Killer Tomatoes!
Here we go again with a contaminated foodstuff. Actually we’ve all been hearing about it for a couple of weeks. Now they’re saying the salmonella might not be in the tomatoes after all. I bet there’s some kind of bug swimming in the water at the facility where they process them. They must get some sort of bath for shipping, so they look beautiful at the grocery store. We got tomatoes out the wazoo in the garden- but they’re all rather small and green at the moment.
I need a plan for those ‘maters. Later today, I’m going to get out The Blue Book and look over the recipes. I’m not adverse to homemade ketchup (spicy and delicious!), some red relish, or salsa! I cook this dish I call “garden”. It consists of chopped fresh tomatoes, onions, squash if I have any, sometimes corn off the cob and cilantro. It’s a little like “garden medley” which the cafeteria ladies at school used to fix for us. I didn’t plant any green beans this year- shame on me, but we haven’t had much luck with them. Nice for us there’s a vegetable stand up the road!
Source of Inspiration: Our local paper used to run a column called “The Amish Cook” by Elizabeth Coblentz. Quite an interesting story. She wrote her columns by hand and turned them in to her editor. Usually little snippets about what was going on in their family, their work and finishing up with a recipe. Elizabeth and her daughters were always canning things of course. I came to believe that if they could do it with a woodstove, then surely I could do it with an electric stove and neato electric timers and such. So I learned a lot from Elizabeth (but I’m still not crazy about shoofly pie!) She passed away a few years ago, but there’s a hardbound book still in print “The Amish Cook Cookbook” lovingly assembled by her editor and friend.
How was your Fourth? We didn’t “do” much of anything. Mike had the standby service at work. We just don’t plan on doing things if there’s a chance he’ll get called out. As it turned out, Saturday he did get a call. Wow, our neighbors put on a show. Friday was kind of misty in the evening, so they put off their fireworks until Saturday night. They must have had 30-40 big “aerial” fireworks they shot up. Oh yeah, they’re illegal here. Trouble is, people go right across the line and buy them in Pennsylvania, where they’re also illegal to use, but legal to sell to people in other states. Go figure. My inner Libertarian says if the person wants to risk blowing their arm off, I guess it’s their right. Sort of dumb though. Our fire department has a carnival this week and there is always a big fireworks show on Friday night. I’m all for free entertainment!
Poor Tesla had a time of it! 
First he was barking and very agitated. Then he retreated to the computer room, sort of cowering in the corner after every boom. I guess the noise hurts his ears. But isn’t he looking handsome?
We’ve been watching: A couple of series on DVD. The first is called Kings in Grass Castles a true story about a family who left Ireland during the Famine and became cattle ranchers in Australia. The special feature at the end of the DVD was an interview with the author, Mary Durack, talking about the old days and working on a cattle station. Living with the aboriginal people. Very interesting stuff! We also started watching Bramwell starring Jemma Redgrave as a 19th century woman doctor, setting up her clinic in the East End of London, the terrible diseases back in those days. Things like this make me glad I’m living now!
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