Tomatoes in September

This is the end of my tomato crop for 2009.

1 Peter 1:24,25 tells us that:

"All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of the Lord stands forever."

How very true I found that to be with my garden plot this year. The tomatoes (shown) were one of two plants purchased in the first weeks of April from a local -Mart. They were nice healthy plants. I really had no expectations as to their production, but the plants were so lovely and healthy, rather than wait for warmer weather, I planted them right away. In my area, at that time of the year it still gets down to freezing with frost.

I knew I needed to solve the problem of having frost kill my beautiful tomato plants. I planted them in very large pots. Still there was the problem of frost. Tried everything you could imagine to cover the plants with no success. Finally, I hit upon the perfect idea. A local discount market sells living flower arrangements that are kept in about 5 gallon buckets. Obtaining 2 of those buckets from the market, I covered the tomato plants, the buckets weighted down with a rock-----then waited.

Every day around noon, I would uncover the plants so they could breath fresh air. They grew much better than expected. Having had experience with raising tomatoes in the past, I didn't expect much. But kept tending and hoping. At about the second week of May I uncovered the plants. You will never guess what was there. Already a beautiful, little, yellow blossom from which a tomato was supposed to grow.

Yes, grow! They grew and grew and grew. The first tomato was 7 inches in diameter.
Oh, was it good. I shared with my neighbor who had helped watch it from the first blossom.

When my children were young, my deceased husband & I raised between 50 and 75 tomato plants each summer.

We moved into my current home on Memorial Day 1959. I was expecting my third child at the time. Thing were good, I never knew what to expect from Himself. After work one day he brough home a Rotoriller. He plowed about a 30 foot square section of the back yard. When finished, he went to the car and unloaded flats of tomato plants. His dream of growing tomatoes for the soup he loved was coming true.

It Started To Rain!

We planted that 30 square plot of ground full of tomato plants. Yes, in the rain. Never did we ever have such a good crop of tomatoes. He called it: "A Bumper Crop!" I canned 136 quarts of tomatoes that year and many quarts in the following years.

HIMSELF had enough canned tomatoes to last a year for his special

"Tomato Soup"

1 quart canned tomatoes----1 quart milk----1/2 tsp baking soda

Salt to taste.

Pour tomatoes into a 3 quart saucepan. Pour milk into a smaller pan. Bring tomatoes to just below the boileing point, lower heat. Bring milk to simmer. Add backing soda to tomatoes (it will foam). While still foaming, add milk all at once, remove from heat, stir and serve.

Very important!

Stop the cooking process immediately prior to combining ingredients. If it curdles, you will know you heated it after the combining. Good with oyster crackers.

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