tomatoes

Tomatoes, coloured pencil on Pastelbord, 8" x10" copyright Teresa Mallen

Tomatoes, tomatoes and more tomatoes...that is what has been occupying my spare hours these past weeks. Harvest time is busy for me but I love it. One of the reasons I grow food is because I love the connection to the land and the seasons that this work gives me.

In recent years I have been shooting for getting in around 75 to 100 tomato plants (in addition to the other veggies we grow, I don't just plant tomatoes :-) ). This year with the gift of a dozen or so plants from a neighbour and with the self sowing of a few plants from compost seeds, I ended up with 95 plants made up of different varieties. It is a long journey from the planting of seeds in tiny seed pots in the house in late February to now, the end of the harvest.

So what do I do with all of these tomatoes? Well what we don't eat fresh in the fall months, I use to cook with over the winter. These tomatoes turn into homemade pasta sauce as well as a base for sauces in soups, stews and chili. I have also created an annual late autumn tradition of turning lots of green tomatoes that have been patiently waiting in the garage into our year's supply of salsa.

Tomatoes are not only fabulously versatile in the kitchen, they also make great subject matter for art! I loved the look of these just picked tomatoes (still with a bit of stem), as they sat in a basket in the early morning light. I decided to capture the moment. This piece was done on an 8" x 10" board with a sanded surface (made by Ampersand, called Pastelbord).

I have been blogging in fits and starts this year. I would muster up some great intentions and then life would bring surprises. We lost a much beloved goat this summer. Her various health issues were my priority but alas in the end there wasn't anything that could be done, she simply had a heart that was done its job. Losing an older animal, even when they have had a great life is still not easy. Fortunately I was able to spend oodles of quality of time with her last months and that was wonderful.

So the harvest is just about in and I have been really busy in the studio. I have some new things to show you...I just need to snap some pics first.

Finally, here is a use for all of those green tomatoes that are left in our gardens when frosts come and there is no more time for ripening...Green Tomato Salsa. I have included a recipe here, it comes from Farmgirl Fare.

 

 



Farmgirl Susan's No Sugar Green Tomato Relish/Salsa 

 

Please note my recipe changes mentioned at the end of Susan's version.

 

Makes about 3 pints. Recipe may be doubled; increase cooking time by 10-15 minutes.

 2 lb. green tomatoes, cored and chopped

1 lb. white or yellow onions, chopped

3/4 lb. sweet red peppers, cored and chopped

1/2 lb. tart cooking apples, such as 'Granny Smith', cored and chopped

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 cup 5% acidic organic raw apple cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon kosher or sea salt

4 jalapeno peppers, cored, seeded if desired, and finely chopped

2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)

Combine the tomatoes, onions, peppers, apples, garlic, vinegar, and salt in a large, nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about an hour.

Stir in the jalapenos, cilantro, and cumin and simmer for 5 more minutes. Carefully purée the mixture using a stick blender or in a traditional countertop blender (in batches if necessary) until still somewhat chunky.

If canning, return the puréed relish to a boil, then ladle the hot mixture into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Process 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Store in a cool, dark place.

10 calories, 0g fat, 60mg sodium, 0g fiber, per Tablespoon

My changes to the recipe: I chop up the tomatoes, onions etc. using a food processor at the beginning, before putting into the pot. That way I am able to skip the hand blender step or putting it into a blender at that later point. If you don't have any organic raw apple cider vinegar, just use the apple cider vinegar that you find at your grocery store. Also, garlic powder can be used to replace the fresh garlic.

 

I also don't wait to add the jalapenos, cilantro and cumin. Not sure why you would add these ingredients for just five minutes.The cilantro and cumin add wonderful flavour! I add a lot more than the required amount of cilantro.

 

I always double the recipe and it does work well that way too.

Finally, I took the recipe and using some conversion charts, I converted the weight measures to cups. I found this easier to relate to.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

peas in a pod wip and food fantasies

peas in a pod, work in progress, 6 1/2" x 20 1/2", coloured pencils on Stonehenge

copyright Teresa Mallen

Here is how the peas are looking now - of course the paper is white not blue. I am thinking of calling this one Brocade Peas. I abstracted the wrinkles on the top of the pod and now the design reminds me of brocade fabric! Keep in mind that I jump all over the place when I work so if the peas don't look done, well they aren't, if the top doesn't look done, it isn't, you get the idea. When it is finished I shall post a larger file image so you can see it better.

So what do you think about when you draw or paint? I ponder all sort of things when I am colouring with my pencils. One topic that has been on my mind lately is green tomato salsa. :-) I know, this makes the third post in which I have mentioned it. Perhaps I need Green Tomato Salsa Anonymous.

I am hooked on this stuff. So far I have enjoyed it with tortillla chips (I like the bakes ones), with rice and I also used it to add spice to a lunch time wrap. I am now daydreaming of adding it to omelettes for a fiery Mexican style brunch, or to homemade soup to add some zing. Did I mention that I made another batch this morning while I waited for my coffee to brew? Oh and when I am not thinking of recipes, I am planning my 2010 vegetable garden. Where will I plant the tomatoes next year? How many more plants should I save space for? How early can I harvest green tomatoes? Good grief, I have just finished this year's gardening season! Is isn't just me that needs help of some sort. My husband is so wowed he suggested I bottle it and sell it. Humm, Teresa Mallen Studio expanding to include salsa for sale. Diversification is good, right? Maybe it is a good thing that this morning's salsa cook-up used all of the green tomatoes that I had left. (I could ask my neighbours but we have had several hard frosts so that isn't really an option.) Anyone willing to do an intervention?

Ah, but before you feel too smug, just what exactly do you think about while you are working? Come on now, fess up...

Sharing our passions and quirks...

I did this pumpkin piece some years ago. I really like pumpkins and in the end this became a 'not for sale' item. It is on the wall of my studio and I never tire of looking at it. (Okay, maybe that sounds weird but if we don't like our own art, how can we expect anyone else to?) So, I confess that I like pumpkins from their first growth as a gorgeous yellow flower all the way through to pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie and of course as dried gourds. My own little quirk. What might yours be?

I imagine I am like the rest of you in that I read blogs written by fellow artists. Every now and again I find that this gets a bit old - so and so is doing another cat picture, this gal just won another award, this one is doing another piece featuring petals - (oops that one would be me). When the blog blahs last hit me (sometime in August), I started to wonder about the millions of blogs that are written. I decided to look for blogs that were not art related but were written by people passionate about my other interests.

I mentioned last time that I would share a fabulous green tomato salsa recipe. Well, I found it on a blog written by a woman, 'Farmgirl Susan' who shares my passion for homesteading. Yup, a back to the land, nature nut, that's me. She writes a lot about food and if recipes and such are you thing or if you just like looking at pictures of sheep, her blog might be a nice diversion. If you still have green tomatoes languishing in your garden, I highly recommend this recipe!

If you too are interested in modern homesteading - growing food, raising chickens and other critters, living in harmony with the seasons and nature, I also recommend this blog. It is written by a 27 year old gal named Jenna who dreams of owning her own farm but for now homesteads on some rented property in rural Vermont. She is a gifted and entertaining writer which helps make for a great blog experience.

Do you ever get the blog blahs? Perhaps you too have found some interesting non-art blogs that you enjoy. If so, why not share your passions with the rest of us? I am confident that you have your own quirks and your own unique bit of weirdness - we all do! I would love to hear about your interests. Just leave the address in a comment or perhaps point us to your own blog should you care to write your own post.

I hope my fellow Canadians had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. I also hope everyone is having the opportunity to get out and enjoy the fall foliage (assuming there is fall foliage where you live). These days I am at risk of tripping and falling on my face as I hike with my dog, cause I am always looking up! See below...

peas in a pod, new wip

peas in a pod, wip, 6 1/2" x 20 1/2", coloured pencil on Stonehenge

copyright Teresa Mallen

No petals! Here is an early-on view of my newest piece, peas in a pod. The paper is white and unfortunately you cannot see my line drawing. There will be a bit of stem on the left side as well as a shadow under the pod.

A lot of my work is rather minimalistic and usually deals with a single subject. What I wish to capture in these pieces is the inherent beauty one can find in something simple - something as simple as peas in a pod.

You may have noticed my fondness for a narrow, horizontal format. At over 20 inches wide, these seven peas in their pod get the attention they deserve. I am always mesmerized by the beauty of peas, especially when harvest time comes and I am opening the pods. I saved some of the finest looking pods from the garden for a photo shoot. This image is inspired by one shot in which the peas were back-lit by the afternoon sun. I really like the intrigue of the partially open pod. It makes me think of a cave. Caves are places of mystery, secrets and the unknown.

Doesn't everyone like caves? Even if you haven't been inside a cave, the idea of one is interesting, right? I remember when I was a little girl my mother would tell me about these Indian caves that she explored as a child. Finally when I was old enough to make the walk, she took my sister and I to see these caves. I was disappointed to discover that these 'caves' were simply areas underneath rock outcroppings. Yes, one could take shelter from the rain, start a fire and bed down for the night and yes the rock cliffs were lovely but they weren't the caves of my imagination. My mother and her brothers had found Indian arrowheads and such but despite much looking I never did. More disappointment. :-)

Today was a perfect day to be in the studio. It was a blustery wet day. The sky changed its look several times and the wind caused the clouds to race by. I really like elemental weather and I couldn't wait to take my dog out for a walk before supper. The fall foliage looks stunning now and there is more colour yet to come. Isn't October fabulous? I'm off to deal with the green tomato salsa that I cooked up tonight. If you are interested in a way to use up your green tomatoes, stop by my next post as I will be sharing the recipe. It is yummy!