I think I mentioned in a previous post that our organic farm lost most of it's tomato crops this year to blight, and they planted twice as much as last year. I am grateful for what we got but there's only been enough for weekly eating, no extra for quarts of sauce like the past two years. Something that I am happy and sad about. You see Jazzy used to come out into the kitchen when I was preparing the tomatoes for cooking and she would check up throughout the day on the progress of the sauce, not understanding it took hours of slow cooking to bring out the best flavor. I also would add some carrots and sometimes yams to the tomato mixture along with fresh herbs from the farm. She always got to sample it when it was done and cooled and I would add some to her dinner when I opened a bowl from the freezer. She loved it a lot and I still remember last year taking her out on an off day and picking tomatoes while she ran up and down the rows chasing after the little birds that practically lived in there, hunting down the bugs and eating them up in a wonderful organic arrangement. I think she thought they were little brown mice and she'd run down the row after them.
She would be sure to check the haul when we were done picking, peeking her head into the basket I would take with me and sniffing in that great farm smell. She knew that sauce was coming and when I'd get home and start preparing them, she would come into the kitchen and watch me cut into dozens of them , coring them first and then cutting off any bad spots, and she would watch, not getting bored at all and she would lick her lips in anticipation. She was not this way about any canned or jarred sauce, even though organic, she knew the farm sauce, and loved
it so much, by itself, on some pizza crust, on spaghetti. Yes she loved spaghetti, she lived a full long strand to slurp up. If I gave her too much sauce her lips would be extra pinky orange for a day or two. I even have some pictures of her where she got it on her cheek bone and I couldn't get it off. We had to wait for it to grow off.Well what got me thinking about tomatoes you may ask? Last week I did try to make a new kind of crust (I have celiac disease and have to eat gluten free) and used some fresh tomatoes from the farm along with basil and oregano and fresh mozzarella. It really was very good and I ate it with the happiness of tasting something similar to what I used to make in a UNO like crust, but sad because Jazz wasn't there to share it with me. She always got a piece of the crust of every slice we ate, always.
But that really is not what got me thinking about tomatoes, I just got done making a treasury and remembers that at Craftcult (used to be known as Majaba) you can see if you have been on the front page at all. I know I have been in quite a few treasuries since reopening my shops (thanks Team!) but hadn't kept up with the news. So After making my treasury (actually I have had this made since last week on a poster sketch but kept forgetting and missing the time, such is a grief stricken mind, I can't seem to remember things for too long recently, so today I set the kitchen timer.:) ) So I checked and found out that early Saturday morning a treasury I was in was featured on the front page. It had my tomato key fob in it, one I've made with a repurposed watch backing. I am surprised it is still in the shop frankly, but perhaps that special someone I made it for hasn't found it yet.
This is my sixth front page since June 2nd when I made my first. If you are interested in seeing them you can go here, take a look and then add your own name into the field to see if you have ever been on the front page of Etsy! I really should take the time to use the etsy buttons in those listings ( of the things not sold, my nasturtium pod soap dispenser finally found it's home this summer, good thing, they planted not nasturtiums this year so I only have what I got last year, shame, I loved those flowers and leaves). Here's the Treasury, full of beautiful things in end of summer colors, very much like the one I just made.
Mine is titled: Summer Fades to Copper and Gold
You can click on the title or the screen shot I took and can see it and comment live until Wednesday 11:52PM EST.
I've featured great jewelry artists, vintage and other fun stuff shop owners! My team mates and fellow PC artists. Check them out
Tomorrow will be the drawing so make sure to leave a comment on any post from Sept 7, 2009 until todays post.
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Kate,
ReplyDeleteYour pizza looks scrumptious, and thanks so much for putting my necklace in your wonderful treasury.
Hugs,
Jill
I always rise well before the rest of my family to begin my day with hot coffee and fresh blogs.
ReplyDeleteI really look forward to your updates.Thank you for your thought provoking and informative entries.
However, I do have one small problem with today's post!
It is only 5:30 am and I am craving a homemade pizza !!!! :D m.e.
That pizza looks sooooo delicious...fresh home-grown tomatoes, basil and FRESH mozzarella! Yummy! I'd love to see Jaz with a tomato face!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the compliments on the pie, it really was good! I am still trying to tweak the crust recipe to have more body, not easy to do without gluten! We got a few more tomatoes in this weeks share, I think I'll try again before they are all gone until next season. Supermarket tomatoes are the pits!
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