It rained over the weekend and some of the tomatoes were starting to split so I quickly picked all the ripe tomatoes.
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| from left: Homestead, early girl 50, supersweet 100 (including the tiny tiny ones on the far right) |
I think I will have a couple more harvest of tomatoes but most of the plants look like they are nearing the end. The supersweet 100 definitely do better in full sun - you can clearly see the difference in the size of the tomatoes from the plant growing on the balcony versus the plant up front in the shade. The taste of the tomatoes from the balcony is also better than the ones from the front of the house.
Here are the first set of not so giant, Giant chinese sweet peppers. They are small but they are beautifully red.
The hot peppers (thai and jalapenos) are still going strong. I'm not sure if the jalapenos will produce more peppers after this harvest. But I'm really happy that I discovered pickled jalapeno. I'm really liking the salad dressing made using the jalapeno-infused vinegar.
I also had a small harvest of eggplants. So I used some tomatoes and thyme from the garden to make some pasta sauce.
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| Fairy tale, gretel, ichiban eggplants, thyme and early girl 50s |
The gretel and fairytale eggplants just get very mushy. I have yet to discover the best way to use them....maybe fried. But unfortunately, I probably will not get any more harvest this year.
I also made some oven-dried tomatoes using supersweet 100s.
I definitely over-dried them, but the ones that dried just right taste wonderful. I'm going to try to make one more batch.
I'm linking to Daphne's
Harvest Monday and Wendy's
garden to table challenge! Thank you both for hosting every week:)
Looks like you had a great harvest this week! I've never oven-dried tomatoes before. Is there any benefit to leaving the seeds in vs. taking the time to remove them (of which you are aware)?
ReplyDeleteWhat a great run you've had, this year, with eggplants, as well.
Nice harvests! The secret to unmushy eggplant: slice them and place them on a baking sheet lined with a double layer of paper towels and then salt them. Place a single layer paper towel over the top, press gently, and let them sit for at least an hour, preferably 2. It's all the excess water in the eggplant that makes them mushy. Salting and letting them sit removes the excess water. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteOK, confess. You really have a farm plot out behind, don't you? Those are some pretty good results from a balcony garden!
ReplyDeleteBen - I left the seeds in because it was easier. I bet without the seeds everything will dry quicker.
ReplyDeletefoodgardenkitchen - if I get any more I will try your method. Thanks for the tip!
Annie - I wish I did:) thanks for the compliment!!
We just tried the same thing with our tomatoes in a small dehydrator given to us by a friend. How do you know when they're "over dried"? Ours ranged from black to bright red when we took them out due to the uneven heat, but they all taste pretty much the same to me. I also agree that you have an amazing yield for a balcony garden!
ReplyDeleteHi Nikki - I think probably it won't over-dry in the dehydrator. In the oven, it started to turn brown and taste "burnt". It may also be because I vamped up the temp from 200F to 250F since it seemed like it was taking so long. I would love to have a dehydrator.
ReplyDeleteIt all looks beautiful - LOVE those red peppers! My parents love their dehydrator - they use it for everything. With your lovely harvests, i bet it'd be worth the investment!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Bountiful harvest! You have red theme here and all are favourites.
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