Picking and Grinning May 20, 2014
Posted by nrhatch in Food & Drink, Gratitude, Happiness, Travel & Leisure.trackback
A few days ago, to celebrate an unexpected break in the weather, we drove out to Hunsader Farms to pick tomatoes.
A picture perfect day to head out into the fields.
Due to high supply and insufficient demand, the price of the U-Pick Tomatoes dropped to $2 a bag or bucket.
We picked 56 tomatoes, at the peak of perfection, to fill our bucket.
Picking and grinning the whole time.
Before leaving the farm, we wandered around the petting zoo and met the residents as they bleated, “We’re hungry. Feed us.”
Does this guy seem a bit horny to you?
In addition to hungry goats begging for oats, we spied a few other natives hanging around.
We enjoyed meeting the Hay Family ~ Fescue, Timothy, Alfalfa and Clover.
But we didn’t catch this guy’s name ~> he was a bit of a stuffed shirt.
Our bucket of summer goodness didn’t impress Tigger, despite the price.
Because man cannot live by tomatoes alone, we bought a few token sweet potatoes, zucchini, red peppers, carrots, and a cantaloupe.
We also got a 50 pound box of butternut squash for $5. Enough to fill a laundry basket in our pantry and keep us full of fiber until the fall harvest.
But the first thing we ate ~> tomatoes!
Aah . . . that’s better!
Comments
Sorry comments are closed for this entry
Spirit Lights The Way 
Now, that is not what I expected from the title “picking and grinning” though delightful none the less! Love fresh tomatoes! Do you can your tomatoes or make salsa or sauce?
I do make salsa and sauce with fresh tomatoes, but I’ve never canned any. If we can’t eat them all, I will freeze some.
We’ve been enjoying them sliced on our plates, tucked into sandwiches and wraps, melted into Queso Rice, sauteed with zucchinis, and tossed into a pot of peppery Lecsó:
We’re in tomato heaven!
I had no idea you could freeze tomatoes! Do you freezes them whole, sliced, or diced?
A neighbor who picked FIVE buckets of tomatoes said that she just cuts off the tops, holds them upside down to squeeze out the seeds and juice, and tosses them in bags in the freezer.
When I’ve frozen tomatoes, I’ve cooked them with onion, garlic, and basil or oregano, and then frozen the sauce to use in casseroles, to stir into rice, to top pizza, or to serve over pasta.
Fun outing! Where were Dorothy, Toto and Lion?
The horny character looks as if he could have a real go at you! (Just poking fun. )
They abandoned Scarecrow to head to the fields to pick tomatoes. I think that Tin Man got baa-cked into a corner by that horny goat.
What a fun outing! Looks like it was a picture perfect day too!
An amazing day for Florida in May ~ a full 20 degrees cooler than the day before. A balmy 70 degrees with a gorgeous breeze, no humidity, no bugs, and lots of sunshine.
The kind of day you want to bottle up and save for a rainy day.
How lovely to pick your own fresh tomatoes, Nancy. I see that scarecrow can’t read the sign. 🙂
Maybe he can’t read ~ scarecrows are not the most literate characters in the barnyard (“. . . if I only had a brain”).
It’s our first time picking tomatoes in Florida (other than a few I’ve grown on the back deck). They are the BEST tomatoes we’ve had since moving here. Picking them after they ripen on the vine makes all the difference.
Hmmm.. I see some of your tomato and black bean salsa!!! We won’t be thinking about picking our tomatoes until mid-July! Tigger is looking for his little treat bag.. 🙂 You guys look great!
Thanks, Pix! I am feeling great ~ kicking my exercise routine up a notch (or three) has done wonders for my serotonin levels. I have been in a great mood for 3 weeks straight ~> no worries, cares, stale regrets, anger, frustration, etc. It’s G~R~E~A~T!
I did make tomato and black bean salsa! And a delicious burrito filling (Queso Rice) with rice, tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, black beans, roasted butternut squash, and Daiya Cheese:
http://ohsheglows.com/2011/10/24/black-bean-and-butternut-squash-burritos/
We’ve enjoyed it hot and cold in a wrap and also as a dip for tortilla chips. The squash just melts into the background while the tomatoes POP!
I love that! What a great market!
It was our first visit . . . it will NOT be our last. If we make enough headway on the tomatoes, we’ll head out again next week for another bucket before they close for the summer. They take June through August “off” and reopen in September.
OMG! I am so jealous!
I wish I’d heard about this place when we first moved here. It’s a bit of a drive – about 25 miles – but much of the drive is through open farmland with cows grazing. Very relaxing.
Those prices are amazing!
And these are NOT bargain basement tomatoes ~ they are some of the best we’ve ever had. Mmm, mmm . . . GOOD!
They look delicious!
I’d love that place because I love tomatoes (in fact, tomatoes feature heavily in my novel WolfPear! – a wolfpear is a type of tomato) 😀
What a great day this must have been for you and I think your new friends may be a bit ‘stuffy’ but could be a lot of fun 😉
I’m satisfied with most of the produce we buy at Publix (supermarket) and the Fresh Market. But the tomatoes usually don’t taste as good as they look. These do. So I’m in heaven!
Looks like you had a great outing all around. Fresh picked tomatoes always taste of sunshine don’t you think?
Yes! Summer and sunshine rolled into a pretty red package.
Is it possible to avoid buying way more than you can possibly eat at those places? I think not.
At least it’s all low fat & high fiber! Mangia!
I would do the tomatoes again ~> they are so much better than at the grocery store and I’m sure we’ll eat them all. I might not get such a BIG box of squash again. I just “processed” 7 of them by peeling, cubing, steaming, and mashing them. They are good . . . but not THAT good.
It’s such a pleasure to look at fresh produce. On Saturday, I walked around our open air market, and since I didn’t need anything, I enjoyed just looking.
I feel the same about farmer’s markets ~ such a delight to see all the gorgeous produce. Food is my favorite thing to shop for.
Great deal on tomatoes! (I’m not surprised Tigger didn’t seem impressed… then again, what does impress a cat? 🙂 )
Tigger loves to inspect our packages when we come in to see if we bought anything for him. He gets excited if we give him a bag with “his name on it.”
haha, i liked the one who was a bit of a stuffed shirt. those tomatoes look gorgeous. i can almost smell them from here… can just imagine them on a slice of rye bread topped with some fresh chopped chives…..
The tomatoes have been fabulous, Kris. We’ve enjoyed a few on sliced Toscano Pano from the Fresh Market ~ it’s chewy and dense like rye bread, the perfect complement to tomatoes.
How wonderful to have all those great tomatoes! I love tomatoes! And all that squash! Wow! I hope you have figured out a way to use it all, or preserve it. Lucky you! 🙂 And it looks like fun!
We’re enjoying the tomatoes with every meal (except breakfast) ~ tomato sandwiches, bruschetta, salsa, lecho, burritos and wraps . I’ve cooked & mashed about 1/2 the squash and stashed in the freezer. I used some mashed squash for a yummy burrito filling with rice, black beans, Daiya cheese, onions, peppers, tomatoes, and spices. We’ve also just had it as a vegetable side ~ I like mine plain, just salt, pepper, and a dot of butter. BFF drizzles his with maple syrup.
I have no doubt those sun-ripened tomatoes smelled divine – yum, yum.
So much better than some of the “cardboard” tomatoes we’ve had in recent years. Bright, light, and fragrant.
Looks like you hit the mother lode of Nature’s best. Yummy! (Loved the “stuffed shirt.”) 🙂
Thank, J! We had tomato sandwiches for lunch on homemade oatmeal bread. I’m still grinning.
Tonight, I’m roasting up some potatoes and butternut squash.