Category Archives: Tomatoes

Pre-Season Tomatoes For Best Flavor

Fabulous tomatoes are a little sweet and a little salty Build Brix With Compost, Then Add Sea Salt Given that the Maritime Northwest is not exactly prime tomato territory, it’s not super surprising that I’m often asked for tips on … Continue reading

Posted in Care & Feeding, Planting & Transplanting, Sustainable Gardening, Tomatoes | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Aroma Therapy

Midnight Snack tomatoes Stop And Smell The Garden I spent the weekend weeding, cutting back weary perennials, ripping out spent annuals, trimming back tomatoes to coax the last fruits to ripen, planting garlic and sweet peas. Every time I pulled … Continue reading

Posted in Care & Feeding, Hardy Herbs, Health & Wellbeing, pests and pesticides, Recipes, Sustainable Gardening, Sustainable Living, Tomatoes, Vegan Recipes | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Pesto With Power & Punch

Basil Salt Is Very, Very Green Bountiful Basil After a horror show weekend, I’m retreating to the garden and the kitchen to recover a little peace of mind. I’m almost afraid to even look at the news for fear of … Continue reading

Posted in Health & Wellbeing, preserving food, Recipes, Sustainable Living, Tomatoes, Vegan Recipes | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Green Tomatoes Galore

Bacon, Chantrelle & Tomato Tart

1 sheet puff pastry or pie crust
1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil
4 slices bacon, chopped
3 leeks, thinly sliced (white and palest parts only)
1/8 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
4 cups sliced chanterelles or any mushroom
2 cups thickly sliced red tomatoes
2 cups thinly sliced green tomatoes

Spread puff pastry or pie crust on a rimmed baking sheet and brush lightly with oil, set aside. In a heavy bottomed pan, cook bacon over medium heat until barely crisp, then remove to a plate. Add oil and leeks to the bacon pan over medium high heat. Sprinkle leeks with salt and cook for three minutes. Add mushrooms, sprinkle with salt stir to coat and cook, covered, until barely soft (5-7 minutes). Remove mixture to a shallow bowl to cool and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. When mushroom mixture is close to room temperature, spread over center of puff pastry or crust, leaving several inches bare all around the filling. Layer on the tomatoes, sprinkle with bacon bits, fold up edges of pastry or crust to partly cover filling and bake at 400 degrees F until puffed and golden (about 20 minutes for puff pastry, about 30 minutes for pie crust). Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves about 6. Continue reading

Posted in preserving food, Recipes, Tomatoes, Vegan Recipes | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment