Animals

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!!!

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Animals