Harvest Time

What's wrong with this photo? Read on to discover the answer!

September already! Yikes! Where did the summer go?

Harvest time is here and my gardens are winding down with some things while still producing others. I had a bumper crop of green beans, basil, lettuce and carrots. The tomatoes escaped any blight that was around and every day now I get several ripe ones. That doesn't sound like a lot, but with just two people, they soon accumulate.
 So, the challenge now is to make good use of all that delicious produce. Eating it up as fast as you can is a good choice. A second choice is to make things like salsa, pesto, pickles etc. However, if you want to spend the last of those sunny days outdoors rather than in the kitchen cooking, it might be good to checkout how to make your tasty garden treats last as long as possible or to preserve them for later.

It's generally accepted that tomatoes should not be stored in the fridge if you want them to maintain their flavour. However, did you know that if the stem is off the tomato, exposing the scabby bit at the top, you should cover that part up by placing the tomato upside down or putting a piece of tape over it?  (There, you've just discovered that in the photo above, the large tomato on the right should be upside down!) Also, a great way to store tomatoes, when you have no time to make sauce or salsa, is to simply cut them into quarters or large bits, put them in a freezer bag and toss them into the freezer. I have done this often and they are great to use later in spaghetti sauce, curries or whatever.  Check out the short little videos below!

Tomatoes

How to Store Tomatoes From the Garden

More Tips on How to Store Tomatoes

Freezing Tomatoes

Lettuce

Three Ways to Store Lettuce from "The Kitchen"

Enjoy the harvest!