Fall is my favorite time of year.
Although I live in AZ and we don't have the typical color change in our leaves, the weather is beautiful. Cool and sunny. Perfect for spending time outdoors.
Although the weather is perfect and it is nice to be outside, our gardens and yards don't look as nice as we would like. My hubby does a good job at keeping our yard and grass looking good. But we have never planted a garden. As a kid, my family planted a garden during the summer and had some of the best summer squash. If I were going to plant a garden tomorrow, I would want it to be filled with tomatoes. Why you ask? Well first, I think fresh garden tomatoes are so delicious. Second, I love the pop of red they give the garden and third, I love tomato soup. Especially in the fall.
Right now Miracle-Gro is sharing lots of fun and simple Fall gardening projects to show us how to Find beauty in the Fall. They have it broken down into regions, so that you know what is perfect for your yard or garden right now. When I looked up my region, Southwest, I found that right now is the PERFECT time to plant tomatoes! They also give you step by step directions for planting and growing your vegetables.
Southwest
Potato
Tomato
Carrot
Summers range from hot and humid to scorching and dry, but the winters here are usually mild. For warm weather, the tomato comes out as the top veggie, while potatoes and carrots work better in cooler weather. Other popular plants include sweet pepper, squash, and cucumber.
Tomato
Carrot
Summers range from hot and humid to scorching and dry, but the winters here are usually mild. For warm weather, the tomato comes out as the top veggie, while potatoes and carrots work better in cooler weather. Other popular plants include sweet pepper, squash, and cucumber.
What would I make with all my garden fresh tomatoes? Well I went on over to pinterest to see what I could come up with. I decided to go with this recipe for tomato soup found at myrecipes.com. And wouldn't you know it, my mom just happened to have a big box of tomatoes at her house!
I changed up the recipe a little so I could use things I already had in my pantry and kitchen. Here is the recipe I used.
FRESH TOMATO SOUP:
1 TBL oil
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
2 pounds of tomatoes (or about 6 cups) cut into wedges - I cut out the stem part and next time I would deseed my tomatoes
2 (14 oz) cans chicken stock
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dried basil (or 1 TBL fresh)
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
2 tsp. sugar
In a soup pot, heat oil on medium heat. Add onions and celery and cook until they start to soften. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and let simmer for 30 minutes. Using an immersion blender (or doing 1/2 of soup at a time in regular blender), blend until smooth. Top with basil and add a couple buttered croutons to serve.
This soup turned out really yummy and is perfect for a fresh tomato fan, like me!
Miracle Gro has so many ideas and advice for your Fall gardening. To find out more tips and tricks, check out the Miracle-Gro Facebook page and connect with other gardening fans for more ideas for your own garden.