235. R is for Red

I seem to be following the ABC-Along in clumps this time around.  I tend to follow my urges, ya know. Spoiler alert:  Expect more letters this week. 

I love red, and I have lots more red in my life than is represented in these photos, which admittedly are garden- and tomato-heavy.

This post is rated RT for healthy and productive Red Tomatoes. If you are disturbed by images of very healthy tomato plants this season, please do not scrutinize the above mosaic on the bottom near the right.  Not that I am bragging at all.  No, that would not be in my nature. Would it?

I have red furniture and red rugs and red walls and red plates and red clothes and red art and red yarn (hm, not so many red clothes as I thought). But I got tired of photographing.  I hope you don't mind. 

Here is a red recipe -- or not so much a recipe as a method -- that the ever-thoughtful Scout sent me the link to a couple of weeks ago. I have been using it nonstop ever since. The results are to live for. Unbelievably delicious, for example, on a slice of sourdough toasted Jewish rye bread (I don't eat bread much, but an occasional indulgence like this is worth it), smeared with goat's cheese, and topped with the slow-roasted tomatoes, as shown in one of the photos above.  The recipe is given for smaller tomatoes -- cherry or paste, but I use it for all sizes.  I slice the bigger ones rather than cutting them in halves. This has been my breakfast a few mornings a week ever since. 

Judy asked me to please not talk about this in these terms, since her garden is suffering so much this year, but every time I have an abundance of tomatoes (evil cackle) to take care of, but not quite enough to can, I throw a batch of these in the oven to slow-roast.  (See, Judy? Not one word about pears, although you might notice that one of the photos above is a pear -- that is one of the Seckel pears, still growing.  The Summercrisp are all picked and we're going through them rather quickly.)  She asked me not to show any photos, either.  I guess I'm not such a good friend, but I say all is fair in tomatoes and war. 

These are not toasty-roasted like we sometimes do, and they are not as dried as the so-called sun-dried tomatoes that some people (not I) buy, but are somewhere in between -- less moist than fresh tomatoes, and with the flavor more concentrated and absolutely over-the-top heavenly.  When I get sick of putting them in my MOUTH, as the author of this blog says, I'm going to freeze some for use in the winter.  They will be incredibly delicious in sauces and soups. I don't usually like frozen tomatoes, but I am convinced that I will love these.

Here's something else red:

It's the ShiBui Silk Cloud that Margene gave me. Yummmm.  I've started making some serious progress on it now that I've realized I need to do this in natural light. That cuts way down on the one-row-forward-three-rows-back routine I was falling into.  Memo to self: It helps to see.

Comments

[sandy]

I'm loving your RED! (Geez, Nor, I'm on J!!!)
xo

[lisa]

I am SO going to have to make those slow roasted tomatoes! We also have an overabundance... but they're the biggesh freakishly shaped ones. It's been a total slug fest in the garden with all the rain...

[margene]

Red! The perfect "R" for you. The wrap is growing!

[Carole]

Red is my favorite color - I love this post! But yes, dear, you are bragging. You might want to quit that or the garden goddess will put a blight on your tomatoes. ;-)

[Manise]

Great "R". There is one red item you omitted however. Your Peace Fleece Sheplova mushroom CPH! Your scarf is in there. But then again maybe it wasn't red enough? And what the dickens are those odd marroon things top row third from the left?? Beets? Rose hips? My yet to be caffeinated aged eyes are having difficulty decyphering what I'm seeing.

[Sarah]

My husband would lose his mind if he saw such tomato-y goodness. We have harvested two red tomatoes. Something else got the first red tomato. I think the remnants of Fay will either be very good or very not for our garden.

[Roxie]

Roseate glory for a sunday morning. You do the best photos, Norma!

[marianne]

I do love seeing RED. You have a beautiful range of them to feast upon and speaking of feasting.... my kingdom for one of your tomatoes.. they look SO good!

[scoutj]

I think I actually need to make some of these. I gave you the link but didn't even think to make some for myself. Is it cheating to buy them at the store and do it?

[Cheryl S.]

I've been waiting for ripe tomatoes ever since I saw that recipe. I'm still waiting. Waaaah! (But a friend took pity on me and gave me some of hers, along with some fresh mozzarella. I feel better now.)

And of course, we KNOW how I feel about that red ShiBui.

[Cookie]

Love all the red.

Although, I am a little confused at what seems to be lace knitting. Is it lace knitting? Or do I need to find glasses?

[Elizabeth]

Heck I just posted M and am feeling chuffed I have the next ones almost ready to go. Who's pathetic now?
My tomatoes, planted ridiculously late are not ready yet. The local ones are good, though.
I love red!

[donna lee]

I love red. I have shied away from it in my closet and seem to have gravitated to neutrals and blues. Slowly I am changing that and putting more color into my clothes. I think it has to do with getting older and getting more comfortable with myself. Red does tend to attract attention. We didn't garden this year and I'm sorry we didn't. The weather was not good garden weather until just the last few weeks. Too much rain. I've heard local farmers talk about how watery some of the tomatoes and corn is this year.

[elizabeth a airhart]

this page is just beautiful
with a click on an image the whole page is up close
looks so good so many goodies when the cold nights come

am about half way on a red scarf 8"" across
it just loves to be played with makes a great cowl

are you aware of garn studios and thier drops patterns
and free -please -when you have time give a look at
the hats and scarfs and they have the elves slipper pattern

[Wanda]

Hmm, I like that Everday Wrap. So pretty. I might have to try it out.

[Vicki]

Beautiful mosaic!! I can feel that it's just about time to start warming up in the kitchen on weekends by roasting tomatoes -- slow roasted, roasted for sauce, roasted for freezing. Lovely R.