It is 9:35 Saturday evening. I've paused the documentary No Dress Rehearsal about Canada's beloved band The Tragically Hip, so that I can update you on what I did this week, just in case you want to do any of this stuff too.
That right there is the caramelized, slow cooked goodness known as roasted tomato sauce. It's my favourite way to get rid of excess tomatoes because a) it's easy b) it makes the house smell delicious and c) it's another thing that I can freeze now and pull out for pasta in the middle of winter.
You can learn the method in my roasted tomato sauce post.
I'm also trying to isolate a zinnia and hand pollinate it so I have seed for an exact replica next year. I really liked this particular colour. It starts off as a very buttery peach, in another week or so, the peach petals graduate to a pink and peach. By the next week it has doubled in size again and looks a darker pink.
You can read about the original seed I grew this zinnia from in this post from the spring that outlines everything I grew this year.
I've never done this isolation thing on a zinnia before so it could all go terribly wrong. I don't think it will, but it might, because gardening is exactly as predictable as the path a drunk toddler will take across a room.
I replaced the LED light in my fridge. Fun fact: I bought the replacement light 5 years ago. Why yes, that is how long I've put this job off for.
In my defence, the lights were just gradually dimming over the years so I didn't have the incentive of a light that didn't work at all. If that makes sense.
I ate vegetables from my garden including YES the carrots I planted just over a month ago which I told you about in my garden fails were fantastic post earlier this month.
(Swiss chard with balsamic vinegar, corn on the cob, boiled new potatoes with butter and salt, and carrots with butter and cinnamon.)
Let us end today's post with a text exchange I had with Betty.
It was, as the timestamp on the text says, 12:49. My mother, Betty, texted to ask me some random question.
Betty's normal roll into the bedroom time is about 5:30 p.m. so a 1 a.m. text from her is unusual. I asked why she was awake.
And that is what I did this week.
I know a couple people who will occasionally sleep text. Some crazy, lol.
Use to to be a few people, but even after getting some sleep and waking up, one of them was convinced I tried to kill her. 🙄😐🤔
We don't even live in the same state / country, whatever. And NO, I never tried to off her. At all.
We don't text anymore. She's crazy. 😶
That pretty Florida flower kinda looks like a tiny sea monster. A cute one. 😀
Haha on the fridge bulb replacement. Same. More Betty!
OMG! I assume the cocaine response was conjured up from auto correct hell, but it sure made me laugh! I am supper interested in the Zina propagation thing. Where do I get those silky baggies? Some of my blooms are super cool….
Hi Heidi! I'm using 5x7 net bags from Amazon And the cocaine was not an autocorrect, it was me being hilarious. ~ karen!
😅😄😄😂💞 ya just got to love Betty
Your caramelized tomatoes look lovely. I'm going to make those. Thanks! I recommend Betty try Yoga Nidra to help her sleep. It's fashionable now, but some of us have been doing it for 46 years. It's amazing. :)
We also roast and freeze our excess tomatoes - heavenly scent while they're baking. One of the best things about doing this is that they take up SO MUCH less space in the freezer. It's truly amazing how they cook down and then the flavor is so much more intensified. We even went to pick tomatoes to supplement all of our heirlooms for this process. Sometimes, I dehydrate some of them in slices and freeze them also. They taste like really healthy candy - and very sweet. P.S. That flower picture from Miami really does look like a muppet! Have a fun week...
Text Betty that a fan said HI and drink some warm milk next time you can't sleep. The tomato slush looks good. Wish I had tomatoes instead of horn worms. Tomatoes taste so much better worms.
This is à propos of Garden Fails, I ordered a ‘black’ light (purple) and Wowee what fun. Two huge and one little hornworms were noshing the first night (funeral dirge plays) (I know, they become lovely Sphinx Moths, but not these particular ones 😜) and one last night. Thank you so very much. The tomatoes have so often been stripped this year, perhaps no more!
Oh, that's fun! ~ karen!
Flower from the Miami, Florida
It looks like a Muppet! ~ karen
My chore that I procrastinated on for weeks was taking apart my vacuum to find out why it wasn’t sucking anymore. I saved myself the cost of a new vacuum, but was mortified by the amount of gunk clogging the tube. Silver linings, and all that.
It’s been so dry here in the Midwest that I’m having an hard time caring if my late season garden takes off. Will definitely be roasting some of these cracked tomatoes. Thank you for sharing that idea!
Also, my mother loves using voice to text, but she doesn’t proofread before she presses send and it is the most ridiculous string of nonsense eight times out of 10.
Oh I totally get this! My mother is the same. I have to say yours is the most fantastic example! But I keep reminding my husband (after we shake our heads and laugh) I sure hope I can be open to whatever technology is out there when I’m 85!!
That text needs to be printed on a coffee cup. ~ karen!
Karen- you had me at “The Tragically Hip” - AKA, The Hip. I can’t see Gord Downie in that last show they did, without sobbing (almost hysterically). I muffle the loud crying by using my cockatoo as a handkerchief. Parrots hate this.
The Hip’s tragic yet marvelous story proves that good friends are the family we all really need and talent should not be wasted. Also, tell your people, family & friends, how much they mean to you because life has a way of surprising us so never miss a chance to embarrass them.
The flowers are not going to fail you. Your vegetables look delicious. Betty is a gift. You are living your best life.
Much love from me to you.
Cool beanz - and all I did of note was order a nifty dash cam from Amazon. The package arrived this morning on schedule, with the 'minor' inconvenience of the box containing a pair of travel neck pillows. Which doubtless would be dandy were I to travel by air at some point, but pure shyte when it comes to video recording travels by Hyundai Tucson SUV. A 'correct' replacement has been promised to arrive tomorrow. I am filled with anticipatory delight imagining what new treats the driver may deliver. Oh, all your lovely meal seems to lack is a nice ribeye steak, medium rare.
It was on the black plate to the upper right of the photo. But it was a tenderloin. ~ karen!
Even better. Looks quite tasty.
I love your Betty stories. They never fail to entertain.
On a side note, good for you for changing that bulb! I have a faucet that I bought somewhere around 2017 that needs to be installed. The cold tap in the bathroom leaks so I have it turned off. We just deal with it and if it gets too hot, we get cold from the tub if needed. I've been procrastinating obviously, but maybe tomorrow will be the day it happens. Anything is possible, right?
p.s. I'm making your pumpkin pie right now, like I have been since you shared it originally. Making a leafy crust this year. 🍂
(I think that was the year my daughter was born). I'll never go back to canned!
That crust looks complicated and amazing! ~ karen