Dried tomatoes among other things

Yes, I know. I have written about this before. But I am talking about tomatoes so of couse you get to hear it again. These dried tomatoes really added zip to my tossed salad, no lie. They are so much better than the mealy ones I have bought at the store (long time ago of course, I gave up on tomatoes in January). Worth it, worth it. I highly recommend it. And my Minnesota cousin can testify that you can even sun dry them in the frigid north. So what's not to like? Why not do it?

In Michigan, (well I know sunny Saginaw is in Michigan, but what can I say) getting a food dryer was well worth the expense. I hope to use it for many years to come (the same way I use the foodmill for making tomato sauce)

What else to say? These tomatoes were homegrown in Michigan in Saginaw (which is not always sunny even though my sister thinks it is) and they are to die for! At last, a tomato for January in Michigan.

Pizza Pizza!

Sigh. I used my last tomato this weekend making vegetable pizza. I think this is pretty darn good, eating fresh tomatoes from the garden in January. Just wish they would have lasted even longer. I am definitely planting Golden Treasure tomatoes next year and hoping for a repeat of long lasting tomatoes.

I did have pizza again the next day and guess what! If you dry tomatoes you can add them to your vegetable pizza. No, they are not as good as fresh, but they are a lot better than you can find in the grocery store at this time of year. I don't regret buying my food dryer at all. I can still look forward to tomatoes that taste great through spring.

Vegetable Pizza

I buy whole wheat pizza crust and use pesto for the sauce. The pesto includes basil, garlic, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts and salt. I tend to do the by guess and by golly cooking method here. Pick what vegetables you wish to add, onion, pepper, broccoli whatever. Saute them in a little olive oil. Spread the pesto on the crust, add the sauteed vegetables, fresh tomatoes (or dried) if you have them, a little feta cheese and bake at about 375 degrees for ten minutes. A friend of mine, Elise Brooks, first made this for me three years ago and I have been making it ever since. It is simply yummy!

Swan Gourds

I am not sure if I should be hopeful for these gourds, or assume the worst and that they will rot by the time I try to make them into birdhouses. Okay, let's look on the rosy side and hope that at least one of them is going to make it.

I have been keeping them in my closet (the coolest, darkest place in my house) and checking them every now and then, wiping them clean in hopes that they will not fall apart before I go to carve them. I want to take them to the Saginaw Farmers Market this summer (it opens Memorial Day weekend) and demonstrate how to do it at the Master Gardener's table. The Saginaw Valley Master Gardener Association has a table with lots of gardening information every Friday from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. throughout the summer and into September.

So if you are in the area, stop on by. Do you need to know how to dry gourds? Gourd drying can get you started.

I don't know if I can be this creative but Dave's Garden sure has a lot of good ideas for these gourds.

Enough of this. Time to get back to my morning coffee.