Roasted Green Tomato Salsa

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Last night, I turned almost two pounds of green tomatoes into this roasted green tomato salsa. It is absolutely delicious, but has a thicker consistency than normal salsa, almost like a spread. I might have over-mixed it. Or perhaps my tomatoes were just not as juicy as others. I refrigerated the salsa, and I think before I use it, I might cut up some fresh tomatoes for juiciness and extra brightness, and to add more texture. I still have about a pound and a half of green tomatoes that will ripen on the counter – the end of my 2024 garden tomatoes.

Mise-en-place (plus two cloves of garlic, olive oil and salt)

Back Porch Semi-Cleanup

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Parsley and cherry blossom

Yesterday, with temperatures forecast to be in the 30s at night, I decided to bring in my tender perennial herbs. I had brought the basil inside a few weeks ago, and now moved the thyme, rosemary and lavender. Thyme and lavender are winter hardy, but in containers, I have not had much luck overwintering them in the past. The thyme resides in the kitchen now, and the lavender rosemary live in the back hallway.

I still have two containers with parsley and also kale, some very skinny leeks, tiny radishes, chives, mint and nasturtium growing outside. The full porch clean-up including covering and/or putting away furniture will happen in a couple of weeks. We will have a few more warm days this week (sixties and even seventies), and I am looking forward to enjoy the afternoon sun on the back porch.

Big container with still very healthy parsley plus (now sadly almost dead) basil

Fall Work Day

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Blueberry foliage

Yesterday, we had our community garden fall work day. We got a lot done, from weeding and clearing the common areas inside the garden to getting the communal outside beds ready for winter (including planting 100 tulip bulbs and 100 crocus bulbs), to spreading hay and mulch, replacing three more timber plot borders and more. We harvested the last green tomatoes and flowers for gardeners to take home, and placed the remaining tomatoes in our donation box outside the garden gate for neighbors to take home. All that is left to do apart from finishing weeding & mulching and cleaning the shed is to dig up the dahlia tubers after the first hard frost. The common areas are (almost) ready for winter.

Before
After
Pinwheel marigolds

Pickled Green Tomatoes

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Just before adding the brine (vinegar, water, peppercorns, garlic, sugar, kosher salt)

Two days ago, I harvested many of the green tomatoes that were still on the vines in our new vegetable/flower bed outside the community garden as we had a light frost that night. They were all of a smallish variety (I think it was Mountain Magic), with the fruit being very uniform perfect little globes of about 1.5 inch in diameter. Last night I quick-pickled them and filled two jars. I always use this recipe but omit the turmeric and the dill. They keep in the fridge for a few months. I am looking forward to adding the pickles to sandwiches (sharp cheddar/apple/grainy mustard, pickled tomatoes is a great combo – yum!).

Late October Plot

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Plot today after harvesting the squash and removing tomato plants

Today, I started cleaning up the garden plot. It is (unseasonably) warm during the day but there will be frost tomorrow night. I took out the tomato plants and harvested all the butternut squash. Over the next week or so, I will get an area ready for planting my garlic. I still have chard, kale, radishes, beets, fall greens, leeks, carrots and flowers growing.

Swiss Chard
Calendula
Fall greens
Radishes

Ginger

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This year, I experimented with growing ginger in a container. I started in February with a piece of store-bought organic ginger that I misted with water for about a month to encourage formation of growth buds. Then, on March 12, I planted it in a pot, very shallow, with the roots exposed.

Ginger today just before the harvest
March 12

I let it grow indoors for a couple of months until temperatures were warm enough to bring the container outside.

May 14 (ginger in center in the back)
October 17
October 17

Today, I harvested the ginger. The pot I used had a smallish diameter, and I did not get as much ginger as I had hoped. The new ginger is so juicy and fragrant! I am very excited to use it. Next year, I will grow ginger again, but in a wide shallow planter.

Harvest (notice the strong fibrous roots)
A piece of ginger with old growth on the left and new growth on the right

I saved a small piece with several growth buds (and two stems) and replanted it in the same container. I plan to overwinter it in my back hallway.

Overwintering ginger