When Life Throws Tomatoes, Make Sauce!

Let's just say today's blog will be
in the kitchen!

The temperature was so perfect today! I had my whole day planned out the second my feet hit the floor! Then I received the text, “I have tomatoes for you; when shall we meet?”

Let’s back up a few months….I didn’t have much of a garden this year.  There were many contributing factors but I will save them for another blog. Anyhow, when it came time for canning certain things this summer, I wasn’t able to pull from my own garden; I had to use my farmer friends’ fresh produce.  They have been happy to both sell and share, but I have missed my daily tromp off the back deck to go gather a handful of something (green beans, cherry tomatoes, etc.) to eat while I work!

Box one was loaded onto the truck

When my friend mentioned he had tomatoes for me, I had no idea that HE HAD TOMATOES FOR ME!

Yup! .....another.......

Over 100 pounds went into my truck……And, there were plenty more where those had come from! He had planted over 500 tomato plants this year and was having more than enough to eat, sell, and give away!

Fresh Mozzarella!

All I had wanted were a few tomatoes to enjoy with my fresh Mozzarella di Bufala. I had finally found a place that sold wonderfully moist cheese.....not that horrid stuff from Kraft. 

The thought of a cold Insalata Caprese with fresh, garden grown garlic and basil had started my mouth watering.  

Garden fresh basil to go with my
Insalata Caprese.....perfecto!

My herb garden is filled with annuals

and perennials. I love walking past and
getting a whiff of the oregano or plucking off a leaf or two of basil and rubbing it between my hands.....
that Mediterranean smell conjures up so many wonderful childhood memories.
I think if a body lotion came in the fragrance of "Basil", I'd buy it!  lol!

Boxes (large boxes) were being placed in my truck. To top it off, onions were being loaded into my truck, too!  I finally found the words to say, “whoa”.

Gorgeous onions smelled heavenly!!

My mind began to race and I came up with the idea to try tomato sauce this year.  Every year we do make salsa for ourselves and to give away. We love how “fresh” it tastes.  So, canning with tomatoes wasn’t foreign to me.  And, I always make sauce from scratch when we have it for supper, but I make as I need basis. The thought of how to work with this many tomatoes in my kitchen at one time was a bit daunting!

The Roma tomatoes looked and felt perfect!
Slashed mud never hurt anything!

I thanked him and headed home.  Wow! The rest of my day was spoken for!!


I used the wheelbarrow to transport
them to the house. I had sprained my
elbow a few weeks ago and the
thought of carrying those boxes
made me shudder!

I searched through cookbooks, canning books, family recipes, and on-line tips.  Then, I decided to call my Grandmother.  I should’ve done that first!  I enjoyed our conversation reminiscing about her canning days. She explained that both she and my great-grandmother had used Ball’s Blue Book of Preserving.  She was surprised to hear that I have and use that same book.  We compared notes, and I finally decided on the one I am sharing. 

Famous Book!

Nana’s Tomato Sauce

Yield: about 16 pints or 8 quarts

50 lbs tomatoes

6 cups chopped onions

12 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons oregano

1 tablespoon black pepper

Bottled lemon juice

Fresh Oregano from the garden is wonderful!

Wash tomatoes; drain.  Remove core and blossom ends.  Cut into quarters; set aside.  Saute onions and garlic in olive oil in a large saucepot.  Add tomatoes, oregano, black pepper. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Puree tomatoes using a food processor.  Strain puree to remove peels and seeds. Cook pulp in a large, uncovered saucepot over medium high heat until sauce thickens. Stir to prevent sticking.

Add 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice to each pint jar (2 tablespoons to each quart jar).  Ladle hot tomato sauce into hot jars, leaving ½ inch headspace.  Adjust two-piece caps.  Process pints for 35 minutes (quarts for 40 minutes) in a boiling-water canner.

braided rope of garlic
to hang in kitchen

If anyone has a recipe that they would like to recommend or share, please do so!  

  

Feeling a Bit Sheepish to Confess this

For years we thought that adding sheep to our farm would be wonderful; however, we also had always heard that sheep were stoic and would suddenly die with no explanation.  Since it would be trial by error with them anyhow (we had read all about them, but hadn’t experienced them), we were hesitant to adopt ovines and have them die on us “without any apparent reason”.   So a few more years passed and still we didn't add any sheep to the farm.

Then one day I overheard a conversation a young teenage girl was having with several farmers.  She was trying to find a home for a Shetland sheep. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to give sheep a shot! After asking several questions, I decided to drive out and meet the Shetland ewe named Strauna.  She was tiny and black.  Although she had recently had a lamb, it was already weaned and the girl’s family wanted to keep it.  I checked out Strauna’s teeth, eyes, hooves, and pellets.  She seemed to be healthy and her wool was beautiful, so I decided to make my first sheep purchase!   

Strauna came home in the back cab of my truck.  It hadn’t seemed worthwhile to take the large horse trailer to pick up an 80 pound animal. We put her in the paddock with our young girl llamas and she seemed to adapt instantly. Normally, we don’t buy single animals because of our concern with them becoming lonely.  However, before I even had a chance to ask if they’d ever sell any more sheep,

they called me and asked if I wanted an Icelandic wether (no longer a ram). I was thrilled! “Yes!”, I said before I’d even checked him out!  I drove out to the farm that next day after work and brought home the young wether named Yerba. His wool was as white as the Shetland’s was black. I brought him home also in the truck and placed him in the paddock with the llamas and Strauna. Life was good.  I had two sheep and they were happy and healthy. 

Because both Shetland and Icelandic can be shorn twice a year, in late August I thought I would try to give them both a “trim” and see how their wool “handled” when cleaned.  They were both very gentle and relaxed while we snipped off a few locks of their wool. I loved the Icelandic and Shetland fleeces equally. They both have the outer coat (Tog) and under coat (Thel).  Their fleeces aren’t as laden with lanolin as some breeds. Although I didn’t sheer much off of them that first time, it allowed me to become more familiar with working with wool (so different from llama fiber).

A wonderful surprise came later that same fall.  I got a telephone call from the young teenage girl saying that she and her family were moving and she would need to sell the rest of her small flock. She wondered if I’d be interested!  I was too thrilled for words when I realized that my two sheep would be reunited with their flock.  Again, I said yes and drove out to get them.  Little did I know that the flock’s guard llama was part of the deal.  I hadn’t needed him, nor necessarily thought I wanted him.  I wasn’t sure he was entirely healthy and I certainly didn’t want him bringing parasites onto the farm to come in contact with my llamas. But, when I saw how stressed he looked to be taken away from his flock, and then learned he would be auctioned at the stock yard, I decided to buy him, too.  This time I had brought the horse trailer and I was glad that I had!

The Animals Began to Arrive

Llamas gathering for supper are incredibly amusing.

I had always been fascinated with llamas. After seeing Doctor Doolittle as a child, the thought of a push-me-pull-you seemed incredible.  Obviously it was, but a llama is very real.

A dear friend had them and we farm-sat for her one week in the summer years ago. So many Crias (baby llamas) were being born. Such gentle creatures they all were. Crisp evening air would trigger excitement and we'd find ourselves looking on with laughter as they ran, sprang, and sort of bounced around the farm more for their entertainment than ours.

Llamas have fiber instead of wool, and that fiber comes in many colors, textures, and thickness. We have a group of llamas (called a cria herd) at our farm.  Each has its own unique personality and although some personalities are easier than others, we love them all. We shear our llamas only once a year (by contrast some of our sheep require shearing twice a year), and process their fiber in my laundry room!! There is no lanolin in llama fiber. So, while some feel they are allergic to wool, fiber usually proves to be allergy-free.

The fiber my llamas produce each year is what I use for my spinning and other crafts. Because animals produce different amounts of fiber, and because some have different weather tolerances, there have been some years when I haven't shorn a few them in order to ensure they remain warm enough for the winter.
On the average, although llama fiber is much softer than sheep wool, is also has less elasticity.  So, I keep that in mind as I choose what my yarn will be used for when it's completed. Llama yarn drapes very nicely and is beautiful for dressy evening shawls or scarves.    

Imax checking out the spinning wheel

Three years ago Imax moved into my yard so that I could manage his medical treatment easier than if he were out in the pastures. Well, he liked watching over the farm so well that he decided to take up residency full time among the fruit trees, garden, and dinner parties. He is our "guard" llama for all lazy afternoon pool activities, too!

From our yard, Imax patrols the grounds and keeps watch over the horses, llamas, and sheep. He is certain the farm would not survive without him.

And So It Begins......

Strauna, Stella, and Yerba
Three of our favorite sheep welcoming you to HeartFelt Farm.

Long before my family actually moved onto the farm, I had walked the fields, mapping out where I wanted the fruit trees to be planted, and falling more and more in love with the land; I thought I had never seen a more beautiful piece of earth. Every time I looked upon the gently rolling ground, the lush green fields, the spectacular sunsets, and the massive spanse of night sky that displayed incredibly brilliant stars, I felt we were blessed.  

While anxiously awaiting the completion of our home, we spent many hours at the farm cutting planks and building paddocks for the horses, run-ins for the llamas, and planting a fabulous assortment of trees.  


Originally, I had planted the trees for my family alone.  We love fruit, and I wanted a guarantee that no chemicals were ever used in their growing or harvesting. 

That next summer we moved in.  And, so did more trees,  assorted berry bushes, and strawberry plants.   


"The rest", as they say, "is history"

I have lived in and traveled to many countries, and frequently bring the flair of different cultures and cuisines to my business.  I make a lovely buttery Scottish Shortbread, authentic Italian Panetone and Biscotti, and delicious German Apfelkuchen that trumps all. 

I have dabbled in desserts and pastries of all sorts.  During time spent living in Sardinia, Italy, I was able to provide specialty cakes for every occasion for the U.S. military families stationed there. While in Spain, I felt honored to be able to fill a void for many Americans there with Christmas cookies, gingerbread houses, Easter breads, and other homemade treats througout the year.

For decades, family and friends have been savoring the contents of baskets filled with wonderful
baked goods fresh from my kitchen.  Through experience, I have learned that a gift basket well created, makes a lasting "heartfelt" impression for the person receiving it.   

A Felted Heart 

With all our farm-fresh jams, jellies, pickles, butters, and chutneys, only the very best produce are used.  Naturally grown and harvested in Kentucky's Bluegrass Region, where summers are known for warm days and cool nights, the fruit we use is juicy and bursting with flavor.

All the animals at our farm are pets; sheep included.  We have a small flock of  Shetland, Tunis, and Icelandic.  We spin their fiber and use the yarn for knitting and weaving.

We also use their fiber for felting; hence the name of the business.  HeartFelt gifts stems from making felted hearts and giving them as Christmas ornaments to friends.