Food preservation and canning class at Old Mill Feed and Garden

by Nate Rafn

Old Mill Feed and Garden will host a food preservation class on Saturday, July 9th, at 2pm. The class will cover basic food preservation techniques, including canning, drying, and freezing. Attendance is free, although registration is required.

Green Tomatoes

Will our green tomatoes ever ripen?

I spoke to a woman yesterday who, in a kind effort to solve my problem, suggested removing all but one of the leaves on the tomato plant and stop watering it. According to her, removing most of the leaves allows sunshine to reach the fruit and concentrates the plant's energy into making great tomatoes. But I can't do anything to stop the rain. So they continue to get lots of water.

I was also told by a gardener friend of mine that tomato plants should be removed from the ground and hung upside down with their fruit attached to encourage late season ripening.

Any other ideas?

Unripe tomato.

If all else fails, I might try making Pickled Green Tomatoes! There are plenty of great pickling recipes at the National Center for Home Food Preservation website.