The cycle continues for so many of us who love to garden and can our produce. We anticipate the spring. We can’t wait to play in the dirt . . to plant the seeds. We watch with great anticipation waiting for those tiny seeds to sprout. The tender shoots are so beautiful . . so full of hope — hope that we’ll soon have a freezer and lots of jars full of home grown produce. We find a perfect little green tomato underneath the blossom. We find one baby pea pod. The tiniest pepper takes form from its bloom. We go after ever weed with a vengeance. We dare a bug to even think of munching on a leaf or stinging our precious produce.
We water in the morning. We sometimes water in the evening. We pray for rain. We are so thankful for the bounty the garden gives to us.
We pick tomatoes. We dip them in boiling water and then submerge them in ice water to remove the skins. We put them in jars and process them in the canner. We shell peas. We snap beans. We scrape potato skins. We freeze. We can. We make pickles.
Then one day, we walk into the garden and we think bad thoughts. We are tired of pulling weeds. We are tired of getting up before daylight to water the garden before the sun scorches the plants, as well as the lady tending the plants. We are tired of the bugs that have found the garden. We are tired of waiting for a rattlesnake to slither beneath the pinto beans. We are tired of standing in the kitchen 12 hours per day . . skinning tomatoes, chopping tomatoes, putting tomatoes in jars, wiping in the rim of those jars, putting them in the canner, trying to keep it right at 10 pounds pressure, waiting for the timer to go off, waiting for the pressure to drop!
If you’re a gardener, you know what I’m talking about, don’t you?
Yesterday I walked into my garden and this same thing happens every year about this time. I said to myself . . if I never see another tomato, I will be happy! I grabbed my basket and I picked all the green tomatoes! There! That should put a damper on the tomato canning!
These will be made into green tomato pickles. When I am done with these, I will rest. I will pack the canner away.
I will plant tomatoes in my fall garden and the cycle will begin anew.
carolyn says
I so hear your pain! BUT my little garden held so much potential this spriing, I too am tired of the need to water, weed, but I’m not getting much out of hte garden! Despite the DEER fence, last week they got in and desimated my Green beans (what the bugs had not already eaten) all of my ALMOST ripe FIRST tomatoes that only needed a dayor maybe one more, ALL of my Green Grape tomatoes, and ALL of the blossums on the tomatoes so there have been no new fresh tomatoes on my table. I’m ready to take on an electric fence, but this garden is only about 12×10 feet seems a little much to have to do. Yesterday I was out there spreading sevin bc I have not gotten any green beans off mmy plants in weeks, I’ve tried the soap sprays, and the dicatumus earth (sp) w/o results (and yes I did it more than once each) Now I saw 2 HUGE hornets that have ground nests in 2 of the corners of my garden. GREAT just what I need. I hope sevin kills them too!
Mary says
I am SO jealous! With 10 plants, in 3 varieties, we are yet to have one red tomato. Plenty of green ones, but no red. Last year we had our first ripe one on July 4, which is early in New York, but all the same, we ought to have something by now. So enjoy your tomatoes!
Hilary McDaniel says
Last year when we were at this point, we wrapped each green tomato in newspaper, put them in a crate in the pantry. They started ripening in 2-3 months. We had red tomatoes all the way to Jan. I thought they would all be ready at the same time, not so. If you don’t want to can anymore, try that. So easy so rewarding.
Mary says
My tomatoes are just coming in. But the beans, squash, carrots, and corn have already been here.
Jo's Country Junction says
Oh Judy…I TOTALLY have the same feeling. Here in Iowa that feeling usually doesn’t hit until the beginning of September but here with the drought conditions it has kicked in earlier. The incessant watering is about doing me in. I have had to pick and choose what I am trying to save and what is just going to be let to die. While I stand there watering the good stuff, the dying stuff just sits there wilting all the more. The garden is no longer fun this year. At the same time I feel guilty that all the farmers in the area can’t stand out with a garden hose watering their crops. Last night we finally got some rain…one quarter inch. It’s the first rain since May. From reading you blog, even you in Texas have had more rain!!! Farmers to the north and south of us have had rain in the last week and more but here at our place…very little!! I am going to hang out awhile longer and try to at least get some tomatoes canned…non yet this year except some to eat.
Judy Laquidara says
We have had way more rain than we had last summer and I do think we’re better off than a lot of y’all are. I also feel terrible for all the farmers who cannot keep their crops going. So much work, so much anticipation and worry and such a let down that’s going to affect us all at the grocery store.
Laurel from Iowa says
Judy – sometimes I wish I had even a scintilla of interest in gardening. Your photos are so beautiful and what a great bounty you produce. But the blackest thumbs in the Midwest reside on my hands so I will live vicariously through your garden. Jo’s Country Junction had rain and we had about 10 raindrops yesterday. Totally dark blue stormy sky, perfect rain conditions . . . and nothing. So even if I had planted a garden, we have a water ban so it would perish anyway. Please keep sharing your photos to give those drought-stricken gardeners some hope 😀
Judy Laquidara says
The drought has made it hard for lots of folks. If we didn’t have a well, I would not have even planted a garden because there are water restrictions here too.
Mona R says
But you know, I do love cycles. Wouldn’t want everyday to be the same, huh? Just want to say thank you for letting us peek into your daily doings. Made the Carpenter’s Wheel quilt for the feathers tutorial session (meh, not my most successful color choices), but OMG! the feather quilting is turning out soooooo well. Thank you for this push out of my comfort zone. I will not fear large blank spaces to be quilted and I will not mark. Oh so liberating! Sock knitting is going great as well. Please be sure to let us all know how your Camp Loopy little cape turns out. Have a great day!
Lee Ann L. says
Sounds like Heaven! I’m hoping to start a fall (cool weather) garden. But, I’m scared of canning especially with a pressure canner. i think I’ll start with freezing and dehydrating them first.
Judy Laquidara says
Freezing and dehydrating is a great place to start. Good luck with the fall garden.
Angie says
And you will resolve to not plant so many tomatoes next year!—thanks for the smile this a.m. :o)
Judy Laquidara says
No, I will plant more. I’ve had to buy some tomatoes this year to meet my goal. Having more means I pick more at one time, get more canned at one time. It’s when they’re slowing down and I get a few today and a few tomorrow but not really enough to do a batch of canning that I get frustrated with them.
debra says
yep. and I remember that you told me you wished you planted a bigger garden 😉 We’ve all been there. It’s good work. You’ll reap the benefits.
Toni in TN says
We are finally getting rain after all the blistering hot weather. We managed to keep our samall garden [three raised beds] alive but barely. The wildlife was thristy also. Veggies are coming on now, but I will not come close to meeting my goals. Even the farmers market has very little. Oh well, there is always next year!
Sheryl says
Did I ever tell you that I really, really love green tomato pickles? 😉 What recipe do you use? I’m getting ready to start some seeds for fall tomatoes so I might do pickles with some of the green ones.
Linda Steller says
LOL. And you’ll do it all over again! There’s nothing like opening a jar of something you’ve canned and having it smell as though you’ve just picked it fresh from the garden. I didn’t get my garden going this year. I think I will be able to manage next year. I’ve found I can actually stoop down and pull weeds now without needing assistance to get back up. Having that spinal fusion really set me back. I got really old there for a while, but I think I’m getting a bit younger again. By next spring, I might have a garden and chickens, who knows? 😉
Penny Holliday says
Just got my morning enjoyment! Love taking a little break here w/ a cup of coffee & reading your blog!! Enjoyed your thoughts about the tomatoes & your garden today!! I know that your blog is really like a journal for you but I think you should be sharing the good life by writing a book!! You do have a wonderful way of writing and your adventures just continue so please consider this!!
Penny in So CA
Mary C in WA says
I’ve never planted an Fall/winter garden. I am happy to go out and pick from my Flower bed garden and I think of you and your bugs and snakes… you could make some FRIED Green tomatoes too.
Marilyn says
Sounds like you can enjoy some A/C and knitting now. I got to can a few tomatoes. Do you really prefer to pressure can your tomatoes? One of the commenters suggested that you write a book. Rhonda of
http://down—to—earth.blogspot.com/ has done that. She writes about a simpler life on her blog.
Marie says
I have a recipe that I use to pickle the last of the green tomatoes that are so good with a roast. They are kind of sour but husband just loves them, so I know I will can some of these before our season is over. Canning is alot of work, and the rewards are awesome, but there are times when you just want to say ENOUGH!!!!
Kathy E. says
Judy, Please share your recipe for green tomato relish. I have one that I am not so happy with. Of course, I won’t get any put up this year… we only have 2 large tomatoes left on the vines!
KAT in Tamale Land
Donna A says
I wonder how the cattle farmers will do if and when the ponds dry up everywhere…..some are feeding the hay as fast as they can bale it because the pastures are almost gone. It makes my garden here in Iowa seem small in comparison. It is sooooo dry everywhere that I can’t think there will be any hay to buy and no one will want to buy the cattle because there is no hay to make or buy. I too am tired of watering but I still keep on trying to keep the garden alive. Last weekend we got 2 tenths of an inch of rain and on the edge of town about a mile away they got an inch. Seems sooo unfair………………..
Ranch Wife says
If I lived closer, I would take all your extra produce off of your hands and leave little gifts beneath the leaves for you to discover. Our garden was quite lean this year. No amount of water will make it thrive like rain and gardening in the desert is always a gamble. Still, thankful for each and every morsel and yes, once again I will look forward to spring!