Homemade Living: Black Cherry Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes are my absolute favorite type of tomatoes, so we always make sure to plant plenty of them each year. Early this season when we made our order for seeds, one new type of cherry tomatoes really caught my eye - an heirloom variety known as black cherry. The description of this tomato promised that the seeds would yield highly prolific, bushy plants that produced juicy, sweet, full-flavored tomatoes. Sounded great to me! And I have to say, these plants have really delivered. I don't even remember how many we ended up planting, but they have gone crazy and each day we harvest loads of their little gems.

They are delicious fresh as a snack or tossed into salads, but my all-time favorite thing to do with my cherry tomatoes is roast them. I just cut them in half, drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, then cook at 400 degrees F for about 20-30 minutes, checking at 10 minute intervals to make sure they don't burn. When they are roasted, the flavors intensify and the juices transform into the most savory, full-flavored sauce you could ever imagine (I like to call it "tomato jam").

Once roasted, if not used immediately, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to a week or you can freeze for up to 6 months. But I have a hard time not diving into them right away! My favorite way to eat them is to toast some sourdough bread, slather on plenty of homemade mayonnaise or goat cheese and top with the roasted "tomato jam" and fresh basil from the garden. It is the ultimate summer meal!

What is your favorite variety of tomatoes?

~Tammy

This week in the Homemade Living series, I am joined by Mary and our new blogger Jackie in posting about how we incorporate homemade items into our lives. Next week Daisy, Staci, and Amber will be up. If you have some free time, please check out the other posts in this weekly series!

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Clearing The Camera: Gizmo Edition

We haven't even had Gizmo for three months yet, but I wonder how we ever got along without him.

It has been fun (and a little sad) to watch him grow so quickly. Sometimes I look back on photos from just a couple months ago and can't believe he was ever so tiny.

A couple weeks ago he really gave us a scare. He had a freak accident getting his toe stuck in the leg of a chair and had to undergo emergency surgery to remove the toe. I was a nervous wreck leaving him at the animal emergency center while they put him under and repaired the injury. Thankfully, we got a call just about 45 minutes after we left that he was ready to be picked up and did just fine. He had to wear an e-collar for a while so he wouldn't pull out his stitches, and at first he hated it but eventually got used to it.

Sometimes he can test my patience when he plays with the tomatoes, attacks my feet, and gets into everything, but when he cuddles up on a lazy day and purrs loudly until falling asleep, I know he is happy and completely content and there is no better feeling in the world.

I have always loved animals, especially cats, but there is just something extra special about Gizmo. Maybe because I was wishing for a kitten and he just showed up in the chicken coop one day like an answered prayer. Whatever the reason, it doesn't really matter because I am just so happy he's in our lives.

~Tammy

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Feathered Friend Friday: Rooster Ratio

Now that Ellie's chicks are several months old, it is becoming apparent that we've got some males on our hands. It looks like four of the five chicks have turned out to be boys!

For now, we're keeping them in a separate coop and run area. We do let them out in the evenings with the main flock for free ranging, and they seem to get along fairly well. The boys' run is attached to the main run, so all of the chickens can see each other all day long.

I had read before that if you keep roosters together without any hens, they will get along and not fight because there is nothing for them to fight over. Usually when roosters squabble, it's because they are each trying to claim rights to the hens. I have seen this with Cam and Roosty in our main flock, so I knew that adding in more boys with the number of hens we have would definitely not work. I know most people would get rid of the roosters (either by giving them away or eating them) but I just can't bring myself to do it.

I have a soft spot in my heart for roosters because typically they are unwanted. The dark side of the backyard chicken craze is that everyone wants hens for their eggs, but no one wants roosters. So at the hatcheries, baby chicks are sexed and the boys are simply disposed of in ways that are far too upsetting for me to mention here. They are thrown away because no one wants them, and it breaks my heart that just because they happened to be born as males they meet such a cruel fate.

So even though it's not economically prudent, and it's not the hatching outcome we had initially hoped for, these boys will have a safe home with us. I will never be known as a typical farmer, and even though sometimes it's hard, I hope I will always stick to my guns and follow my heart. To me, each and every animal I care for is someone, not something, and I will protect and care for them to the best of my ability.

~Tammy

Strawberries & Cream Freezer Bars

Since Labor Day marked the unofficial end of the season, I wanted to give summer one last hurrah with a yummy frozen dessert. I had pinned this a while back, and knew that it would be the perfect way to say goodbye to ice cold desserts and make way for the warmth of fall.

Strawberries & Cream Freezer Bars
Recipe from Sweetsonian

Ingredients:
1/2 cup pecans, toasted
8 whole graham crackers broken into pieces
1 cup butter, melted (2 sticks)
2 cups AP flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream (I used full-fat coconut milk)
1 lemon, juiced
4 oz. cream cheese (I used Tofutti dairy-free cream cheese)
2 cups diced strawberries (organic preferably, since they are on EWG's dirty dozen list)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) In a food processor, combine the pecans and graham crackers. Pulse until crumbly. Then, transfer to a large mixing bowl with the melted butter, flour and brown sugar. Mix with a fork, and spread out onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Pat down with your fingers to make one giant cookie (you’ll be crumbling this later). Try to keep it about 1/4 to 1/2-an inch thick.
3) Bake for 15 minutes, then remove to cool. Crumble into a bowl.
4) In a large bowl, or using a stand mixer, beat the egg whites until you have soft peaks. Then, gradually add the sugar and heavy cream. Beat for another 4 minutes, until the mixture is light. Beat in the lemon juice and cream cheese until evenly mixed, and then fold in the strawberries.
5) Line a 9×13 cake pan with parchment paper. Spread half of your cookie crumbles into the pan, coating the surface evenly and pressing down lightly. Then, pour your strawberries and cream mixture on top of the crust, using a spatula to spread the cream all the way to the edges. Sprinkle the remaining crumbs over the top, coating the cream entirely.
6) Freeze overnight. When fully frozen, slice with a very sharp knife, and wrap individually with plastic wrap or parchment paper.

I love the fact that you can individually wrap these bars and store them in the freezer so they are ready to go when you need a quick treat (ps - they are pretty hard when frozen, so I like to let them sit out at room temperature for about 15 minutes before I devour them). The homemade cookie crumble is so delicious, and I had to stop myself from eating handfuls of it after it came out of the oven! I might even use the crumble recipe for other desserts; it really is that scrumptious.

Are you still filling up on summer staples or have you already moved onto fall foods?

~Tammy

PS - Don't forget to visit Daisy, Staci and Amber today for their posts in the Homemade Living series. Next week I will share my post along with Mary and our new blogger in the series, my good friend Jackie!

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