Seeds By Faith

Fresh Organic Heirloom Tomato Juice

2011-09-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

Nothing yummier in your homemade chili than homegrown, vine-ripened, heirloom tomato juice! I'd never made any before, but I had some extra tomatoes and figured I'd make up a batch. It is extremely easy and I tell you what, I can't wait for that northern breeze to blow because I'll head straight for the kitchen and start a batch of homemade chili! Actually.....I can wait for that northern breeze to blow because I don't have enough canned up yet and there are still blooms out on the vines.

Here's the recipe I used,
if you know of a better one, please let me know. I love finding new recipes!

Tomato Juice

22 pounds of organic heirloom tomatoes (any variety of heirlooms will do)

3/4 cup diced carrots

3/4 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup chopped green pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 tablespoon salt

bottled lemon juice

Wash the tomatoes. Remove core and quarter the tomatoes. Combine all of the vegetables in a large saucepot and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir to prevent sticking. Press through a food mill or sieve. Stir in salt. Heat juice for 5 minutes at 190 degrees F. Do not boil. Add 2 Tablespoon bottled lemon juice to each pint jar. Ladle hot juice into hot jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process pints for 40 minutes, quarts 45 minutes, in a boiling-water canner. Makes about 14 pints or 7 quarts.

The method I used was to put all of the vegetables through our juicer, simmered it for about 30 minutes after mixing in the salt, then added the parsley before ladling it into the hot jars. Doing it that way reduces it to strictly juice and it is pretty thin. Next time I will probably follow the recipe to see if it comes out a bit thicker.

Note: Juice will settle and appear to separate

Shared at: Homestead Revival, Raising Homemakers, 21st Century Housewife,

Canning Tomatoes The Easy Way

2011-08-29T06:30:00.000-07:00

One of the easiest ways to preserve tomatoes is to core them and cut them into quarters, place on a cookie sheet and put in the freezer. When they are frozen, put them into a gallon freezer bag and you're done. I do this from time to time when I'm too busy to can and by freezing them, it preserves them for me to cook down into sauce later.

Every year we can tomatoes and every year I don't look forward to peeling them for the canning process. This year I heard of a different idea that seemed too simple, but I tried it anyway. Core your tomatoes, quarter them and put into a blender, no peeling required. I was afraid there would be too much peeling in the sauce, but the blender pureed most of it. Before you do a whole batch for yourself, just blend a few to see how you like the end result.

Depending on how many tomatoes you have or how big your pot is, you will need to do this in batches for the blender. Then just pour them into your pot. Be sure to use a non-reactive pot, I use a large stainless steel stockpot for this purpose. Then simmer the tomato sauce for several hours to cook it down. Cooking it down removes a lot of the liquid and makes a nice thick sauce.

You can jar up just the basic tomatoes or you can add all of your spices to it while it is in the pot. I can up just the tomatoes and then use it in many different ways all winter long. It is wonderful as a base for your spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, and for use in any recipe that takes tomato sauce or paste.

Be sure to let me know how you like this process and have fun !!

Making Salsa...

2011-08-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

The trick to good salsa is fresh heirloom vegetables, picked ripe straight from the vine. One tomato is not the same as another. We have tested many tomatoes this year and heirlooms are worth their weight in gold regarding their taste. The fancy hybrids look just like the perfect tomatoes you find in the government regulated grocery stores, but do not be fooled, they are completely tasteless. Heirlooms have the richest flavor and
will guarantee that all your hard work of gardening and preserving will be worth it!

Here is a great salsa recipe that incorporates a vast array of tastes into a one of a kind treat!

HEIRLOOM SALSA

6 pounds of your freshest tomatoes

1 red onion, chopped

1 white onion, chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 banana peppers, chopped

3 bell peppers (I use different colors), chopped

3 (6 oz) cans tomato paste or your own homemade paste

1/2 cup white vinegar

2 Tablespoons garlic powder

1 1/2 Tablespoons salt

1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 bunch Cilantro, chopped

8 pint canning jars with lids and rings

Directions:

Combine onions, tomatoes, peppers, tomato paste, white vinegar, garlic powder, salt, cayenne pepper, cumin, brown and white sugar in a large non-aluminum pot. Simmer until thick, about 3 hours.

Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pack the salsa into the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a knife around the insides of the jars to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids and screw on rings.

Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered surface, several inches apart until cool. Once the jars are cool, press on the lids to make sure the seal is tight. If the lid doesn't move up or down, it's sealed. Refrigerate after opening.

HEIRLOOMS USED IN THIS RECIPE:

Tomatoes: Millionaires, Yellow Brandywine, Pink Ponderosa

Peppers: Golden Treasure, Red Belgian, Sweet Chocolate

Fresh Garden Veggies for Dinner

2011-08-08T16:54:00.000-07:00

Fresh picked sweet corn, there's nothing that says summer more! We can make a meal out of just sweet corn and we practically did last night except for the fact that we had so many other fresh vegetables to use that we more or less over did it at the dinner table! There has been a blessing of zucchini, crookneck squash, and sweet peppers......so for the first time this year I put them together in a stir fry. Delicious!!

When you've made all the Zucchini Bread you care to make, and dried all of it that you will use in soups and stews for the winter....here is a great little throw together recipe

that is easy, beautiful and mouth watering tasty, that will help you use any abundance of garden veggies you may have.

Garden Stir Fry

3 medium zucchini, sliced

2 medium yellow summer squash, sliced

1/2 a medium onion, thinly sliced

1 sweet red pepper, sliced into strips

1 sweet green pepper, sliced into strips

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon of Sesame Oil

1 garlic clove, minced

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Add the zucchini, yellow squash, sweet peppers and garlic; stir-fry for 12 to 15 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Season with salt and pepper.

This is the recipe as it is written, but here are different things I do and you can of course modify this with any extra veggies you have.

If you don't have any Sesame Oil, just replace it with Olive Oil.

Zucchini takes longer to cook than sweet peppers, so cook just the zucchini and squash a few minutes before adding the sweet peppers.

I'll usually add a few basil leaves and oregano, or any other dried herbs I'm in the mood for. I dry our herbs as whole leaves and then just crush a few into whatever I'm cooking at the time.

This year we grew some Red Chinese Noodle Beans and added them into the stir-fry too. Basically anything from your garden would go in this. Dice up your extra tomatoes and add them in half way through your cooking time.

Or.....a garden fresh BLT is also a tasty treat this time of year...

And if you don't have a garden....visit your local Farmer's Market. Eat fresh foods that are grown locally and support your local economy! Your neighbor's will thank you, and you will be eating healthier.

I have to say that we have met some of the most wonderful people at our produce stand and even though we are able to teach them something about growing their own garden, they manage to teach us quite a bit too!

Saving Tomato Seeds

2011-07-28T05:33:00.000-07:00

Saving seeds is an extremely easy thing to do once you know how. To me, peppers are the easiest. Simply cut the pepper open, scrape the seeds onto a plate or the counter, rinse them and lay them out on wax paper! Easy! Some vegetables require a little more effort, like a pumpkin or squash. They are a bit messier to collect and need a more thorough washing than pepper seeds, but well worth the effort when you don’t have to buy seeds in the spring. Tomatoes and cucumbers can be the most tricky when it comes to retaining viable seed, but don’t be afraid to try to do it, it’s easy once you get the hang of it. In order to grow the same type of plant in the spring that you are saving seed from, be sure to only save seed from Heirlooms. Saving seed from any form of Hybrid will result in a different type of plant. Hybrid seeds are not good for saving. We only save organic Heirlooms to be worth our time and effort, not to mention we believe in eating only pure food, not something that has been created in a laboratory.

Here is an example where I used Yellow Pear tomatoes. The same process works with any tomato and cucumbers too. For this batch, I halved the tomatoes and
scooped out the seeds and juice into a small jelly jar. The shells were then dried for use on pizza, soups or whatever else I make during the winter that I can use them in. Always, ALWAYS collect your seed from your best looking produce.

Once I have collected all of the seed that I want to save at the moment, I add a small bit of water. For example, if I have 1/2 inch of seeds and juice in the bottom of the jar, I’ll had another 1/2 inch or so of water to it.

Always label your jar with what type of seed you have in it. We save seed from many different heirlooms and at any given time, you will find many jars in our kitchen or greenhouse. Without the labels, I would be lost!

Let the seeds set in the jar or cup for at least three days. It will depend on how warm the weather is, but you will begin to see a mold growing over the top of the liquid. The seeds are fermenting which is what is needed for you to have viable seed for both tomatoes and cucumbers. It doesn’t look very pretty and sometimes doesn’t smell very pretty either, so you might want to pick a place on your porch or deck to leave them undisturbed instead of your kitchen.

I forgot to take a picture of the Yellow Pear seeds fermenting so here’s one of some other tomato seeds that have fermented in a cup. Not all batches will create this much mold, but some do. Don’t think you need this much for them to be good. A good three to four days on a warm summer day will work just fine.
At this point, I simply lift the mold off and drop it into the garbage disposal. Any seeds that aren’t any good will have come to the surface and possibly be attached to the mold. Pour the remaining seeds and liquid through a small mesh kitchen sieve. It needs to be small enough to catch the seeds. My husband created one made of window screen for me to use. (Thank you honey!) Run water through the seeds until they are clean. The seeds will stick to anything at this point from being wet, so carefully turn them onto a sheet of waxed paper that you have labeled. Spread them out and let them dry.

It may take several days up to a week to make sure they are good and dry. Dry them in a protected area inside the house so the wind doesn’t blow them around and so birds can’t get to them. Once you are sure they are good and dry, sort them to remove any that don’t appear good. Pour them into a labeled seed envelope and store in a cool dry place.

Saving seed is so much fun. Knowing where your seed comes from and providing for yourself is a great feeling. Passing the craft down to our daughter is extra satisfying, knowing she knows how to raise a garden and provide food for her own future family and to be able to teach her children the art is very important to us. Just to think, her children may even pass it down to their children using the same seed from what we save today! What a legacy to give to your family!

If you have any questions, simply leave a comment and I will be glad to answer them as best I can.

Farmers Market Time!!

2011-07-17T15:51:00.000-07:00

Summer is here and it came early this year! The plants are blooming, the bean vines are climbing, the Farmers Markets are out in full force and above all…..the bees are buzzing! Here on the farm, we have built several new garden beds this year and are still making more. Not only did I get carried away in the greenhouse, but the plants have been so successful that we are building beds as fast as we can in order to not let any plants go to waste. Each year, however, we always end up with more plants than we can use and the rest are donated to the local homeless kitchen’s garden. I would encourage everyone to look for their local community shelter to see if they have a garden to donate their extra vegetable and herb plants to, or maybe just your local community garden.

One of the new garden beds we put in was for what was, by far, our most favorite tomato that we grew last year….the Millionaire. It is an extremely sweet tasting pink tomato that is
extremely meaty and can be used for every thing you need a tomato for. These are meaty enough to use for any sauce, large enough for one slice to cover your entire sandwich, and overall the best one we have found so far. Of course we have fun growing all kinds of tomatoes and trying new heirloom varieties each year…..so I know we will discover other great tomatoes to tell you about too, but I can’t imagine not growing these for our own personal use every year. The new one we are growing this year is the Yellow Brandywine. I know this variety isn’t new to a lot of you, but we just began growing yellow tomatoes last year. We have heard excellent things about this one and I’m excited about learning to create many different sauces with many different colors of tomatoes.

Don’t forget that with any heirloom variety, you can save the seed and start your own every growing season. Make sure to only save the seed from the best looking fruit at all times.
The garden is calling me……happy gardening!!

Summer Squash Bug Trouble

2011-07-15T11:22:00.000-07:00

Has everyone had as much trouble with these squash bugs as I have this year? I have never, ever let a crop go because I couldn’t keep up, but this year, I met my match with these two insects. Last year I only mixed up three bottles of organic dish soap and water throughout the entire growing season. This year, I was using almost two bottles a day! Then the continuous heat of July came where the temperatures were over 100 degrees every day. Now if anyone is familiar with southern Missouri, July also means extreme
humidity. This form of humidity makes it hard to breath and you can easily lose a few pounds just watering the garden in the morning. Two hours out in the early morning for watering was all I ended up being able to take. Needless to say, I lost my entire summer squash and winter squash crop this year and I’m none to happy about it. It’s not that my tried and true tactics didn’t work, the weather prohibited me from getting every single last one of these troublesome critters. The new plan of attack, to safeguard next year, was to research these insects and find a better way to deter them by heading them off at the pass.

These pictures are from the Missouri Extension office. They have some wonderful ideas, which I should’ve looked at a long time ago. The squash bugs (top picture) can be kept from establishing by simply providing row covers according to the extension office. They mention to be sure and remove the row covers when it’s blooming time. I have to say that I’m not sure this will take care of it, but it sure might put a big dent in the insect’s process.

We used row covers over our broccoli and I still ended up with a small amount of worms, however, the end result was a 100% better than the previous years. These squash bugs prefer pumpkins, watermelons and squash, but they covered our cantaloupe this year too. They lay eggs on the undersides of the leaves, which in a smaller garden, can be destroyed by hand. If not destroyed, they will hatch and feed on the sap from the stems and leaves. The end result will be a brown, wilted plant. Not a pretty sight.

The Squash Vine Borer bugs (second picture), in our garden, focused on the zucchini and crookneck squash only. One day these plants were large, lush and dark green. They next morning I went out and they were laying over on their sides, dead. One by one, they all went. I have never had an issue with these borer’s before so this situation was new to me. The extension office states that this insect prefers summer squash, pumpkins and gourds and doesn’t usually bother cucumbers or melons. The larvae will literally bore into the stem near the crown of the plant, which will cut the plant off from water and nutrients.

The recommendation is to plant a “trap crop” for them, of Hubbard squash. Hubbard squash seem to be what they prefer over anything, which will make it less likely for them to bother what we really want to grow. This concept is interesting to me. What other types of “trap crops” can we benefit from? If we plant a “trap crop” does that only promote the “bad” insect population? If the insect doesn’t overwinter in the ground, it may be a good plan, otherwise I would be tempted to find where they are and destroy them instead of taking the chance that they will over populate the garden the following year. If anyone has their own tried and true tactics, please let me know!

Missouri Extension – Insects and Disease Prevention

Sweet Pepper Salsa

2011-07-15T10:59:00.000-07:00

Anxious to pickle up the banana peppers, I began the process eagerly. After an unwise choice of not wearing gloves when cutting up some hot peppers several years ago, I am very careful to slip them on even for jalapenos. Did I consider wearing them for the banana peppers? Yes I did, however, how hot can banana peppers be? After slicing 3 quarts of them, my hands began to feel very warm. I touched one of my fingers to my tongue (quick test to determine pepper heat, not exactly the smartest way) and wow, I knew I was in trouble. The rest of the evening was spent attempting to remove the heat from my fingertips and scolding myself for not using a little more common sense. The pickled banana peppers are for my dear father in-law who especially likes them, but I don't think he would be able to eat these. Instead, I pulled out a recipe that normally calls for jalapenos, modified it somewhat and came up with some pretty jars of Sweet Pepper Salsa. Don't let the name fool you though because of the hot peppers that are mixed in.

Sweet Pepper Salsa

3/4 lb. of hot garden peppers - your choice (try Georgia Red Flame)

1 medium yellow onion

4 medium carrots

1 large red bell pepper (Red Belgian Pepper)

1 large yellow bell pepper (Golden Treasure Pepper)

1 large chocolate pepper (Sweet Chocolate Pepper)

7 small sweet red peppers (Sweet Red Stuffing Peppers)

3 1/2 c. sugar

2 c. apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp. yellow mustard seed

1 Tbsp. dill seed

Julienne all of the veggies in uniform widths and lengths when possible. Cook the sugar and vinegar over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Add all of the veggies and spices. Bring to a simmer and stir occasionally for 35 minutes until veggies are cooked down. Jar up, leaving 1/4" head space and give them a hot water bath for about 15 minutes.

This stuff is incredible! It can be put on hamburgers, meatloaf, sandwiches, burritos, tortilla wraps.....and many other ways that I haven't even thought of I'm sure. It's a great way to use up the extra peppers in your garden. Another idea is to chop the veggies up in small pieces and then this recipe would be good drizzled on crackers with some whipped cream cheese!