Re: [gardeners] weather -Reply
George Shirley (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Wed, 29 Sep 1999 10:16:20 -0500
Penny Nielsen wrote:
>
> Well Margaret, we get most of our weather reports from Environment Canada and sometimes I wonder whether they got their degree yesterday too. I know it is more difficult forecasting weather in the Maritimes than in many other parts of Canada, but sometimes it just disgusts me.
>
> Sorry to hear your veggies are kaput. DH said this am that he heard it was going down to 5c last night and there was a chance of frost in low lying areas. Better get out those sheets tho my only real concern is a few toms that are left. Have harvested most of them.
>
> Don't you put up your toms? I don't can - yet - but saving my canning jars till I have the time. What I've been doing is roasting/baking them in the oven before freezing. I cut them up in small pieces, lay them on whatever flat pans/cookie sheets with sides, and adding finely chopped onions, green peppers, herbs, salt and pepper. Coat the pans with olive oil. My bro and his girlfriend it works for them. Have tried freezing raw but haven't been satisfied.
>
> Does anyone else have a good/better method - besides canning?
I wash the tomatoes and then towel them dry. Put in vacuum seal bags and
pull all the air out then freeze. Have used them up to a year later in
cooking and they are still good. The thing about freezing is that when
they thaw you can just slip the skins off, saves having to blanch and
all that. I like them better that way for cooking then I do canned
tomatoes, much simpler to do also. Another way is to dehydrate them in
the dehydrator, add dehydrated celery, onions, and garlic plus whatever
herbs we want, bag, vacuum seal, toss in the pantry. In the winter break
out a bag or two, snip the end, and toss the contents in a soup or stew.
They rehydrate and add a taste of summer to a winter soup. Miz Anne and
I have been preserving our harvest for nearly 40 years and prefer our
own fixings over store bought.
>
> BTW, its 10:30 am and 15c. Going up to 20+ today. We've had a fabulous fall so far. Not to rub it in - just very pleased.
>
> Penny in Halifax, Nova Scotia
>
Well, I'm gonna rub it in. Allen, are you reading this. IT'S RAINING
HERE. Started about 4 am and has been drizzling up to now. A nice
soaking rain, a wee bit late for the farmers but should be good for the
winter garden. The temps are in the low-seventies F and a slight breeze,
just right for enjoyable type weather. And our weatherman forecast it
exactly right. Of course he should, we have a National Weather station
here at the airport with about 15 meterologists working there.
George