Novel ways to preserve tomatoes
Dear Helen: I gathered in almost all the tomatoes before the rains, and am looking for some interesting ways, beyond canning, of processing them. Something simple and quick would be nice.
C.L. If you have, or can borrow, a food dryer, dehydrating tomato slices is very simple. Dry the slices to the still pliable but no longer tacky stage. Use them in soups, stews, casseroles and salads.
Chopping and roasting tomatoes yields a tasty product with many uses. Place chopped tomatoes in an oiled baking pan and top with minced onion and garlic, salt, and basil (or other herbs of choice). Drizzle with olive oil and roast, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick. I usually begin at around 350 F and reduce the heat as the blend starts to thicken. Cool, package, and freeze.
The roasted tomato blend can be used in pasta dishes and sandwiches. I use it often served in a dollop atop a piece of cheese on a cracker. Dear Helen: In the past few years I’ve been forced out of my garden because of some unseen insect that delivers bites that usually appear in groups of three. A friend has had the same experience. Can you tell us what the insect might be and how to get rid of it? Neither of us has animals. V.O.
Dear V.O.: In one of life’s rare synchronicities, the day after your email arrived an acquaintance I was visiting with at my local beach asked me to look at and possibly explain a series of recent insect bites. They were grouped in lines of three.
The only insect I knew of that bit that way was bedbugs, but she was bitten outdoors.
Once more, I turned to Linda Gilkeson, a Salt Spring Island entomologist and author (lindagilkeson.ca) who has generously helped me out before on the bug front. Her thoughts and suggestions:
The insects could be tiny biting midges known as “no seeums.”
Fleas tend to leave bites in rows of three. Fleas from raccoons are often a problem in yards, especially under conifers or other trees that raccoons use frequently.
It’s possible for people to be bitten by fleas or bedbugs indoors and not to notice the bites until later, when they start to itch.
Wrap wide packing tape with the sticky side out around ankles (over socks) and venture out into the areas where you think you were bitten, to see whether you can trap the offending creatures in the glue for identification.
GARDEN EVENTS
Lily meeting. The Victoria Lily Society meets tonight at 7 in the Salvation Army Citadel, Quadra at McKenzie. John from Elk Lake Garden Centre will give a presentation on Growing Lillies in Pots. Information sessions. Gaia College and Royal Roads University are offering free information sessions on the following courses. Pre-register at 250-391-2600 ext. 4801. Details at gaiacollege.ca. • Organic Master Gardener, this evening at 6:30 at Royal Roads University.
• Ecological Landscaping Design, Wednesday, Sept. 16, same place and time. • Info session on both courses on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 6 p.m. in the Sooke Library.
Floral art. The Mid Island Floral Art Club will meet on Thursday, Sept. 10, at 1:45 p.m. in St. Stephens Church Hall, 150 Village Way in Qualicum Beach. The demonstration will be on sticks with a modern twist.
Food garden tour. A self-guided Urban Food-Garden Tour on Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., will bring visitors into 14 inspiring Victoria-area home-food gardens. The event is a fundraiser for local and global sustainable food production. Haliburton Community Farm and Up-Single Parent Resource Centre are local recipients of the funds. Tickets at $15 are available at Garden-Works, brownpapertickets.com, Haliburton Farm stand at Moss St. Market, Hudson Public Market, Oaklands Market, by email at vicfoodgardens@gmail.com, or at the gardens on the day of the event. Information at vicurbanfoodgardens.wix.com/tour.
Finnerty at 40. To celebrate Finnerty Gardens at 40 years UVic is offering the following four courses on campus. Cost for each is $20, except for Propagation, which is $40. Register at uvcs.uvic.ca/science/courses or 250-721-8458. • Pursuing the Wild: The Sichuan Botanical Expedition, Thursday, Sept. 17, 7 to 8:30 p.m. • Gardening with Colour, Saturday, Sept. 26, 1:30 to 3 p.m. • History of Finnerty Gardens, Saturday, Oct. 3, 1:30 to 3 p.m. • Rhododendron Propagation Workshop, Saturday, Oct. 24, 1 to 4 p.m.