Last weekend the onslaught began. The tomatoes are coming in. We were getting some here and there for a while, but last week they began to ripen in earnest, and so for the next few weeks, our house will be smelling like warm tomatoes and chopped herbs on a regular basis.
I've got 4 baking dishes of tomatoes in the oven right this moment - with more tomatoes in the wings that will be ready in a few days. And plenty more ripening outside.
Transformation...
And then they're packed up and stashed away in the freezer.
I've also harvested a ton of basil and made a sort of pre-pesto mixture - just the basil and some olive oil, and a clove or two of garlic to get the fun started.
From the garden...to the food processor...
to the freezer. I top each container off with a bit more olive oil, cover them, and they're done.
I pack them into fairly small containers, since a little pesto will go a long way. I'm set for the next two years, I think.
And I also thought I'd see what would happen if I did the same thing with other herbs. So last Sunday:
Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
At some point today or tomorrow I'll do a few more batches...we still have tarragon, oregano, thai basil, and another variety of thyme (the above is creeping thyme...we also have summer thyme, which has a stronger flavor. We had lemon thyme for a while, but it hasn't come back in the past couple of years...something to think about for next year. I love it with fish.). We have chives, too, but they tolerate the cooler weather, so we'll probably just use them up as we head into winter. And we have mint - but much of it has been depleted by several recent rounds of mojitos.
Anyway, that's the update from the garden and the kitchen for today. Time to go check the tomatoes again. The aroma is intoxicating....
