Stijn Nieuwendijk / Flickr
One might suppose I was a bit overzealous in planting basil this year . I ’ve have about 20 plants , and I allow in some of them are there just to help with bug control — but that does n’t mean they ’re not still viable for harvesting .
Ahhh , harvest time . This is when all the hard work of spring and summertime comes to realisation . What seems to be an overabundance of basil will provide just the proper amount of dried basil oddball to last me until next yr and leave some over forpestoand a mere basil / olive crude oil purée that I can immobilise in frosting - cube trays until I want to chuck some into a soup or sweat .
I put in a lot of stevia and red gum this year , too . I ’ll dry it along with bunches of lemon balm to make my favorite tea . Again , it ’s amazing how much you take to acquire a comparatively diminished amount of tea ; once you dry all those leaves — in the oven on lowest mise en scene , in a dehydrator or both , if you need more processing volume — you’ll be lucky if you get one just - sized jounce .
Sarah R / Flickr
The tomatoes confront a forked hex . What to do with all those ripe tomatoes ? What to do with all thosegreentomatoes ? TheFat Mama sauce tomatoesI plant acquire a ton of albeit small — OK , cherry - sized — yield , but they are mighty tasty . And the Sun Sugar bush isstillproducing beautiful small orangish orbs at the rate of about 10 a daytime .
I ’m chucking the tiny ripe tomatoes into salad , lend to veggie medleys and eating them like candy , but the supply still vastly exceeds the need . My go - tos for ripe tomato overage are :
Will Luo / Flickr
If the light-green tomato show any color , I ’ll try out to ripen them by cast them in a paper bag on the counter for a few mean solar day . Otherwise , there are a million ways to use them green : relish , fix , in breads , sauce and even cake ! And of form , the inevitable , delicious fried green tomatoes of Fannie Flagg fame .
So fear not that harvest home overage , my Quaker . sweep up it . Spread drying herbs all over your living room , line your electric refrigerator with jarful of mess and fill your freezer with slabs and cube of veggie purée . When the Revelation of Saint John the Divine come , you ’ll be quick . Unless , of course , the power decease out .
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