Remember these tomato plants?
I posted this photo three weeks ago, and mentioned how we were trying to grow tomatoes indoors this year, in our enclosed verandah…
Look at them now! I think we may have underestimated how much space each plant will need, but we’ll know better next time…
They’ve already started flowering, and we’ve been buzzing them with an electric toothbrush to try and fertilise them. This variety is Grosse Lisse…
We also planted a single advanced seedling in what we thought was an oversized self-watering pot…
Turns out it’s not quite as oversized as we first thought…
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For all of you who let me know that these pretty pink and purple flowers were from a pea plant, you were absolutely right. Shortly after we took the first photos, the pods appeared…
The peas aren’t particularly good eating – I think they’re the blue peas which which are usually sold dried for boiling into mushy peas. Nonetheless, they made a nice addition to our pasta sauce!
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Continental parsley grows like a weed in our area.
This is how the conversation with our neighbours went last week..
Mark (next door): “Hey, do you guys want any parsley? I’m happy to throw some over the fence for you…”
Maude (across the road): “Will your chickens eat parsley?”
Me (to both of them): “Would you like any leeks? It’s a job lot though, you have to take parsley with it…”
I’m not complaining – after all, we could be overrun with Patterson’s Curse or oxalis. But there really is only so much parsley soup, parsley pesto and tabbouleh one can eat.
Does anyone have any brilliant suggestions for what we can do with our surplus?
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Finally, Small Girl is growing up. She was so happy to see “her” stones on my previous post that she came over today and rearranged them. She already knows her own mind and she’s not even three yet – we can only imagine what she’ll be like at sixteen…
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What’s growing at your place?
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Celia, I hope the question was just rhetorical.. :-)
we haven’t planted anything this year, being away as we were, but the herbs thrived – I have tarragon, sage, and lavender. That’s about it.
I am hoping that next year we can be more serious about gardening… we shall see
your plants are gorgeous!
Thanks Sally! I wish we could grow sage – it just won’t work in our herb garden. We do have rosemary, thyme, lemon thyme and oregano going strong though! Love the herbs, they really are so low maintenance!
What a lovely “update” post Celia. It is always so exciting and satisfying to things grow that we plant.
I’m stumped at any ideas for your parsley – sorry.
Have a happy day.
:-) Mandy
Thanks anyway, Mandy! I’m looking forward to seeing what grows at your place now you’re home! :)
I am envious of your parsley .. usually I have heaps too. Each year I place bunches of parsley into a brown paper bag, seal it and pop it in the back of the ‘fridge. It dries in there without any bother. After a month or so you can seal it in a jar if you want to! It is perfect! Keeps its colour and taste and you can use it all winter. c
Cecilia, thank you! But we don’t need to dry the parsley – these photos are taken in the middle of winter! Parsley goes pretty much all year round in these parts! In fact, this year even the basil made it all the way through winter! :)
Those bushes of parsley are so beautiful! They must be a wonderful resource of your kitchen. I did tried growing tomato in the pot once but it didn’t turn out well. Seeing this makes me wanna give it a try again :)
Tes, thank you – I’m still not sure if they’ll fruit since they’re quite crowded in there, but I’ll definitely keep you all posted! :)
Love and hope for a great new house with a garden are sprouting in my mind, my love…..I’m looking forward to planting seedlings and watching them grow, inspired by ALL your gorgeous produce! And did I mention bread – love, love, love all the shapes you’ve been working on. Once that kitchen/house are sorted, I’ll get back to making my own bread majorly!!!!! Lots of love
Oz, that’s so exciting that you’re making the big move home, are you there yet? I hope the transition goes well for the family, but I know how excited you are! All the best with it, and look forward to seeing updates from Nigeria! :)
Soon you’ll have more tomatoes than you know what to do with! What a novel use for an electric toothbrush…
Not sure these are “brilliant” but here are a few suggestions for your parsley surplus:
* Make a savoury crumble topping for casseroles by mixing it with plain flour and butter.
* Use it as a rub for meats or fish.
* Parsley sauce is quite common in the UK to have with gammon or ham.
* Add it to a dumpling mix for a stew, soup or goulash.
* I know you’re sick of tabbouleh, but you could always try falafel.
* Add it to a stuffing mix
* Two words: Parsley jelly! (Generally used as an alternative to mint sauce with roast lamb.)
* Dry or freeze it for later use.
* Parsley and spinach chicken stew: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/parsley-spinach-chicken-stew/detail.aspx
* And finally, my personal favourite, – on garlic bread!
Kate, they’re all fabulous ideas, thank you! Except we don’t have to bother drying or freezing, as these photos are of the parsley in the middle of our winter! I’ve never heard of parsley sauce, so I’m going to look it up.
Tomato flowers are usually pollinated by bees apparently, who buzz the flower to shake the pollen loose. Indoors, we’re hoping to mimic that with the electric toothbrush! :)
How fascinating and ingenious! You learn something new every day!
What a crop you already have!
For parsley, I love to use huge amounts in making stuffing or dressing with bread and sausage and walnuts and celery and onions and serve alongside poultry or pork chops or ham! I like all of Kate’s suggestions- especially the parsley jelly which I always make when I have a bumper crop.
I thought my Degas tomato was a fluke, but just went out and discovered many mutilated “nudes” gracing my plants. And I found one baseball bat sized zucchini- my only one of the season- lots of flowers – no zucchini until now! :)
Thanks Heidi! I’ll remember that the next time I’m making stuffing! I’m so glad you got a zucchini, we couldn’t grow a single one last year…
The tomato plants are off to a wonderful start!! Lovely pictures, especially the close up of the tomato flower. My husband thinks they will do well in your veranda. Ours did awful in the pots this year:( No tomatoes at all, have had to get mine at the farmers market. My first thought for the parsley was a salsa verde recipe I like to make. I top fish with it, but you can also use it to go on chicken, pasta, or potatoes. Combine 1 cup parsley, 3 Tbsp capers (rinsed), and 2 cloves garlic (peeled/crushed) in the blender or food processor. Process til finely chopped. Add 2 Tbsp EVOO, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 Tbsp water, 2 tsp anchovy paste and process til blended. Season w/ fresh ground pepper. Makes ~ 1/2 cup.
Sounds delicious, thanks Mel! :)
I envy your long growing season – only the hardiest of herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme) makes it through the winter here! We’re at the other end of our growing season – harvesting the last peas and beans and waiting to see if the tomatoes ripen. This hasn’t been a good growing year!
Sage! I wish sage was hardy in our garden, Suelle! It’s never really taken off. I’m sorry it hasn’t been a good growing year for you – too much water?
There’s definitely a little artist in her.
Tomato plants can get enormous if they grow to their full potential. I had a little bit of a failure with mine cause I planted them too close together but then I couldn’t bare to chose any to ‘sacrifice.’ The strongest ones have taken over though (natural selection before my eyes).
I have no suggestions for parsley I’m afraid. Basil is like that to me but I think I could eat basil pesto every day.
Claire, I’m not sure what will happen to the ones in the long planter – they’re going to be pretty overcrowded I think. We’ll have to wait and see! :)
your tomatoes are looking wonderful celia..the only tomato planting going on here is my head..i’ve mentally made a note of where i will put them this year..do you make parsley salad? it’s quite nice as a change from other greens..it’s just parsley and finely cut onion rubbed with salt and then the dressing of choice added..i like balsamic and olive oil..and i also add lots to other green salads along with any other bits i have in the garden such as small beetroot, rainbow chard and nasturtium leaves, purslane, pea shoots and watercress and various flowers if i have them such as nasturtium, violet and borage..
Jane, that sounds very nice, and we have small beets, nasturtiums and pea shoots in the garden. Bit cold still for the purslane, it hasn’t come back yet. Thanks!
I’m feeling a bit envious of your parsley, Celia. I let some flat-leaf parsley go to seed and never saw it again – it just vanished! I have replanted it, but something in the garden clearly loves it very much.
We are just starting to see the sun here after a shocker of a winter. I’m going to try (again) with tomatoes – cherry toms this time as I’m told they are really the only ones that will grow up here in the hills.
Amanda, coriander seems to do that here – every time we try and plant it, it goes straight to seed! Cherry toms and romas were quite successful for us last season until they all got a viral wilt and died (which is why we’re trying indoors this year). It also seems nearly impossible to grow them outdoors here without dusting them (which we won’t do because we’re trying to avoid chemicals in the garden, both for us AND the chooks), as the fruit fly have a field day with them.
Last year we had a couple of times right in the middle of summer when we had quite a lot, simply because of bumper crops and good predators in the garden, and then it all went to pot.. ;-)
The stones look lovely today! A particularly beautiful arrangement :)
You could try weaving your parsley into edible tablemats or putting it in your shoes on a hot day as it is a natural deoderant. Other common uses for parsley are for making hair pieces for poodles with alopecia, poor things, and for slapping gently over the wrists of naughty blog friends :D
Isn’t she a creative little girl?
Edible placemats, why didn’t I think of that! ;-)
Those tomatoes look great and I had a good laugh at the mental image of you guys and your toothbrush idea. I’d like to know whose toothbrush you used :)
Parsley is great and full of iron, I use a lot dried from my dad and we chuck it in everything- spag bol, curries, etc. You could probably just chop it fine and add handfuls of fresh iron-y goodness into your loaves of bread as you knead them, that way you’re using it up and still getting the benefits. Waste not want not :)
It doesn’t matter whose toothbrush we use, as we leave the cover on. ;-)
Actually, it’s a little hummingbird electric flosser, and it works a treat!
Thanks for the parsley tips! :)
The image of you gently helping the tomato plants along with an electric toothbrush made my day :-)
I have put a little tomato plant on a window sill on your encouragement, last night it popped it’s little green head up, fingers are crossed (and The Monkeys haven’t discovered it yet.)
Brydie, that’s very exciting, I hope it fruits for you! We’ve planted some of the Italian chilli seeds you gave us in the conservatory – will let you know how they go! Thanks! :)
Hehe sadly not much growing at my place. Except for chillis! Hang on I had better check on them…
We’re still trying to get the chillis to work! They’re planted in the conservatory to start them off – we have Italian chillis, serrano, a bishops crown and some capsicums…
Well the laundry was demolished here and there is finally a sunny spot in the yard so in some pots I planted some seeds that were at least five years out of date. Maybe even longer past their use by date. The spinach came up and so did the carrots and so did the beans. I am not sure about the capsicum. Its so long since i grew anything I might not be able to tell them from weeds. They must have been good seeds or maybe it was the good rain. Don’t believe the packets give any old seeds a go!
Frances, great advice! And then there’s always this.. :)
We tickle the tomato flowers with a feather…. and then they giggle coyly and we hope that does the trick…. of course if you could borrow our David he might make them fertile. Bless him!
He really is a national treasure, Jo! :)
We had an animal come through our yard and eat EVERYTHING! Apples, zucchini, tomatoes… leaves. I’m sure there is a four hundred pound raccoon or squirrel in our neighborhood somewhere, picking his teeth and burping.
Grrr.
Oh no!! Maz, I’m so sorry to hear that! Any chance of salvaging anything?
After a slow start to the summer, my tomato plants are now very large and abundant with fruit. I am sure you will enjoy the fruits of your labor too…there’s nothing like a fresh picked tomato from the garden! Sorry but I have no fresh ideas for your parsley dilemma!
Cindy, can’t wait to see what you do with them! Ours are threatening to outgrow their pots already!
We’re growing weeds. :) But I have been researching which ones are edible, so next spring I’ll have some nice salad greens. I know definitely, I’ll have a bumper crop of dandelions – we do every year. I’ll have to get a book on local edible weeds so I don’t poison either my husband or myself. Sorry, I don’t what else to do with parsley other than what you already mentioned.
Cat, we actually eat a lot of weeds – chickweed and purslane – and they’re really delicious!
Lovely to see your pics, Celia! Things are really growing for you! Like you, we have masses of parsely at the moment – I’ve been hacking off big bunches of it and feeding it to the neighbours chooks – I’m at a loss with what to do with it all!
Chris, our Hungarian neighbour June cooks up the white roots when they get really big. Mind you, the garden needs to be nearly overgrown with parsley before the roots get that big!
Oh gosh you’re inspiring, I love the fresh goodies growing in your garden. I’m hopeless, can barely keep a potted plant alive. Lol.
Anna, pots are harder! Our tomatoes are only surviving because they’re in self-watering pots, I suspect! :)
find out if you can supply your local restaurant with parsley :) I planted crysanthenums and they were stolen so I think I may replace them with some pea plants :)
Someone stole your flowers? That’s not good! Peas have been lovely though.. :)
I am always amazed at your and your friends gardens….