Have I Mentioned That We Have A Lot of Tomatoes?

I continue to be knee-deep in tomatoes.
(Note to self...perhaps 40 plants was excessive.)


The vines are beginning to die, but there are still so, so many tomatoes left to finish
ripening.


Yesterday I harvested Amish paste tomatoes and Roma tomatoes...
my goal was to make Tomato-Basil Jam.
This is a delicious jam that I put on cream cheese for a delicious cracker spread.
It also makes a great condiment in panini sandwiches.


I removed the seeds from 2 ½  lbs of tomatoes,
then chopped them and placed in my jam pot.


To this I added ¼ cup lemon juice, a handful of snipped fresh basil,
3 cups sugar and a package of fruit pectin for lower sugar recipes.
Bring to a boil and cook for 11 minutes.
Skim foam and pour into half pint jars.
Process in a boiling water canner for 5 minutes.


Yummy!

By the way, while I am out picking tomatoes, the chickens are outside the fence
cackling at me.


It's an unusual sound they are making this particular morning,
and then I realize that they are there begging for tomatoes.


Whenever I pick tomatoes, I throw any with dark spots over the fence as treats for the chickens.
I think they have come to expect it now.
If you have raised chickens of your own then you will agree with me
that these are very intelligent birds...
with excellent memories!


Last evening as the horses and donkeys were headed out to pasture,


I noticed dark clouds moving in.
We are headed for some rain and a cool-down.


I am sure everyone on the farm will be glad to see a little cooler weather.

PS....Happy Birthday to Mackenzie's daddy (my youngest) Andy!!!


Comments

colleen said…
Thanks for the recipe it sounds delish!! Have you ever made green tomato relish? I have my mother's recipe and it is very good.
I was just telling someone the other day how smart chickens are....not sure they believed me, tho. Lol
Look how bright eyed Mackenzie is!! Happy birthday, Andy.
This N That said…
I hope you're right about the weather. We could use some rain and a cool down. Happy birthday Andy. I think all in forms of animals, fowl,etc.,food gets their attention! Your jam looks yummy! Have a happy day.
jaz@octoberfarm said…
happy birthday andy! that is one cute baby you have there. i have tomatoes cooking 24/7. i was disappointed with my tomato crop this year but now i am thinking, maybe not so much! i have more than i know what to do with! i can't wait for this cool down!
Carla said…
Happy Birthday to your baby boy! ;)
On the subject of smart chickens--my chickens will run to me when I come out because often have kitchen scraps. Once they realize I don't have snacks they'll go on their way. The other day, I was out looking for grasshoppers (a friend is rehabbing a Nightjar). It didn't take the chickens 5 minutes to realize that I was looking for bugs! Suddenly, the whole flock of them were wandering with me and getting the hoppers before I could. So much for that plan.
Laura Sudderth said…
I have fond memories of throwing tomatoes to my chickens and they devoured every morsel. I had a goat and she waited for me to trim my roses...she could hear the snips a mile away. She would go nutty over them!
daisy g said…
Those chickens are something, huh? Your tomatoes look fabulous!
Happy Birthday Andy!
Enjoy your cooler temps this weekend.
Lynne said…
Oh my goodness! I can't imagine ALL those tomatoes . . .
And that little one is everything SWEET . . .
ENJOY!
Suzanne said…
I can't wait to try the tomato jam!