread evenly around the skillet. When you're satisfied, add your chopped tomato to the top. Now your skillet should look like the above photo on the right. Yum!

Allow the mixture to cook on the stove for a few minutes. Use the silicone spatula around the edge of the egg to loosen it from the skillet, pulling the veg mix from the edge too so it doesn't stick. If you're brave, you can use your silicone spatula to gently lift the edge of the fritatta, tilt the skillet so any excess egg runs to the bottom of the fritatta. This will do two things -- 1) help to keep the bottom from burning, and 2) shorten the cooking time under the broiler/grill.

As the fritatta is cooking, add your country fries to the top. When you're satisfied the lower half of the fritatta is cooking, slide the skillet under your preheated broiler/grill. Not too close, perhaps the second rungs down. You don't want to burn the eggs. Just brown them nicely and cook them all the way to the middle. The bottom will have already cooked on the stove. You're just finishing off the top. Don't be afraid to pull out the skillet a few times and use your spatula around the edge. During this part of cooking, the eggs will puff up and should pull away from the edge naturally. Test the middle to be sure the eggs are cooking.

While the fritatta is cooking under the broiler/grill, make your salsa.
Here's the recipe...

2 medium ripe tomatoes, deseeded, skinned and rough chopped
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 medium garlic clove, finely diced
1/2 small jalapeno pepper, deseeded and finely diced (can use Ortega roasted chilies, about 1 tbsp or to taste)
cilantro, a small bunch, finely chop the leafy parts, discard the stems
splash lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Method

Add all of your ingredients to a bowl as you cut them. Blend well, adding a small splash of lime juice. Use a small spoon to taste for flavor, adding salt and pepper to taste, or more lime, cilantro or chilies. Salsa is subjective, so just add whatever extra flavors you want until it's perfect for you.
When you're done, the salsa should look something like the picture below on the left.
Note: If you double the salsa recipe, reserve half and peel some avocados for guacamole! Unfortunately, I didn't have any ripe avocados or you would have also got that recipe.

When your fritatta is done, remove from the oven and let it sit for a couple minutes to firm up. Then gently remove it from the skillet onto a large serving dish. It should look something like the picture below on the left.

Slice as you would a quiche. Admire your layered veg on the inside! This is what I meant above. If you just use one color veg, you won't have all the lovely colors mingling through the eggs.

Serve warm with your homemade salsa on the side, along side some guacamole if you made it.

This is a great all-in-one meal. Serves 4 generous portions. In each serving you have most of your daily veg, just two eggs, and all the goodness that comes from wholesome ingredients. It also makes a wonderful breakfast. No better way to start the day!

So this is my Farm to Fork. I grew the tomatoes in my office window...my farm...and they went straight onto my fork two ways...added to the top of the fritatta and in my salsa.

Reader challenge -- Make your own fritatta and salsa, then send me the pictures. I'll post them on a future blog. Go on. Start now. I'll wait!

Money Makers, Bougs and Testicle Fruit

Never mind me. I'm just going to blather on about my plants again. Seems I do this every summer. Usually because I have something growing somewhere. This year it's Money Maker Tomatoes.

There are actually two tomato plants growing in the one pot. Having never grown tomatoes before I had no idea they'd take over the place. It's barely noticeable, but there is a central stake with two rings attached to hold the plant upright. But the pot is very shallow so we had to anchor that with a few bamboo stakes to keep the thing from falling over.

Currently, this pair are sucking down about a liter of water a day. Saturday I poured in two liters because we were away over the weekend. But sure enough, this morning I had to soak them again because the dirt was looking dry and cracked. I can tell when I've over-watered when excess water drains into the catch tray. I've never once seen water in the catch tray of these greedy water mongers!

At least they're healthy. I've been feeding them about every other watering, mostly because I forget every time, but there are loads of yellow flowers coming out, and as you can see, the first batch of tomatoes has started. They're about golf ball size at the moment, but I'm hoping if I can remember to feed every watering that they'll grow big and plump.

Anyone who knows me knows I can't stand raw tomatoes, so it's funny that I'm growing them. But that doesn't mean I have to leave them raw. Ratatouille here I come!

It seems our office just loves the light. The living room and office both are in the front of the house, but it's funny how just a few feet make all the difference. The living room gets sun, but not like the office. The office is usually a couple degrees warmer than the living room, and miles warmer than the back of the house. In here I'm growing not just my tomatoes, but also my avocado tree, which I thought I'd killed last October when we moved. The first weekend we were here we had a nasty frost and the tree dropped all it's leaves and the trunk died half way down. But I brought it in, watered it well and put it in front of the window, which is also where the radiator is. It's also a water monger, but at least I didn't kill it. That would be a shame after growing it from a pit from the fruit about 13 years ago! At one time it was up to the ceiling, but it's a tidy little bonsai wannabe now.

I don't know why I've done it, but I've started a couple more avocado trees on my kitchen window sill. Well, I might know why. Peter got a bonsai tree for Xmas and I thought it might be fun to see what a bonsai avocado would look like. I'll need to get new pots though because the one we had when Peter repotted his tree is now growing a bonsai sycamore...as pulled out of the gravel from our driveway!

I know I'll never get avocado trees from the pits. It's just not hot enough in Ireland. They also require a second plant to cross pollinate. Maybe the new pair will give us some results!

Did you know that the word avocado comes from the Nahuatl Aztec word ahuacatl which means testicle, a reference to the shape of the fruit, and because they grow in pairs. The word can be compounded with other words, as in ahuacamolli, meaning 'avocado soup or sauce', from which the Mexican Spanish word guacamole derives. Did you also know that the English language includes many Nahuatl words? I bet you didn't know the words chili, chocolate, coyote and tomato are also originally Nahuatl words. Cool or what?!

My real pride and joy at the moment is my bougainvillea. Bougs are sun worshipers, and well, Ireland doesn't really get much sun. This summer though has turned out really bright and warm and my boug is loving it.

When I bought my boug it was literally the pot and a flowered head at the top of a bare stalk. The first week I had it, it dropped all the flowers and I almost thought I'd killed it because I know how fussy they can be. But the leaves were still green and healthy and once it saw the sun it exploded with hundreds of flowers and just keeps blooming and growing.

There's a great garden center we love to go to on the weekends called Johnstown Garden Centre. It's a huge place that includes a big wing full of house and hot house plants. In it they have a few bougs that have been bonsaied. They're in big shallow pots, but the trunks on them are huge and the overall plant isn't more than four feet high.

If I stretch out my arms to either side of me, these bougs are easily that wide, and them some. Not ideal for just any home, and especially not at the price they're asking. But I pretend they're mine, but that they live in the shop! Every now and again, the staff move them and they drop their flowers, but the next week we go back and their flourishing again.

Meanwhile, I just keep watering mine and feeding it occasionally. I know they really like to be left alone and watered occasionally.

I remember the bougs growing up the side of our garage when I was younger. They'd only get watered when it rained (not often on the Central Coast though they also seemed to like the early morning and late evening fog) or when I washed my car. They grew up the south facing wall so they were in sunlight all day, and the white stucco house reflected back the heat onto them. The plants must have loved it because they were huge. If they hadn't been so thorny, I could have thrown myself into them. I don't actually like the color pink, but I make an exception for bougs! They're not really pink at all but a wilder version of purple!

And did I mention my watering can is purple? Yeah, baby!!