Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatoes

65°f18.3°C, clear and low humidity. Perfection!

You know how we all long for the first fresh, ripe tomato? And how heavenly that first bite is, every summer? 

And then, here they come. Lots and lots of them! From the sweet little cherry ones

to the pink and yellow and black and red, suddenly there is a glut of tomatoes!

And then our friend sent a text: come get all we want from the greenhouses.

Today was picking day. We brought home less than usual--about 4 bushels--and set to work immediately.  These photos are what we have left at the end of canning today. 

We made 44 quarts of juice today; now, what to do with the rest?  I don't need salsa or pasta sauce or ketchup or bruschetta or pizza sauce, as I still have plenty from last year that we need to use. I think I will dry some, can some whole tomatoes, then probably give away the rest.

We met this gentleman at the greenhouses. He is related to our friend Mark who owns these greenhouses, and he had come after hot peppers. (Mark only grows peppers and tomatoes in the greenhouses.) This man actually lives just over the hills from us, and he is 85 years old. You would never guess it from the way he worked and talked. He was quite the talker, but very entertaining. 

He sure picked a lot of peppers. I have zero interest in hot peppers, but he planned to make several different things from them.

This is inside one of the greenhouses. Morning glory vines have overtaken the plants now that Mark's picking season is over. There are 7 of these large buildings: 3 for peppers, one for yellow tomatoes, and the rest are red tomatoes. Mark also grows 20 acres of pumpkins; he sells his produce at the Charleston farmer's market. In addition, he raises hay, field corn and cattle. 

Time for bed. We planned to do booths tomorrow, but that is not happening. I need to catch up on other things, but I will have to get started on drying the tomatoes too. At least that will be easier than canning them.