Putting Up Tomatoes

What a bumper crop of tomatoes this year! Time to do something with them so we can enjoy home-grown tomatoes all winter. On a day off I decided to make sun-dried tomatoes and stewed tomatoes.

 Tiny Tim cherry tomatoes

San Marzano plum tomatoes

I've been wanting to try 'sun drying' my own tomatoes, but in the oven. Takes 12 hours at a very low temperature, 160°C, and I checked often to be sure they didn't get overdone. 

 Cherry tomatoes halved, put on a baking sheet with parchment paper, sprinkled with salt, pepper & basil.

 Plum tomatoes quartered with salt & pepper on a baking sheet with a rack & parchment paper.

 Cherries done! Not hard, more like a raisin, pliable. 

 Plums done!

 I put the cherries in a jar with extra virgin olive oil and a clove of garlic cut in half and stored in the fridge. We love a pasta with these tomatoes, garlic & olive oil...yum!

The plum tomatoes I stored in a freezer bag after freezing them individually on a sheet pan so they can be removed a couple at a time as needed. 

And to deal with the sink full of tomatoes...a variety of more plums, beefsteak, Brandy Wine & Better Boy. My husband loves stewed tomatoes, so I decided to make a batch of them.

 Boiling tomatoes

Drop in ice

 Remove skin

The ingredients. The green & hot peppers are from our garden, the onion & garlic from a local farmer and the carrot...well, store bought. (I didn't have any celery! Oh well, will still be good) Used olive oil, basil, parsley, sugar, salt & pepper. For certain recipes I prefer dried herbs, so I didn't use the fresh herbs from the garden. 

 Sauteeing the vegetables

Stewing the tomatoes. When they had cooled, I put them in containers and popped them into the freezer. Now he can enjoy his stewed tomatoes whenever he wants!

And, the chickens benefit too! They get most of the scraps from the vegetables...and boy do they love them. (no onion or garlic for them)

There are plenty more tomatoes ripening on the vines and I have a slew of hot peppers. I will be spending another day putting them up, so this time I plan on canning salsa. Tortillas anyone?

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It's Party Time at It's So Very Cheri

Home-made Bird Bath

I built a homemade bird bath using a leaf from my Sum & Substance hosta plant.

I certainly don't need another bird bath. We have 2 ponds with waterfalls the birds love to play in, an old plastic bird bath and a terra cotta one that is at ground level for the chickens when they are free-ranging. But I saw this done and really, really had to have it!

It was very simple to do, sort of winged it as I went along. My husband wasn't home so I literally mixed the cement myself, believe it or not! So proud of me! 

I made a mound of soil in a shady spot of the yard. (Next time, I'll dig a hole and do it in reverse). I had cut off a leaf from my Sum & Substance Hosta. It has lovely markings that will give the bath a pretty texture.

 Position Sum & Substance Hosta leaf on mound of dirt

 Slather on a layer of cement

 Chicken wire

Put wire on cement for added support

 Add a second layer

 Let dry for at least 2 days

 The reveal...now this is why next time I'll dig the hole. The cement 'fell' and  made a ring around the leaf creating this messy looking edge. Maybe I used too much cement, there was still loads on the body.

Notice a bit of the hosta I couldn't remove...it will wear off in time.

 Used an old tree stump as the holder

All in all, I'm very happy with my hosta bird bath. I've gotten used to the edge and it actually gives the birds somewhere to perch. 

 Filled with water

 The ladies inspecting the new water feature...that they can't reach. You can see their water behind them.

 My bird garden

You can see I like using old stumps. I have a bird house screwed into that tall one in the back. 

Hope you like my new bird bath! Have you ever made one?

My bird bath was featured: 

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Jennifer Rizzo's Creative Friday Linky Party

It's Party Time at It's So Very Cheri

           

          

                    

           

               

Recycled Milk Can

Yes, I am a copy cat! How can you not be with so many wonderful projects out there in blogland? Doesn't everyone copy someone else at some time in their life? ;)

Laurel, at The North End Loft, blogged about painting a milk can to give it a rusted patina. Well, I just had to do it...I mean who would want to keep it looking like this?

Turns out it was manufactured at Houston Harvest Dairy to be a knock-off, not a real one, and it's smaller. (edit - I found out these were used as popcorn tins?) Still had the UPC code sticker on it. But, who cares? I finally have a milk can!

I won't go into the whole tutorial since you can click on Laurel's link above to see it done. But I'll show you some pictures along the way.

 Primed...looks better already!!

Next layer...satin silver

While I was at it, I figured I might as well do this watering can too. I don't like the blue, it needs to be old & rusty. :) 

Working at night on the picnic table...

The next day I finished them both.

I'm not thrilled with how the watering can turned out. I couldn't find copper acrylic for the 'rust' recipe so I had to make my own, and then mixed it with the 'wrong' colour for the milk can. But I like that better than the watering can, which I did according to the directions! lol I have since found copper, so can't wait to try it on another project. 

But I do like the way the milk can looks. It's not as good as Laurel's, but hey, it's my first time!

Pepsy sauntering by...sorry, had to get one of the pets in here!

Final resting place, with an old cement planter. 

Thanks for stopping by, and if you like this I hope you check out Laurel's tutorial and try it yourself! Here's how hers turned out! Amazing, so much better than mine. I really have to practice at this one! 

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