Unexpected Food Gifts

[rotuts]

@Tropicalsenior 

 

save a few seeds for the next crop.

 

the initial seed might have been a hybrid , but no matter 

 

the plant is doing well.

 

look up how to save tomato seeds.

 

you have to ' ferment ' off the gel the covers them.

 

good luck !

[Tropicalsenior]

16 minutes ago, rotuts said:

save a few seeds for the next crop

I'm not going to have to do that. I checked around the plant yesterday and I already have new little plants coming out from the tomatoes that have fallen down around it. From the looks of it, I'm going to have Perpetual plants.

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

22 hours ago, Tropicalsenior said:

I don't know where else to put this but they seem to be a gift from some little bird who deposited a seed right outside my back door. The plant has grown to be humongous and this is about my 10th Harvest. There seems to be no end to them. They just keep on keeping on and right now it is full of little green tomatoes and a ton of blooms.

At the price that they charge for cherry tomatoes here, that's about $5 worth of tomatoes right there. I'm not complaining.

 

In your part of the world tomato plants are perennials so it should, if it's an indeterminate variety, keep producing as long as you keep watering and feeding it.

Tomatoes have become very expensive compared to a few years ago so enjoy.

 

[Tropicalsenior]

15 minutes ago, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

In your part of the world tomato plants are perennials

I'm not a gardener, in fact if anything, I have a black thumb. But I have never seen a tomato plant as big as this. It is grown up and over a wall and if it was stretched out it would be 6 to 8 ft in length. And now it is reseeding itself so I may never buy another tomato as long as I live.

[KennethT]

1 hour ago, Tropicalsenior said:

I'm not a gardener, in fact if anything, I have a black thumb. But I have never seen a tomato plant as big as this. It is grown up and over a wall and if it was stretched out it would be 6 to 8 ft in length. And now it is reseeding itself so I may never buy another tomato as long as I live.

Some tomato varieties can grow over 30 feet in length!

[Tropicalsenior]

6 minutes ago, KennethT said:

Some tomato varieties can grow over 30 feet in length!

I can see it now. The tomato plants that swallowed my house.

Edited December 19, 2023 by Tropicalsenior (log)

[liuzhou]

I ordered some coffee from Yunnan (yes! China grows coffee and it in't at all bad) and it came with a free cake. A small cake. A 'rose flower' cake.

 

 

Tasted of not very much.

 

 

[KennethT]

Not all of these are food, but they're all food related.

 

This year, we (actually my wife) got quite a few "gifts" from some companies she knows through work....

 

First, a cookbook/spice company sales pitch. The book is filled with recipes from lots of well known chefs, each using one of the company's proprietary spice mixes. The book even came with 5 sample containers. While I'll probably never make anything out of the book (or use the spices) I think it's an interesting way to sell your wares - make a cookbook that people buy in order to get them to buy more of your products.

 

This Sicily book is less self serving and came from a totally different organization than the stuff below. As books go, it seems actually really good - there's a whole section in the front describing the most common ingredients used in Sicilian cooking as well as common aroma/flavor profiles. While I probably won't make anything from the book, I would like to read through it when (if) I get some time.

 

 

 

Every year for the past several years, Donnafugata (a well known/respected Sicilian wine company) sends us (her) a box with a bunch of stuff. In the past there was a bar of Sicilian nougat filled with pistachios, chocolates made with chilli (these were awesome), wild capers from their property in Pantelleria, raisins made from the same grapes that go into their amazing (and crazy expensive) Ben Rye sweet wine (too bad they didn't include a bottle of that!), as well as a small painting on a wood base that is actually quite pretty. This year included capers (now in a branded jar as opposed to just a plastic bag as in previous years), wild oregano from Pantelleria, some ancient grain linguine and a recipe card. I've got to find some decent anchovies - one day I will definitely try to make this as it sounds like nothing I've ever had before.

 

Last but not least, this came from the Rhone valley in France - I don't know when I'll use it but I am curious to try it on something.

 

[BonVivant]

Didn't see that book when I was in Sicily but I got 2 good ones.

 

I actually wanted to go to Sicily (again) for this holiday but we had waited for La Palma to open again after the spectacular volcanic eruption a couple of years back. So that's why we are here right now. An employee at at winery in my new area in the mountain has just told me they were finally done clearing the roads and things got back to normal 4 months ago! We will return to Sicily sooner or later BUT.... we are so glad to be here on La Palma.

[liuzhou]

Yesterday, I paid the 2024 annual service fee on my apartment. For paying a year in advance rather than monthly, I received this 5kg bag of locally grown rice. First time that's happened.

 

 

 

Edited December 23, 2023 by liuzhou (log)

[chromedome]

We were gifted a 5-lb bag of local crab claws by a friend, who's a former fisherman. The local variety is Jonah crab, not one of the more desirable species (they're bland as crab goes), but the claws are perfectly fine and of course free is always good! I didn't think to take pics at the time, but since yesterday was a special occasion* I used them to make a crab variation on Eggs Benny.

 

(*Nine years ago on the 22nd was when my GF and I transitioned from "friends" to "more than friends," so we treat it as our anniversary.)

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

While attending a Christmas get together yesterday evening I was asked to carve a large ham. After dinner the hosts stated they don't really like leftover ham 😦and did anyone want to take home some.

I scored about half a Kg. of ham and the meaty ham bone (in the freezer for the next batch of split pea soup).

 

 

[liuzhou]

I'm in shock. Good shock.

 

My neighbour just came to my door (10:30 pm, Christmas Eve) with a gift.

 

 

Last thing I expected. Christmas is largely meaningless here. So kind!

 

 

Edited December 24, 2023 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

I just met with the landlady from the apartment I have recently vacated in order to hand over the keys.

 

To my astonishment she handed me a paper bag containing these.

 

On the left is a kilo of Australian oatmeal and on the right 850 grams of Nestle milk powder. I see some home made oatcakes in my near future. The Nestle will be passed on. I don't do powdered cow juice.

 

Especially when it contains porn syrup and the ingredients of a rampant lunatic's  chemistry set. 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 21 by liuzhou (log)

[chromedome]

8 hours ago, liuzhou said:

I just met with the landlady from the apartment I have recently vacated in order to hand over the keys.

 

To my astonishment she handed me a paper bag containing these.

 

On the left is a kilo of oatmeal and on the right 850 grams of Nestle milk powder. I see some home made oatcakes in my near future. The Nestle will be passed on. I don't do powdered cow juice.

 

Especially when it contains porn syrup and the ingredients of a rampant lunatic's  chemistry set. 

 

It's always nice to part with a landlord/landlady on good terms.

[Katie Meadow]

12 hours ago, liuzhou said:

I just met with the landlady from the apartment I have recently vacated in order to hand over the keys.

 

To my astonishment she handed me a paper bag containing these.

 

On the left is a kilo of Australian oatmeal and on the right 850 grams of Nestle milk powder. I see some home made oatcakes in my near future. The Nestle will be passed on. I don't do powdered cow juice.

 

Especially when it contains porn syrup and the ingredients of a rampant lunatic's  chemistry set. 

 

 

 

 

Porn syrup. Never a dull moment.

[liuzhou]

These arrived at my door about half an hour ago. A pair of organic Syrah wines from Australia made by French Vignerons for the Chinese market. An unexpected gift from a friend in the wine publication and events business, for me to try.

 

 

I don't know anything about them other than that. We shall see.

 

 

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

On 12/19/2023 at 12:34 PM, Tropicalsenior said:

I can see it now. The tomato plants that swallowed my house.

 

How's that tomato plant doing? Still living in your house or has it taken over? 😇

 

[Tropicalsenior]

1 hour ago, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

 

How's that tomato plant doing? Still living in your house or has it taken over? 😇

 

Still living and getting bigger every day. I keep forgetting about them so the other day I told my maid to take them home with her and she got a whole grocery bag full of tomatoes. And now I see little tomato sprouts coming up all over around the main plant.

[Tropicalsenior]

Lest anyone feel that I exaggerate, I got some photos this morning of the tomato plant from hell. Not very good ones because of the sun angle but at least you can see how it is spreading.

 we're going to have to start cutting it back because it has completely taken over my oregano tree.

This is the other side of the wall. The wall is about 6 ft tall and about 10 ft long and the whole plant is loaded again with green tomatoes and blooms.

[KennethT]

1 hour ago, Tropicalsenior said:

Lest anyone feel that I exaggerate, I got some photos this morning of the tomato plant from hell. Not very good ones because of the sun angle but at least you can see how it is spreading.

 we're going to have to start cutting it back because it has completely taken over my oregano tree.

This is the other side of the wall. The wall is about 6 ft tall and about 10 ft long and the whole plant is loaded again with green tomatoes and blooms.

that's what happened when I topped my tomato plant that was growing in the corner of our apartment.  It practically took over the whole living room!!!

[Tropicalsenior]

1 hour ago, KennethT said:

that's what happened when I topped my tomato plant that was growing in the corner of our apartment.  It practically took over the whole living room!!!

It really is the gift that keeps on giving.

[ElsieD]

2 hours ago, KennethT said:

that's what happened when I topped my tomato plant that was growing in the corner of our apartment.  It practically took over the whole living room!!!

You grew a tomato plant in your apartment?  What were the tomatoes like?

[KennethT]

3 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

You grew a tomato plant in your apartment?  What were the tomatoes like?

Best I've ever had. Including my father's garden when I was a kid (he grew mostly hybrids - Burpee Early Girl, etc).

 

Mine was an heirloom Goose Creek (start came from Laurel's) which is prized for its flavor (and rightly so).

[ElsieD]

11 minutes ago, KennethT said:

Best I've ever had. Including my father's garden when I was a kid (he grew mostly hybrids - Burpee Early Girl, etc).

 

Mine was an heirloom Goose Creek (start came from Laurel's) which is prized for its flavor (and rightly so).

 

My SIL grows all her vegetables, including heirloom tomatoes which she grows from seed saved from the previous year.   I'm going to see if I can snag a plant and try to grow it in our apartment.  We face west so lots of light.