Uuuuuh, not really sure why i want to talk about Milly and Tilly. Guess its because they the most exciting things about this Gardening year so far. No seriously they are, it is a game of skill to weave TILLY between the rows of plants and grind up all of those nasty weeds. The nearly everyday downpours that have caused my tomato plants to just give up, not that i blame them. The result is not stronger plants with large tomatoes, no its it is quite the opposite. Making this year not exactly regretable, more like lessons learned.
MIlly has tilled up most of the huge gardens of my younger years, when there were more people at my table and fewer deer in my yard it took half the day to till my garden. It takes less than an hour now to till my tomato patch now.
I I would like you to meet the QUEEN of my tomato patch garden for almost 5 decades, the one and only Tilly. Always there for the heavy work, so i could read seed catalogs and day dream about growing giant tomatoes. Her main job is, of course, was to make sure i wasn't too tired from digging by hand to make a decent supper.
Still have those bootsT they don't really fit right,never have, over time they have become rather stiff. Maybe 40 years ago, there was a an old tyme general store on the back streets of the next town up the road. The owners were aging and decided to sell out, got i alot of useful stuff at that sale. Including steel toed leather boots,it still wear them. They have seen alot of years have, seen alot of snow alot dust alot of mud,most of it caught in their very deep grooves in the outsole. They collected mud that became compacted until it felt like trying to walk on skis. The fun part was getting the mud out by jumping up and down and watching the
. chunks of mud fly. I bought a pair bright red longjohns also. Made a Christmas decoration for the front door out of the longjohns.
This is Milly, so named because she is "Mini" compared to Tilly. Oh! those are my plastic clogs, bought them about the same time i bought Milly, and still wear them.Now where was i going with this???? ah yes, Millys job is to till between pants and down the rows, light, maneuverable, and no where near as loud as Tilly...and this year because of the rain which made it difficult to weed, she had her. Hacking at weed and muddy weeds roots. That seemed to make weed grow better.
Milly got her name first even though she is much newer, obviously on a day when my true lack of creativity was showing. Think that might actually explain Tilly's name also.
After the Christmas season is over, and the bright lights fade the snow starts to turn into dirty drifts by the side of the road, then and only then is it time to get out the seed catalogs and daydream. When i go out to the tool shed to get a snow shovel or some of my infamous mix or salt and sand, it's time to pause and reassure Milly, Tilly and myself that Spring will be here some day.
There was an old cupboard in the hall at my Grandmas's house. Inside were some dishes and cobalt blue glasswear with the picture of a little girl on them.
We didn't have a TV, and I had never seen a movie. I wasn't sure who she was, but I knew she wasn't from our little town. I worked up my courage and asked who the girl on the dishes was.
"Shirley Temple she's a famous actress" Gram replied"Making movies even before she started school." "But that was long before you were born. I don't know what she is doing now." Then I asked my Mom, and she told me how Shirley temple had stopped acting, when she started school.
And never I did see any of her movies until in the late 60's nostalgia was everywhere. There she was dancing with Arthur Treacher was this obviously very talented little girl with her trademark curls. I knew Arthur Treacher from his curmudgeonly wittiness as the "side kick" on an afternoon Talk Show he also did the commercials for his business 'Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips' franchise... my very favorite fast food place. But I digress {frequently}. Mr Treacher also enjoyed the benefits of the same nostalgia. And I enjoyed seeing her childhood movies.
America's
sweetheart, Shirley Temple Black (April 23, 1928 – February 10, 2014)
was an actress, singer, dancer, and diplomat who was Hollywood's number
one box-office draw as a child actress from 1935 to 1938. In all,
Shirley starred in 14 short films, 43 feature films and over 25
storybook movies in a career that spanned three decades, from 1931 until
1961. As an adult, Shirley served her country as Delegate to the United
Nations, Ambassador to Ghana and to Czechoslovakia, and Chief of
Protocol of the United States. Among her proudest roles were as a wife,
mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
There is no real point to this ramble, just an observation. An observation about a store Santa Claus, which reminded me about something from my youth .
I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph.
Anyone remember the movie, "The attack of the Killer Tomatoes"? Well this year has been sorta like that for me.
Note the cooked tomato color o these words, and yesssssss I did go out and sing at them....didn't work... an exhausting embarrassment of riches, and I am grateful, truely glad to have such a good harvest,but then there are times. So I sat sown at my new laptop and started looking for recipes.
So here are some I thought were really worth sharing. Green tomato recipes later on, probably with a much longer ramble...
Sweet and with a hint of baking spices, this old fashioned tomato jelly
is a unique spread for breads and pastries. Once you’ve tried it,
you’ll know why it’s been a favorite in our family for generations!
Growing up, my favorite jelly was something my Grandma made and
called “Tomato Jam.” It was a gorgeous orangish-red color, sweet (but
not too sweet), and spiced with fragrant cinnamon and cloves.
This year, I had a bumper crop of tomatoes in my garden, so I decided
to try my hand at making Grandma’s recipe for the first time. She
passed away earlier this year, so it seemed especially fitting and a
special way to remember her.
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The only problem…I didn’t have the recipe!
I reached out to my Aunt Susy and Aunt Peggy, who live in our
hometown and spent every day with Grandma. They were able to help me
track down a tomato jelly recipe that was as close as possible to what
we knew and loved.
Smelling that sweet, spicy jam as it cooked on my stovetop brought
back so many memories! And when I finally got to sample it, I was
immediately transported to my childhood. The tomato jelly tasted exactly
how I remembered it!
I’m so excited to share this recipe with you! I hope you love it as much as I do!
What is the Difference between Tomato Jelly and Tomato Jam?
I don’t know if there is an “official” distinction, but when I did
some Googling, the term “Tomato Jam” turned up mostly savory recipes,
while “Tomato Jelly” gave me results that looked more like our family
recipe.
Our family always called our sweet spread “tomato jam,” so I use both terms here.
Tomato Jelly Ingredients
For your convenience in re-creating this recipe at home, we’ve
included shop-able ad links to some of the products and supplies used.
Read our disclosure policy here.
3 pounds fresh tomatoes — Scaled, peeled, and chopped (you’ll use 3 cups of cooked-down tomatoes in the jam)
The first step in making tomato jelly, salsa, or anything of the like
is to scald the tomatoes. This is a process in which you score the
bottom of the tomato, dunk them in boiling water, then place them into a
bath of ice water.
Doing so loosens the skin of the tomatoes, making them much easier to peel.
Here’s a closer look at that process:
Cut an “x” shape in the bottom of each tomato (opposite end from the stem).
Place tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds. If you notice that
the skin starts to peel back from where you scored the fruit, even if
the 30 seconds is not up, remove immediately.
Move tomatoes to an ice bath for 5 minutes. The skin will start to wrinkle up and pull back on its own.
Gently peel skin away from tomato flesh. Discard skins or add to your compost.
How to Make Tomato Jelly
Wash your tomatoes. Scald and peel as shown above.
When all tomatoes are peeled, chop and place into a large saucepan.
Heat until simmering, stirring regularly to avoid scorching or sticking. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Measure out 3 cups of your cooked tomatoes to another large saucepan. Add lemon rind, lemon juice, and spices.
Add pectin and sugar to your cooked tomatoes and stir well. Bring to a
rolling boil. Allow the jam to boil hard for one minute, then remove
from heat.
Skim off the foam and pour into your prepared canning jars. Be sure to leave 1/4 inch headspace in your jars.
It is generally recommended NOT to double jam and jelly recipes. The
reason being that when you’re cooking the jam, there is less surface
area and more volume, which necessitates longer cooking time. The final
result is less likely to be properly set.
However, I actually did double this recipe. Shhh…don’t tell!
It actually worked ok for me! The jelly did look a little watery in the
jars in my pantry. However, any jars that I opened and moved to the
fridge firmed up perfectly.
How Long Does Canned Jam Last?
Properly canned jams and jellies can last for 12-18 months, unopened.
Store them in cool place, away from light or heat sources. Your pantry
should be fine. Once opened you’ll need to keep the jars in the fridge.
If you open a jar or jelly and notice any weird smells, signs of mold or fermentation — trash it! It’s not worth the risk.
Cut an "x" shape in the bottom of each tomato (opposite end from the stem).
Place tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds.
Move tomatoes to an ice bath for 5 minutes.
Gently peel skin away from tomato flesh. Discard skins.
To Make Tomato Jam
When all tomatoes are peeled, chop and place into a large saucepan.
Heat until simmering, stirring regularly. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Measure out 3 cups of the cooked tomatoes and place in another large saucepan. Add lemon rind, lemon juice, and spices.
Add
pectin and sugar to your cooked tomatoes and stir well. Bring to a
rolling boil, stirring so sugar dissolves. Allow the jam to boil hard
for one minute, then remove from heat.
Skim off the foam and pour into your prepared canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace in your jars.
Process with water bath canning method.
Water Bath Canning Method
Sterilize
canning jars by submerging in boiling water. You can leave the jars in
the water to keep warm until your jelly is ready to can.
Once jars are filled, use a damp paper towel to wipe the rims clean.
Place
lids on top and twist screw rings until you just start to hit
resistance. You want the lids to stay on during canning, but air needs
to be able to escape.
Submerge jars in boiling water for 10-15 minutes.
Use
canning tongs to remove jars from water and place them on a kitchen
towel on the counter. You don't want to set the jars directly on a hard,
cold surface.
Allow to cool. You should hear the "pop" of the jars sealing over the next few minutes.
Allow jars to stay in place overnight, then tighten the rings the rest of the way and store.
Any jars that did not seal should be kept in the fridge and used first.
Note: Nutrition information is a rough estimate
only; actual values will vary based on the exact ingredients used and
amount of recipe prepared.
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I I would like you to meet the QUEEN of my tomato patch garden for almost 5 decades, the one and only Tilly. Always there for the heavy work, so i could read seed catalogs and day dream about growing giant tomatoes. Her main job is, of course, was to make sure i wasn't too tired from digging by hand to make a decent supper.
