Fall abundance!

[Seven Bends]

Well, everything came back to life after temperatures moderated. Rainfall's still in short supply, but we seem to have gotten enough moisture to keep things alive, and now we're getting some wonderful fall harvests. I've been busy with work, so I hadn't been to the garden in eight days. Here's what I came home with:

1-IMG_0691.JPG

This picture doesn't include the seven large catering trays of tomatoes and the bucket of butternut and sweet dumpling squash I was too tired to take pictures of last night.

Many of the tomato plants have reloaded with lots of large green tomatoes, but the tomato fruitworms are starting to do a good bit of damage now. That's okay because I'm getting to the point of not really wanting to see another tomato for awhile.

Special bonus: enjoy my collection of almost-antique small appliances, photobombing on the right! I actually spent a small fortune to acquire that toaster on eBay when I couldn't make peace with the new toaster I bought a few years ago. And I fished that old blender out of the closet when the newer one I'd been given as a gift died after just a few months. The 1980s were a good decade for small appliances.

[bower]

What a beautiful haul!!
I'm worn out with cooking and processing, and my chest freezer is officially overfull. Still a roomful of tomatoes and some gorgeous peppers - pickled peppers next on the list. What will you do with all the bounty?

I'm with you on the 80's appliances. Just this year I managed to get factory fresh replacement parts for my old Osterizer, and it is better than new with the sharp blades.

[Seven Bends]

What a beautiful haul!!
I'm worn out with cooking and processing, and my chest freezer is officially overfull. Still a roomful of tomatoes and some gorgeous peppers - pickled peppers next on the list. What will you do with all the bounty?

I'm with you on the 80's appliances. Just this year I managed to get factory fresh replacement parts for my old Osterizer, and it is better than new with the sharp blades.

Thanks! No idea what I'll be doing with it all; I'm tired just thinking about it. The main thing I'd like to get rid of is the tomatoes, because my freezer is completely full and we have canned tomato products in various forms dating back several years on the shelves. Unfortunately, most of the tomatoes this time of year have imperfections and don't keep very long, so I can't take them to the food bank. I'll make another big batch of tomato soup (from the same 1983 Southern Living cookbook), and I'll use some for stuffed peppers. Probably make another batch of spaghetti sauce. Some will end up in the compost pile.

We'll be able to eat all the beans fresh, especially since the plants have finally mostly kicked the bucket as of this last garden visit. A few Contender and Custard Wax plants are still hanging on, but mostly the patch is sad little sticks. These are still the original plants from seeds planted in spring, which produced in waves all season. My favorite way to eat snap beans is the simplest, just boiled, drained and served with butter.

I plan to make several batches of stuffed peppers to store in my mom's freezer for eating over the winter. I'll probably make a batch of regular/Italian ones, some Greek ones (Greek seasonings and feta cheese), and Mexican ones.

Not sure what to do with a dozen eggplant all at once and more on the way; sure wish we had gotten some of these during the course of the summer. My favorite way to cook them is sliced, brushed with olive oil and garlic, and baked/broiled until golden brown, then topped with a little parmesan cheese. Also like them breaded and fried, but that's too much work and too much grease. I've collected a few other recipes to try if I get ambitious.

The snack peppers and long orange peppers (Dulce Mediterraneo) are super sweet and keep well, so I'll be eating them raw as snacks for a few weeks. Will try to share some with neighbors and friends.

[Labradors]

If you have a dehydrator, eggplant dehyrdrates nicely. (It's a shame that it is so late to mature!) I like to add it to currries (to add some body) as well as stews. Zukes and tomatoes dehydrate well too, but I prefer to freeze sweet peppers in slices.

[Seven Bends]

If you have a dehydrator, eggplant dehyrdrates nicely. (It's a shame that it is so late to mature!) I like to add it to currries (to add some body) as well as stews. Zukes and tomatoes dehydrate well too, but I prefer to freeze sweet peppers in slices.

Unfortunately I don't have a dehydrator; maybe next year. Good tip, though! I'm wondering if eggplant puree would freeze well -- bake whole or half eggplants, scoop out the flesh and freeze. I could shift some of the tomatoes from my freezer to my mom's to free up some room in mine.

[ddsack]

Beautiful table load of produce! Looks like you had a great season's end! Agree about some vintage appliances.

I still have my mom's 1973 model Sunbeam blender! I don't know what year she bought it, but she sent it up north with me sometime after 1975. Some of the key covers are missing, and some look melted from some hot object (not her doing, for sure!) but it still works and sits on my limited counter space. The fancy new Ninja thing I bought about 5 years ago and got all washed up and ready to use, is still in the depths of my closet.

[bower]

Mom's freezer is definitely a plan. I am all set to make a run to Mom's freezer as well. I'm growing for her too, anyway - and I obviously have too much already. I made her some sauce and such, but I think I should help with the tomato freezing this year as well, as it seemed difficult for her to manage this time.
Made 4 quiche/veggie tarts last night, also to freeze and share with her, starting with a layer of roast Shepherd pepper, then cheese, some roast zuke sticks, sliced frying peppers, thick slices of fresh tomato, and although I've read warnings not to use uncooked maters in quiche the custard set up just fine and nothing looks like a watery mess.
Another new one for me was turning some roasted tomatoes into pesto. More freezer space, alas, is required. Smaller jars though.

Stuffed peppers sounds wonderful. I was thinking about that too but have never made it so, you know how it is, recipe quest.
I'm planning to make some pickled peppers soon - those I'll keep in the fridge so thank goodness, not freezer space.

[GoDawgs]

@Seven Bends, try using eggplant in the "Chinese Buffet Green Beans" recipe I posted:
viewtopic.php?t=1436

We love using that recipe for both beans and eggplant. Just cut Asian type eggplants into 1/4" disks or regular eggplants into 3/4" cubes.

There's another eggplant I really love and that's pickled eggplant:
viewtopic.php?t=1492

It's an Italian method and I think of it more like marinated than pickled. Regardless, it's dynamite on bruschetta and I use it as a topping on my homemade pizzas.

[Seven Bends]

@Seven Bends, try using eggplant in the "Chinese Buffet Green Beans" recipe I posted:
viewtopic.php?t=1436

We love using that recipe for both beans and eggplant. Just cut Asian type eggplants into 1/4" disks or regular eggplants into 3/4" cubes.

This looks great! Thanks for the link.