Citrus. It's not just important for pirates.

Indie Farms' Kumquat

Like making Russian Tea around the holidays? What about fresh squeezed orange juice for those family breakfasts? Planning to ruin some kids' Christmases by stuffing their stockings with Clementines?

That's right, I said it. Kids don't get excited about an orange in their stockings. I don't even celebrate Christmas and I know that.

But you still do it, don't you?

Right on. I'd do it too. Because I love Clementines and, hey, if someone's going to fill a sock with something for me, I'd rather it be sweet little citrus rather than big sweaty foot, am I right?

Who are you trying to fool with fruit in the stocking?

Anyway, I've gotten off track. What I wanted to tell you guys was that, if you want to make sure to have a big sweet (or tart) citrus harvest this winter in NorCal, now's the time to feed your trees.

They're blossoming, setting fruit and getting ready to go to the winter show right now and they need a snack before they go.

The timing and schedule for feeding citrus vary depending on who you talk to, but in the test garden, we feed our potted and planted citrus on a monthly basis with an organic citrus food like Dr. Earth's Fruit Tree Fertilizer. Then we reap a mighty harvest all winter long without fear of the scurvy that plagued our seafaring ancestors.

Arrrrr! Avast ye matey!

What?

Yeah - just making sure you're still paying attention.

Feed me, Seymour.

Feeding your trees is easy:

1. Measure out the recommended amount (based on the size of the tree's trunk) into a garden-only measuring cup.
   
2. Pour it around the base of the tree.
   
3. Mix it in to the surface of the soil by hand.
   
4. Water it in well.
   
5. Walk away for a month. (But still water when the soil is dry to the touch)

This will keep your fruit trees well fed so that, in return, they can make you some food. And fodder for Christmas stockings, much needed adult beverages, holiday gifts (that also happen to be adult beverages) and remedies for cold and flu symptoms.

Want more citrus recipes? Check it.

Medicinal produce that does not require a special card.

Spicy green tomato pickles

I have two questions for you:

1. Do you have green tomatoes hanging around on your plants?
2. Do you like Bloody Marys?

If you answered yes, have I got the canning recipe for you.

OK, to be fair I should have asked three questions, with the third being:

    3. Do you know how to can tomatoes?

But, if you don't know how to can tomatoes and you want to learn - Indie Farms has a session just for that. Learn how to use a canner, can some tomatoes, turn your back on storebought canned tomatoes forever - it's a good time.

Meanwhile, if you're looking to do something with the green tomatoes on your plants that will never ripen as the season is about over, this recipe is a delicious combination of my standard tomato canning recipe and my pickle recipe and results in a most fabulous cocktail garnish, appetizer platter winner and green olive stand-in.

"Green" can mean anything that's not 100% ripe. Just for the record.

I gave these as part of my holiday gifts last year and they were the biggest crowd pleaser of all the preserved foods. Even more so than my blackberry jam which shocked the pants right off of me.

Don't worry. I was home alone when it happened.

SO! Ready to preserve the final remains of your summer tomato harvest?

Get to it already. Then take those tomato plants out and put some cover crops in already - it's October!

Sheesh.

Spicy Green Tomato Pickles
Notes in italics

Makes 6 pints (or, in my case, 6 half pints and 2 pints) 
Ingredients
3+ pounds green tomatoes, washed and halved or quartered (bite size is what we're going for)
3 1/2 cups vinegar
3 1/2 cups water
1/4 canning salt (kosher salt works fine)
6+ garlic cloves  (1 per jar)
1-3 T red pepper flakes (you decide how hot you like it)

Equipment
Hot water canner with rack
Canning tools: Jar lifter,  jar funnel, tightener
6 pint jars, 6+ half pint jars or a mix of jars
Lids and bands for all of your jars

To make
Wash your tomatoes and cut them into either halves or quarters with the intention of making them all about the same bite size.

The reason it's important for them to be about the same size is that they'll all process the same and you won't have some that are overdone with some that are less done. 

It's all about consistency of doneness, is what I'm trying to say.

Combine your salt, vinegar, red pepper flakes and water in a large saucepot. Bring to a boil.

We used the full 3 tablespoons because we like it spicy at the test garden.

 If you're using more or less tomatoes than the 3+ pounds in the recipe, you can adjust your water and vinegar mix accordingly - just keep the ratio intact. So, like, if you only have a pound of tomatoes, use 1 1/2 cups of water and 1 1/2 cups of vinegar. 

The ratios are what's really important, so don't be sad and not do this if you only have a pound of tomatoes. You don't *need* 3+ pounds to make this, it's just what I had when I made the recipe. I also will not judge you if you start a full hot water canner for 3 pints of these tomato pickles - they're *that* good.

Pack your tomatoes into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4" head space. That's what is recommended out in the great wide world of canning, anyway. 

Did you know that was out there? It is. It's great.

Add 1 clove of garlic to each jar and ladle the hot peppered vinegar mixture over the tomatoes.

Remove air bubbles with a tiny spatula or that little plastic wand that comes with some of your canning tool sets.

Put on the two piece lids and bands.

Process 15 minutes in your hot water canner.

This time around, we had a full house of pints and half pints.

Allow to cool, then make some Bloodys, have your nicer neighbors over for appetizers and cocktails and then throw away your green olives because you're done with those.

These you're just getting started with.

Also, can I ask a favor? I promise I won't get greedy with my favor-asking. 

When you're done canning, let that water cool and then use it to water your plants. Or rinse off your windshield. Or wash your dog. Or something other than just dumping it down the drain.

It's perfectly good sterilized water. You could probably birth a baby with it, but I am not recommending that because I don't know nothin' about birthin' no babies. Also, that screams liability. 

Anyway, as a favor to me and Indie Farms, please don't waste water. Or birth babies on our instruction. Thanks, friends.

Lusty tomato pasta

When in doubt, and in tomato season, you will find me in the kitchen making this dish.

Especially if any of the following situations are at play:

• It's hot out. Like, so hot you can't imagine turning on an oven or even whispering the words, blow dryer.
• The tomato plants are producing at a rate unequaled in all of plantdom.
• I only have a few minutes to make dinner and even fewer brain cells with which to craft it.
• I don't have much in the way of fresh meat, so it's pantry staples + garden produce or nothing.

The crucial EXTRA important key to this dish - to making it a dish that you will come back to when you're hot, sweaty, starved and not prepared to think your way through a complicated recipe - is the bowl treatment.

The what?

Yes, the treatment you give your bowl (a good sized glass bowl works best) with the cut side of a garlic clove is the key to a dish that will have you drinking the juices straight, before you even get to the whole "dinner" part of things.

Or, if you're me, you'll pour yourself a little glass of this liquid delight while the mixture is getting all lusty and you'll drink it right there with a little basil garnish because that totally makes sense in the heat of the moment.

And believe me, when you're making this, heat is almost certainly involved.

So, next time it's hot, you're starved for something great and your garden's pumping out tomatoes and basil at a terrifying rate - here you go.

Lusty Tomato Pasta

Adapted from The Splendid Table's recipe for Mellowed Fresh Tomatoes for Pasta

My changes in bold

Ingredients
2 tomatoes per person, chopped
1/2 pound whole wheat spaghetti
1 bunch of fresh basil, rinsed and ripped
2 garlic cloves, papers removed, halved
3 T olive oil 
1 T sea salt
1 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t fresh ground black pepper

To make
Rub down the inside of a glass bowl with the cut sides of the garlic cloves until it's completely coated. Leave the garlic in the bowl and add the tomatoes,  peppers, salt and oil. Stir completely, being sure to drag the mixture around the sides of the bowl to completely incorporate the garlic's juices.

Throw in the basil, give it a final stir and then let it rest while you boil the pasta.

When the pasta's almost al dente (slightly uncooked in the center when you bite into it), drain it and immediately toss it with the tomato mixture, being sure to get the pasta down to the juices waiting at the bottom of the bowl.

Let the pasta mingle with the tomato mixture for a few minutes, tasting the juices and adding salt and pepper to your own taste. 

Serve with some fresh basil on top and some toasted garlic bread on the side. Otherwise be prepared for your diners to drink from the bowl, which isn't the worst thing that's ever happened.

Carrot juice

This isn't much of a recipe, but rather more of a way to encourage you to juice your carrots because HOLY MACKEREL is it delicious.

To the point where, if I squint my eyes and don't think too much about it, fresh cold carrot juice almost tastes like chocolate milk to me.

Does that make me strange?

It might.

No matter, juice your carrots and you decide what it tastes like.

Pretty sure that you'll at least think it's delightful.

Carrot juice

Makes 12 ounces
Ingredients
2 pounds of carrots, washed and trimmed


To make
Flip on your juicer and start shoving carrots in there through the shoving hole using the supplied shover rather than your hands so that you can hold your glass of juice with all 10 of your fingers.

Once all of your carrots have met their end in the juicer, pour the resulting frothy juice through a fine mesh strainer into a glass. Strain it again. Seriously, don't doubt me on this one, you want that juice as strained as possible.

It may strain you, all the straining, but just do it and don't sass me.

Then chill the resulting glass of juice in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Good drinking, all. See if you can imagine that it's actually chocolate milk.