Fall Harvest Tomato Salad

We seem to have shorter growing seasons for tomatoes lately. My tomato plants just got started going in August and now the plants are loaded with green beauties that may not ripen. Today we had no sun all day today with the threat of rain.

Did you know you can keep the tomato harvest going through the fall and winter. Yup! Once the weather cools off and before a frost, pull up the tomato plant, brush the dirt from the roots and take it a shed or garage. Hang it upside down in the corner away from direct light allowing for air circulation. Harvest tomatoes as they ripen. Enjoy garden ripe tomatoes longer.

Here's a simple recipe I threw together with my garden harvest of orange and red tomatoes with a green tomato variety added from a neighbor's garden.

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Bounty From The Garden Salad

I just put together a wonderfully delicious salad made from my morning harvest. I'm crunching on it while typing this post.

I'll tell you what's in the salad, but first, take a look at my first carrot from the garden. Of course I had to grow purple carrots. But I've never seen one like this. I feel it's a metaphor for the many things I have my fingers into right now. The vibrant greens depict a bounty of health. What do you think? Give me your best metaphorical interpretation.

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How Does Your Garden Grow?

Last night we enjoyed the first salad from our garden. Two kinds of lettuce, two kinds of kale, radishes and chard. I added a pear cut into pieces and tossed it with a splash of balsamic vinegar and two tablespoons of homemade vinaigrette. It was delicious and very healthy!

The garden is loosely based on Mel Bartholomew's Square Foot Gardening technique. We bought a raised bed cedar kit from Craig's List, which came pre-drilled with all the necessary hardware. After choosing an appropriate location, we set-up the structure and filled it with custom mixed soil: equal parts of compost, peat moss and vermiculite (key to keeping moisture in the soil).

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Restaurant Review: Flora's Field Kitchen

A trip to Los Cabos Mexico means a perfect get-away during the cold and rainy Northern California winter (and spring this year... okay, I admit we don't know what cold is in California). Exploring new beaches, side roads and taco joints is a favorite pastime while we warm-up in the sunshine of Mexico. On our most recent trip to Cabo, we discovered a wonderful place to eat outside of San Jose Del Cabo called Flora Farms. The organic working farm provides food for the restaurant Flora's Field Kitchen and a small farmer's market setup next to the al fresco dining area.

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