call for pattern matchers

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My DH thought *every* fruit or vegetable was improved by refrigeration. ;-} I could not convince him otherwise.

The market where I shop has very expensive "ripened on the vine" tomatoes, which are fabulous, almost as good as picking them from one's own garden. I never refrigerate tomatoes now, I have a wide area between the sink and the window, I put tomatoes there where they continue to ripen until I eat them. Yum!

Beverly

Well of course, I would giggle too.

Wow, Farmer Sharon, who knew? You can keep the eggplants and bell peppers, but ship the extra zucchini to me, please? My DD will *not* plant any, I guess she got her fill when she was growing up, I love them.

Beverly, whose yard is now too shady for veggies. :-(

My dad grew tomatoes. Fresh and ripe from the vines in the greenhouse or the pots outside were our fave raves, no matter what type of tomato. He usually grew 4 or 5 different ones.

Vine ripened tomatoes in all sorts of varieties are popular here too, but sometimes the only ones left are the Euromatoes, or if I need LOTS for a big party of folk, they come in handy. I buy a day or two ahead of time and leave them out to ripen up.

How can I not do this? DH is so cute when he says things like "thank you for growing food that tastes like it should." ;) 'Sides it gives me a good reason to go play in the dirt. I like playing in the dirt.

Well fine then, missy I will! lol DS stands over them chanting "die die die!!!" all the time. I guess a lot of people don't like eggplant. heh heh

I love them too. Slice up raw on a salad. Sauteed with a little olive oil and some herbs. In bread. mmmmm And you notice I will have all I need for ratatouille. mmmmmmmm

Well, you will have to come visit and bring your market basket. ;)

Oh, forgot to say that I've already made one batch of pesto and frozen most of it too. Will need to make some more of that this week probably. The basil is getting scary huge.

Sharon

I get my fill of playing in the dirt tending to the flower beds.

Bwaaa haaa ha ha ha haaaa ... choke ... gasp. Your DD has it just right. Eggplants are lovely and should always be included in still life paintings. They just are not FOOD!

I used to make zucchini bread using the ones which got too for sautéing. And as a side dish with pasta, sautéed with garlic and sprinkled with a little parmesan cheese... yum!

When do you find time to sew? ;-) Maybe there's a newsgroup rec.pretty.female.farmers. ;->

Beverly

The vine ripened ones taste almost like home grown, but they cost the earth, almost three times what the cardboard ones cost. I usually buy just three or four so they don't go to waste.

Beverly

Mmmmmmmmmmmm.......eggplant parmigiana. Yum. But zucchini? I mean, zucchini? OK, one plant produces a years' supply for one family. Diced and sauteed with garlic, onions, green peppers, maybe some bacon, perhaps a tomato or two....tolerable. Just put enough in to kill the taste of the zucchini.

ROTF,LOL!!! Different strokes for different folks. I like zucchini in salad, as veggies for dipping, steamed, sautéed, in bread...

I know people who love green peppers...raw, cooked, grilled, whatever. I loath even a hint of that flavor in anything. I can't even sit at the same table with friends who order raw green peppers on their pizza.

Beverly

I love bell peppers! Green, yellow, red, but especially green. Mmmmmm. Tasty!

I love most vegetables... Okra is one exception. Celery is another. Celery is just boring and okra slimy. Other than that, most veggies are good. The fresher the better! Knock the earth off and crunch! ;)

Celery is OK cooked, but raw is just more effort than it is worth. Brings back memories of watching Doctor Who as a child at Saturday tea time and suddenly realising I had chewed the blasted stuff without concentrating and ended up with a wad of celery fibre which I then *had* to swallow :-(

Pretty much all other veg is OK though.

Lizzy

I always thought the advantage of celery is that you burn more calories eating it than it contains.

This morning dh came home from the farmers market with shrimp and flounder (both were swimming yesterday), sweet corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, peaches and blueberries, all picked yesterday.

All we had to do was pay for them.

Nowadays, that is fine by us. We used to have a lot of stuff in the garden when we lived in Ohio, but here??? We did try some tomatoes in pots in the yard this year, but between the insects and the wildlife, plus the early summer drought, the work was simply not worth it.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

Everyone who has tasted it, likes my eggplant ptarmigan. It's the one way to eat eggplant.

Emily

Really!!!???? Around here, ptarmigans are a protected species we are not allowed to hunt them for food.

Sorry, I just could not resist. Beverly

I thought the spelling was wrong but at this late hour, and as tired as I am, I didn't want to argue with spell-check.

Emily

I suspect you were trying for parmigiano:

"Missed it by th.a.a.a.a.at much!" ;-) When I ran it, my spell checker also suggested "ptarmigan". ;-) Sorry you're tired, I hope you get some good rest tonight.

Beverly

Children generally like it stuffed with peanut butter.

Celery seed gives the flavor without all of the strings.

Not when you have to slaster it in cream cheese or mayo to make it palatable!

I cook it into things as a bulking agent. It has it's uses. but must be VERY finely sliced in salads!