Tomatoes!

I am like a proud momma about my 4 little tomato plants this year. This was my first time to have tomatoes in the ground, and let me tell you, they did fantastic! I am in awe of how many tomatoes just 4 plants can produce in a good season. We have had all the tomatoes we could eat, I have made enough tomato sauce to provide us with 3 meals, and I have frozen a gallon bag of peeled and seeded tomatoes for later use.

Making my own tomato sauce from home grown tomatoes has been one the most exiting things I've done on our mini homestead yet. I wasn't sure how to make home made sauce, so I had to turn to my trusty internet to find a good recipe. After finding several recipes that sounded pretty tasty, I decided that simple would be best. Here is the recipe I followed.

Tomato sauce:

About 15 large tomatoes peeled, seeded, and chopped (I didn't really seed mine)

3 Tbs chopped fresh basil (which I also grew...YAY)

3 large garlic cloves chopped

1 large onion chopped

3 Tbs olive oil

½ cup red wine

salt and pepper

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium/low heat. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add garlic, stir a few seconds, then add add wine, tomatoes, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook uncovered for 2 hours stirring regularly to prevent sticking. Remove from heat and let cool. If a smooth sauce is desire, blend in blender or food processor. (I used a hand blender)

                                  Some freshly picked tomatoes and jalapenos 

                                                        Fresh ingredients

                                                      Finished sauce

    I added ground beef to some of the sauce for dinner that evening.  It was delicious!

Compost

Ironically, before my inspiration to live a more simple life, I had never even heard the term “homesteading”. It did not take many trips to the library to come across this ideology, and I, of course, immediately fell head over heals. I read every single book that our library had, and I couldn't wait to get started turning our home into a mini homestead.

One of the topics that was repeated in each book, was composting. This one was a no brainer as I had already started some small scale gardening, and it was something that we could do right away. At this point our chickens were about 5 weeks old, and the poop was starting to pile up... perfect timing. My husband took some leftover lumber and chicken wire from building the coup, and our first compost bin was born. We plan to have a more substantial one built by next spring, but for now this one is working perfectly for our needs.

The information I found on the subject varied from relatively complex to very simple. I ended up taking a trip to our county extension office to get some one on one advice time. It proved to be a very educational excursion, and I left with an armful of instructions on not only composting but many other subjects of interest. Between the knowledge I gained from this literature and from what I read in the library books, I think we may be successfully composting.

Only time will tell if we are doing it wrong, but the system we are using is simple. The most complicated part to date has been remembering what can and cannot go into your compost. To that end I wrote a list of these things and posted it on my fridge. Problem solved. I will attach the list to the bottom of this post. As instructed, we were sure to put our bin where it could get some direct sunlight. We add to the pile daily, and about once every 2 weeks, I literally stir it with a stick. (It is silly I realize, but you would not believe how much pleasure is to be had in the stirring of compost) If it looks dry, I add enough water to just moisten it. So far there is no odor to report, and with each stir it looks more and more like compost. I intend to add stuff to this bin until late fall at which time we hopefully will build our permanent bin, and this one will be left to age for next year's planting. I will immediately report any problems, errors, or complete failures.

Items for Compost

     shredded cardboard                                            coffee grounds

     corn cobs                                                                grass clippings

     chicken manure                                                    hedge trimmings

     newspaper                                                            shredded paper

     sawdust/wood chips                                            egg shells

     tea bags                                                               fruit & veggie scraps

     woody brush & straw                                          banana peels

Avoid Composting

     breads and grains                                                 oils

     dairy products                                                     meats

     diseased plants                                                    weeds

     pet manure (dog/cats)