How to Hold Tomatoes Until You're Ready to Can Them

     It's the end of July.  The tomatoes in the garden are just starting to ripen.  I will eventually process a bunch of them to make sauce, but at this point there aren't enough to fill the canner.  Here is what to do:
    First of all, pick the tomatoes before they are fully ripe.  Do this because it seems that critters like mice, chipmunks, possum and birds like to race us to the nice red ones.  They're not so keen on the not so ripe ones, so if you have a problem with partially eaten tomatoes, pick them orange and set them on the kitchen window sill to ripen to full red.  You can also do this the years when blossom end rot is getting to the red ones.  If that is a problem for you, pick them as soon as they start to show color.  They won't get any bigger at that point anyways, but will ripen without rotting at the blossom end as long as they're off the vine.
     As the tomatoes get nice and red put them in a gallon size plastic bag, left open, and set them in the refrigerator.  The bag is left open so that condensation from room temperature tomatoes (or sunny window sill temperature tomatoes) does not form on them while they are in the bag.  Once they're cold, you can close up the bag, for all but about an inch.  Let it breathe.
     When there are enough to take a day off from other chores to process them, take them out of the fridge and go to it.
     I have found tomatoes will keep just fine for about two weeks this way.  I've done this for many years and it's always worked out just fine.
    
     A word about those critters that like to take one bite out of a nice tomato and then move on to the next one.  I somewhat solved this problem one year by taking the big beautiful tomato with one bite out of it and setting it on the ground right next to the tomato vine.  An offering!  Believe it or not, the critter actually came back nightly until it finished off the fruit.  Then I set another one in the same spot.

How To Fry Rice

     I like to read the prefaces to cookbooks.  Many times cooking tips are included in the preface which are not included in the body of the cookbook.  Many years ago I found a way to fry rice that proves easy and effective and is much different from the usual method you will find on the Internet or in most cookbooks.  Unfortunately, I can't find the book where I read this.  It's probably up in the attic.  I'm not going to go dig for it.  However, this is how I fry rice and how I have fried rice for more than thirty years:

     You will need a heavy saucepan big enough to hold the quantity of cooked rice you end up with and a spoon or fork to stir it with.

     Put about 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in the pan. 
     Add 1 Cup of uncooked rice.
     Turn up the heat to medium and start frying the uncooked rice, stirring frequently, until it is golden brown. 
     At this point you may add some chopped chives, chopped onion, minced garlic or chopped vegetables such as peas and carrots.  Let the onions and garlic brown as well. 
      Add 2 cups of water (A rule of thumb is to use twice as much liquid as you have uncooked rice but this may vary a bit depending on what kind of rice you're using.)
      Bring the water to a boil then turn the heat way down, cover with a tight lid and let it cook until all the water is absorbed.  If you like, you may crack an egg into the rice, stir quickly, and let the ambient heat cook the egg.  Salt to taste.  Fluff the cooked fried rice and voila!  You have fried rice that is toasty tasting, golden brown and stays separated instead of the pasty, partially burnt mush that comes from trying to fry cooked rice.  It's a much better method. 
     You may double this recipe if you wish.  Use any kind of rice you have.  The overall cooking time will depend on the rice you use.



 

Fried Dandelion Blossom - Good Eating from Your Lawn