Right when summer was coming to a close, my tomatoes plant said it was time to shine. We had so many full-sized tomatoes and cherry tomatoes. We froze them, had them in salad, ate them on their own. My sons reminded me about how I said I would make ketchup again. That was years ago. Apparently, they remember, and apparently, they were no longer accepting later as an answer. I got out my new food mill. My last one needed to be replaced. I bought it two years ago before we move

On November 15, I was able to get in one last harvest of cherry tomatoes. The problem was everyone was burned out on eating tomatoes for the moment. I decided to try something new. I froze them. I did not know how to go about freezing them, but after a quick Google search, I learned how. The most important point posted online by multiple bloggers was to space out the tomatoes on a baking sheet or in a pan when freezing. This prevents them from sticking together and allows you

It has been years since I have made fresh salsa. It has been long enough that my sons don't even remember that I had ever made it. Recently, I had been using tomatoes in salads, for pasta sauce, or ketchup. When I was at my parents' house a few weeks ago, I thought I would take some of their tomatoes off of their hands. They didn't mind. I like fresh salsa, but I know some people only liked it cooked. I can eat it cooked too, but I normally only do that if I am canning my sal

‪August is my favorite month of the year for so many reasons. My wedding anniversary, my birthday, my husband's birthday, and my twin sons' half birthday is all in August. Yes, we count the half birthday. (This matters to some children.) August is the month of the Indiana State Fair which I love attending annually and on multiple days during each year. Unfortunately, corona stole the fair from us. August is also the month where I tend to harvest a lot of produce. Let's check

Last month I wrote about the passing of my great uncle and fellow urban gardener Lindbergh Guyse. The day after his funeral, my family gathered at his home to harvest food from his garden. I harvested tomatoes, collards greens, and two types of peppers. I enjoyed spending afternoons and evenings at his home harvesting vegetables while we chatted about life, and my boys ran around his yard. My uncle was a caterer for decades. When I came to harvest food at his home, I woul

I know this title is corny, but I couldn't resist. Yes, I've been on a bit of a hiatus; I'm working on my Ph.D. I need to catch you all up on what we have done recently and yes, one of those activities was making ketchup for the first time. Instead of me giving all of the details, let's hear from Gardener James and Gardener Jerry too. Making Ketchup Gardener James We picked tomatoes from the garden. After cleaning them, my mom made an X on the bottom of each tomato and put

One of the first plants I grew was a tomato plant. Once my grandmother was getting up in age and taking care of a house was too much for her, she downsized to an apartment. Her apartment had a small fenced in patio. Although she did not have much room, she put a few pots outside to grow tomato plants. This is where I first learned you can grow a garden anywhere even if you don't have much space. I think tomatoes are one of the easiest plants to grow, but the more you know