Sunday, October 2, 2011

Tomatoes and Pumpkins

We've been eating a lot of caprese salad lately. The tomatoes have been coming in strong for weeks now, after being delayed due to our cool June and July temperatures. 

Thankfully, the tomatoes are nice and sweet despite their slow start. 


It's funny because we dream about tomatoes from the beginning of summer until that first wonderful tomato you pull from the vine. But now that the days are shorter, the leaves are turning and the sunlight shines a little crisper, I can't help but eye the pumpkins out of the corner of my eye and dream everything pumpkin...pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread...

We've even begun thinking of the pumpkin birthday cake we plan to make for the babies' first birthday in December. In the image above, you can see me carve their names in our favorite pumpkin using a carving tool. This is something we look forward to doing with Graham and Margaret when they're older. 

 Their names are barely visible right after my not-so-artistic marking. 

But as the pumpkin grows (this picture was taken several weeks after), their names are becoming more visible. 

We thought this would be a fun way to watch their birthday cake grow through the summer. 

Recipe for caprese salad: 
fresh picked tomatoes (we use whatever is ripe - cherry or heirloom)
fresh picked basil
fresh mozzarella
 olive oil and balsamic vinegar 
salt and pepper to taste

As I write this post, Mike is walking back and forth on the porch with the babies in the stroller. It's a beautiful evening, the sky is clear and the sun is casting that special fall hue. Off I go to do a few house chores before they come inside. 

42 comments:

  1. I love caprese salads, we've had them all summer with our tomatoes as well - I love the names in the pumpkins!

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  2. Thanks for the lovely recipe...it looks delicious and nothing is better than a homegrown tomato! We scratch our names into pumpkins, too. It is so fun:).

    ~Julia

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  3. Hi Trina, Your posts are always lovely!! Your caprese picture makes my mouth water...it's one of my favorite salads! Thank you for sharing.....
    Good night~Debra

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  4. The salad looks delicious and those tomatoes look it too! Yum!

    What a fun thing to do with the pumpkin!

    Pam

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  5. Those tomatoes look delicious and so does your salad. Mimi xx

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  6. Your tomatoes looks SO red!! Nothing like some fresh ones off the vine. And pumpkins...they are right on time! Enjoy!'

    XO,
    Jane

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  7. The salad sounds and looks wonderful and food always tastes so much better when it's home-grown.

    Here, we have had a bumper crop of squash. So much so, that I am now rather glad that the season is almost at an end: sometimes, you can have too much of a good thing.

    Anna

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  8. Thanks for another wonderful post. You always remind me to stop and smell the flowers.... such an important thing to do. lol x

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  9. I miss my heart-grown heirlooms so much, and thus, the uniquely flavorful salads (such as caprese) I made with the assortment. Nothing comes close. Questions... what variety is shown in your picture? It looks like you cage your plants... is it possible to see more pictures of your tomato garden? I love learning how others grow theirs with the hope of improving my own methods.

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  10. simply wonderful........enjoying family life.....your blessed...smiles, Linda

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  11. Lovely Post, what kind of camera and lenses do you use?

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  12. I Love your blog. It's so refreshing, beautiful and full of wonderful information on your lifestyle and recipes.
    Susan

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  13. Well, if carving their names in their birthday cake pumpkin isn't the sweetest idea, then I don't know what is!!! love that.

    xo to you and the sweetpeas!
    joan

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  14. The salad looks wonderful! I have tons of beautiful basil, but still waiting on my tomatoes to turn red here in the Central California mountains. {Sigh....} I hope the first frost takes it's time this year!

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  15. What a great idea! Love it!
    Lisa

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  16. We love caprese salads, too. I believe I will have to try your pumpkin cake recipe. It looks delicious. Amazing your babies will turn one year in a couple months! They are so precious.

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  17. that pumpkin carving idea is really neat!
    and.. i can just imagine your hubs strolling the babes on that b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l. porch with the mountain in the background!!! heavenly! :)

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  18. Very cute! How fun to watch their pumpkins grow. I am going to make that caprese salad, TONIGHT! It looks sooooo good. Thanks for sharing!

    ~Shanon

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  19. i have never seen that done with pumpkins..well, actually I have never grown one before so that isn't too surprising. but that is so cool. Happy Autumn Joys to you all

    - KAT -

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  20. that is the cutest thing ever trina. even though we still have beautiful tomatoes i'm dreaming of everything pumpkin too. gorgeous photo of you and your bowl of tomatoes.

    xo
    janet

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  21. Hello wonderful place and beautiful babies, congratulations on your family.
    I'm following this blog.

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  22. i am definitely going to try the pumpkin name carving next year. i won't tell my hubby though, i'll let him try and figure it out!!! :D

    the caprese salad looks delish. i have canned most of our tomatoes and canned dozens of jars of salsa. i have a few left, i'm going to make some soon....

    hugs

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  23. Sounds like a wonderful salad. I like what you did with the pumpkins. The writing is coming through real good. What a wonderful idea.

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  24. The salad looks delicious!! What a great idea to do with your growing pumpkins. The names are coming more visible now. What a wonderful idea.

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  25. Your tomatoes are AMAZING! Yum!

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  26. Those tomatoes look delicious. My husband and boys always claimed they didn't like tomatoes until someone gave my husband some to take home from their garden. He couldn't believe the difference and we grow our own now.
    And that pumpkin idea is so sweet. I just love things like that. Such a nice post.

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  27. When our children and the neighborhood children were younger we would carve all their names into the young pumpkins and watermelons. It was so fun to have them go find the one grown "just for them"! One day we'll continue the tradition for our grandchildren.

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  28. The pumpkin carving is such a neat idea. It never occurred to me that you could do that, how fun!

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  29. Wow, those are gorgeous tomatoes!

    : )

    Julie M.

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  30. All of your photographs are gorgeous and your summer kitchen, perfect! Not to mention your beautiful family...;-)

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  31. That looks absolutely delicious. Thanks for posting the recipe. Wish we got produce that looked as good as that here. :)

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  32. Hi Trina, I'm a new follower and I love your blog! Great photos and you inspire me to carry my camera more often when I'm out and about. Cindy

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  33. I absolutely love the idea of carving the children's name on the pumpkins, Awesome.

    I am also jealous that beautiful tomatoes are still being produced. Wow.

    Cheers.
    Velva

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  34. I love your post because it evokes a lifestyle we all aspire to balance in this hectic world and that is family, good healthy food and of course, making our homes a place of rest, beauty and heart.

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  35. just the inspiration I needed for dinner I'll make now:) Thanks:)

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  36. Hii.. Its my first time here... and I just loved!
    Your blog is so nice and great.
    I'm from Brazil... And you can come to visit me too.. you can translate my blog to english or spanish ( link beside )
    I will be very happy to see you there!
    Loveeeeed all those pictures.
    :)
    fernandahauagge.blogspot.com

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  37. Your posts are so refreshing. Thank you! The babes are growing and you are all glowing of delight in life and mutual adoration!
    What a beautiful life you create!

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  38. CRAVING THE NAMES ON THE PUMPKINGS WAS GREAT..DIDN'T REALIZE YOU COULD. GREAT IDEA...THE SALAD LOOKS WONDERFUL AND THE TOMATOES TOO...HAVE A GREAT EVENING jANICE..FROM SPOONWITHER.BLOGSPOT.COM..DROP BY SOMETIME..TY

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  39. So lovely. I adore reading about your beautiful life on your farm.. with a wee one of my own I think these cherished memories are wonderful to be treasured. Thanks for sharing!

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Thank you for leaving your thoughts. Kind regards, Catherine