Saturday night was the first downpour we’ve had in a while. So it didn’t surprise me when my tomatoes, which are really tall for the first week of July, were sagging over, taking their tomato cages with them. I don’t usually have to shore up tomatoes this early in the season, but …. gotta do what you gotta do. As I was pushing my stakes in, I found two ripe cherry tomatoes. Two. On the 5th of July. I have never ever had ripe tomatoes this early.
I usually pull out the cookbooks looking for tomato recipes in late July, early August. But I have the perfect recipe for these two darlings.
First of the Season Cherry Tomato Delight
Ingredients
Two perfect cherry tomatoes
Salt (optional)
Instructions
After harvesting the two cherry tomatoes, rinse thoroughly
Pat tomatoes dry
Open mouth
Pop the first tomato in
Chew
Repeat
Serves just one
What summer produce are you looking forward to the most?
Trail Baboon 
I’ve been harvesting raspberries and currants (black and red) this weekend and am so happy about it.
Other than a handful of raspberries on the morning yogurt, the currants are going in the freezer for sauce/jam. Ditto a y leftover raspberries.
Can’t wait to see if I have tomatoes yet!
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Yes, raspberries are coming gangbusters, already two bags in the freezer, and told the neighbors to have as much as they like!
The veggies Husband got in sets: we’ve had some broccoli, and yesterday picked a 2-1/2 # kohlrabi… woops! Still tasty sliced, raw. (Have never liked it cooked.) Will feed us all week!
Will watch for the tomatoes, which are my favorite to have fresh, but with this early start, will there be room in the freezer for anything? I don’t can anymore (in fact, gave away 3 boxes of canning jars on Saturday), just freeze the tomatoes whole after coring.
OT: My sister is coming in today for a week, picking her up in Rochester, so I will be on the Trail spordically.
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Our Argentata Swiss Chard, which has white stems, is coming along nicely and we will eat some in a lemony pasta bake tomorrow when Daughter stops in for lunch on her way to the Cities. The basil is really good. Tomatoes and peppers have exploded.
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Yesterday Daughter and her traveling buddy drove past our old house in Dickinson. Anna said the neglected state of our once beautiful flower beds and front yard garden made her want to commit arson.
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Bet the neighbors are sad…
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Strawberries (already pigged out on them), tomatoes, and sweet corn. The holy trinity of MN summer food in my book. I have a fair number of good-sized green tomatoes, but nothing close to ripe yet. I’m soooo jealous, VS!
Chris in Owatonna
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Has anyone ever used a steam juice extractor? I have a bumper crop of cherries, too small to pit individually.
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Sorry, no. But dying to know how it works out.
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I have never even heard of that.
My cherry crop was abundant. We picked 4 gallons and there were that many left on it.
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I can hardly wait for vine ripened tomatoes, especially the heirloom (Striped German- yellow with red stripes is my favorite; Green Zebra, Mortgage Lifter (RED) and Sungold cherry tomatoes (not quite ready yet but close).
Organic Corn would be another to look forward to but hard to find some summers. My herbs, cucumbers and chard and soon bush beans are harvestable now.
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OMG – the cauliflower (also from sets) is ready, and I see one roma tomato is turning a light orange…
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Soylent Green.
Available from the Reflecting Pool in Washington DC
And you thought it was algae!!!!
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I thought it was Kermit the Frog gone wrong.
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Ha ha ha ha!!!🤣
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Good Afternoon, Baboons,
I have garden stuff coming, but no cherry tomatoes yet. VS, you give me tomato envy. I had two tomatoes planted in the back and they got sick. First time that ever happened in my garden. I have 4 plants left, and one is looking rough. I harvested my first zucchini today, and tomorrow there will be cucumbers. Banana peppers have been abundant, as has the lettuce.
My favorite summer meal is BLT and sweet corn. Can’t wait.
I froze 2 gallons of tart cherries in quarts. One quart became a July 4th pie. The rest will become jam and other delights. I love those cherries. When the bing cherries show up in stores, I will get after those, too! Peaches. NOT California peaches, but Michigan, Georgia, and Colorado peaches. Yummmmm.
I think Minnesota summers are heavenly.
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And this is my call for zucchini. I don’t plant it because it makes me crazy, but I love to have a couple of them per summer, so if anybody has extras that they’re thinking about leaving on their neighbors’ porches in the dead of night, think of me.
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I hear you!
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July is the only time residents of Lake Woebegon lock their car doors in the church parking lot.
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corn on the cob, watermelon, cukes, tomatos and basil, peppers sweet or hot, raspberries and more corn
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A day late. Nobody will see this.
I am just thrilled to be able to garden again, even if it is in cedar planters and grow boxes, etc.
I’ve been harvesting zucchini for a couple of weeks. I’ve had 8 of them so far. They’re great in my Ninja foodie on the grill setting.
I’m making my third batch of pesto today. I’ve been enjoying rainbow Swiss chard since the beginning of June.
I did find some iridescent brown and green beetles on my basil this morning. I plucked them into a plastic bag and stomped on them.
I have one paste tomato plant, one slicing tomato plant, two cherry tomatoes, and two of those yummy yellow pear tomatoes. There are little green tomatoes hanging all over all of them. I haven’t had any ripe ones yet. My recipe for the first ripe cherry tomatoes is shorter than yours. First, notice the ripe tomatoes. Second, pick them. Third, put them straight in my mouth and enjoy!
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