This Spring my new family-in-law lost their patriarch, Joseph Manha. Sadly I was not given enough time to get to know him very well. Since his passing though I have learned that he was a very caring, creative, and loving father, husband and grandfather. I have since learned this from his widow, my grandmother-in-law, from the stories she has shared with me when I come over to her house to work on our garden. You see, she was generous enough to allow Justice and I to make a garden in one of the raised garden beds that Joe built for his own gardening. Joe was an amazing gardener. The plot we were given was 40ft by 6ft! I am so grateful to my grandmother-in-law for this amazing gift. I only wish Joe could know how much joy it has brought us all summer. We are already talking about what we will plant next year!
My GMIL has been so helpful- giving Justice and I advice about what to plant and how to plant it. She barely even teased us when we made the rows 2 feet across and about a mile high. (We learned quickly why this was a huge mistake...) After some trial and error, our garden is doing remarkably well. We have several varieties of tomatoes, enough crookneck squash and zucchini to feed a small village, green beans, peas, Swiss chard, carrots, jalapenos, green bell peppers, green onions, and pumpkins. Not only do we have our own vegetables to enjoy but we are surrounded by other gardeners who have shared their veggie wealth. We have enjoyed Yukon gold potatoes and mustard greens, arugula and fresh basil. I have never eaten so many locally grown vegetables!
There has been no chance for cooking block to set in as I have had no time to waste so as not to waste my bounty. Below is a tomato soup recipe I came up with tonight to pair with some Tuna-less sandwiches from Vegnews. A note to Brett: If you want these to taste like Mama's tuna-fish use sweet pickles instead of dill and green onions instead of red onions.
Reno Represent Tomato Soup
4 cups Mirepoix
6-7 homegrown tomatoes quartered
4 tbsp. olive oil
4 ounce can tomato paste
handful fresh chopped parsley
8 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
Heat olive oil in a stock pot. Add Mirepoix and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook on medium for about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and another pinch of salt. Cover once more and cook an additional 5 minutes. Add tomato paste to water and dissolve. Add this to the pot. Add parsley and a tsp. pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook uncovered for about 30 minutes. Blend the soup and strain it to remove any seeds. Give it one last season with salt and pepper and serve with the Tuna-less sandwiches.
