Tomatoes, Basil, Cabbage and Zukes

Something has happened to me between last year and this. Maybe it is a grown-up thing that I am just catching on to.

Last year, I had lots of produce from my garden. I managed to preserve some of it, but the whole thing seemed like so much WORK. I have felt that way for as far back as I can remember. I loved to eat my veggies right out of the garden, but if I had to take them into the house to deal with them I was pretty much sunk.

This year, I have had quite a huge crop from my little garden, despite it being neglected for much of the season. Right now I am dealing with more tomatoes than any one woman in a family of non-tomato eaters should ever have to. The kids like raw 'maters and we eat tomato soup and salsa, but that is about it. No spaghetti, lasagna, or other dishes of that type.

In an effort to not waste the bounty I had been gifted with, I sent a few bags of 'maters up to my Uncle Wire and his wife Wire-essa a couple weeks ago. They sent back zukes and fresh herbs. Oh, yum!

Well, for the first time in forever I have been actually cooking with these items. The first thing was Mr. Barefoot requesting a Tomato~Basil soup. I started with a recipe, truly I did, but before long following the recipe became too much work. They wanted me to peel and seed all the 'maters before I even started on the recipe. Well, I decided that it was easier to just chop them up cook them, and then put them through a sieve. I was going to have to strain the soup later anyway....why not do it all at once?

Anyway, long and short of it is that I have made two HUGE batches of soup. Mr. Barefoot and his boss both love it. I offered to make as much of the soup as boss could eat if he would give Mr. Barefoot a raise big enough that I could stay home, but so far no luck.

While we were having the soup along with grilled cheeses today (it is a chilly day here in MN), I got the craving for Cabbage Rolls. So I (sans recipe) whipped up two pans of those delicious treats, using the soup as the base for the sauce. They just came out of the oven, and they are TASTY. So now I have a pan of Cabbage Rolls in the freezer and two big bowls of Tomato Basil Soup frozen as well. I have also been making fresh salsa every other day or so, and we have been eating that with all our meals (with chips, of course). It is good, but I am about salsa~d out. I am going to have to get over my fear of my pressure canner and get that salsa canned up. There is nothing I crave more in the dead of winter than salsa.

So, that is what my life has become....cooking in bulk and freezing it up. I love it. Of course, I am doing these things when I am supposed to be sleeping, but everything worth doing comes with a price.

That said, I am off to bed!