My first fried green tomatoes...

My daughter Carol gave me some beautiful Brandywine tomatoes that were still green so I decided to try making some fried green tomatoes. Now I had never tasted these so I was taking the word of the southerners I know that they were a real treat. The green tomatoes were so pretty I had to take a photo. I found a highly rated recipe on the web and started cooking. (or should I say frying?) Fried foods are not seen too often at our house so you can believe me when I tell you, I went through a roll of paper towels, draining and blotting these babies off. Truth be told, they were delish and we totally enjoyed them. The other photos show the tomatoes after frying and some of my tomatoes I have canned. Note to self: plant fewer cherry tomatoes next year. Thanks for checking in at my blog. I will have some cards next post.

If you would like to try this and have some green tomatoes, here is the recipe I used .

Ingredients

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 medium-size green tomatoes, cut into 1/3-inch slices
• Vegetable oil
• Salt to taste

Preparation

• Combine egg and buttermilk; set aside.
• Combine 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl or pan.
• Dredge tomato slices in remaining 1/4 cup flour; dip in egg mixture, and dredge in cornmeal mixture.
• Pour oil to a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch in a large cast-iron skillet; heat to 375°. Drop tomatoes, in batches, into hot oil, and cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels or a rack. Sprinkle hot tomatoes with salt.

Monster 'maters....

The garden has turned into a jungle! I can hardly turn around in there.

The cherry tomatoes especially have gone wild. Note to self: next year, only plant one cherry tomato. It is not the size of the tomatoes that makes them monsters but the vines have taken over three trellises. The good part of dealing with the jungle. Maters, beans and carrots. Yum!

I made pesto yesterday...

I had a lot of basil in the garden and I just didn't want it to go to waste. I love pesto but DH doesn't so I put it in mini muffin pans and put it in the freezer. Then I popped them out and stored the individuals servings in a zip-lock bag. I am growing Summer Long basil and the leaves are tiny so it took me a long time to pull 4 cups worth off the cut bunches. So worth the effort though, and the kitchen smelled so good all day. I love the smell of basil! Here is a pic of the basil before I made a big mess in the kitchen.

I also made zucchini relish this week. I got a kick out of the fact that everything except the onions came from my garden. My zucchini plants, the two of them, look like they are about finished for the season, so I cut them back and I will remove them in a couple of weeks.  We sure have enjoyed the zucchini!  I got 14 jars of the relish put up for the coming year.

I will post a card for you tomorrow. I haven't touched anything from the new Stampin' Up! catalog yet, and there are a lot of cute stamps and some great new colors. I just need to carve out a little crafting time. Take care and thanks for visiting.

Garden update....

The garden continues to thrive and I am still enjoying the work despite the extreme heat and humidity we've been having lately. I usually go out early before my coffee and breakfast and try to get most of the work done before it gets too uncomfortable out there. Knowing that I've grown most of the plants from seed gives me a great deal of satisfaction.

After all the work of starting my first year garden I am finally getting to the best part of vegetable gardening. The harvest! Cucumbers and tomatoes right from the garden.

I made my first batch of pickles. Bread and Butter pickles with thin sliced onions. I enjoy canning but it is even more enjoyable using fresh produce from your own garden.

The garden has been consuming me but I promise to post another card tomorrow. Stay tuned and thanks for looking!

Time for some pictures of my garden...

This project has been consuming me since I started the seeds indoors a few months ago. It is so much fun to watch the plants getting so big and starting to produce.
East side of garden enclosure

My little zucchini plant

Square Foot Garden plot

West end of garden

Cukes and greens for dinner