Tomatoes and Frost

Sometimes I like to live life a little on the edge, take a gamble or two.

The firm rule with tomatoes around here is that you don't plant them until after Melbourne Cup Day, lest you wish to be greeted by dead plants after a chilly visit from Jack.

After a long winter without tasty home grown tomatoes I am pining for those rosy delights, and couldn't resist the delicious array of heirloom seedling tomatoes that can be found in nurseries everywhere this year.

Tonight will be a true test of my folly, with chilly temperatures forecast and a grazier's alert. Perhaps the weatherman could bring out a tomato alert, for all the overly ambitious gardeners out there. I have placed my tomatoes in tree guards and fed them with sulphate of potash (today) which is supposed to improve their cell structure (and fruiting and flowering).  If I was really clever I'd have covered them, but I couldn't figure out what with in any hurry.

Crossing my fingers.

Do you ever take a leap of faith in the garden?

“Be not afraid of growing slowly.  Be only afraid of standing still.” - Chinese Proverb

Siberian tomato, sounds like it should be able to take a bit of chill.

Potato Gnocchi

Adoring the wonderful shapes, sizes, and colours of our potatoes. Almost too pretty to eat, almost.

 One little duck went out one day.....

They were so fresh the skins just rubbed off some of them.

 Boiling 3kg up for potato gnocchi.  The problem with using different varieties in one pot is they all take different cooking times and some were harder to mash than others.

 Lovely to have my mum to cook with, to offer advice, and to takes photos for me.

The recipe instructions called for a rather large sized gnocchi, in retrospect, a bit too big, as I think they were tastiest near the edges. I have cut the left over ones in half and frozen them for later. Easy to cook, a quick drop in some boiling water and retrieved as soon as they floated. They were quite tasty, and light, but not overwhelmingly good, so I haven't posted the recipe.  Not a keeper, as a little like mashed potato balls.  At least the fussy middle one was happy and is requesting them again. Can anyone recommend a good gnocchi recipe?

Cooking the heirloom tomatoes for another batch of sauce, this one to have with gnocchi.  The addition of green tomatoes does give the sauce a slightly strange colour. I hate to say it but I am a little bored with the tomato glut, still whittling them away, every time I turn around one is changing into a revolting sloppy mess on the bench or making nasty stains on my baskets. Happy to announce that we have only one zuchinni left, happy to go without the green critters for a few months, although we do have some grated and frozen for later if the urge arises.

I was too busy feeding everyone, and enjoying a glass of wine, to remember to take  the final photo.

For some great ideas of how to cook potatoes, and some interesting facts about potatoes, visit - Earth Apple Jane's blog. She even makes potato jewellery!