An oddball kind of berry in the forest. Do you feel like you’re being watched?

Taken from the canoe last weekend on Monksville Reservoir.

This weekend I decided that my cherry tomato plants on the deck had truly outdone themselves all summer long and were deserved of a rest. The poor things were still bearing fruit, but the leaves had long since given up due to cool nighttime temperatures. It was time.

Last week I had harvested a large amount, and this week there was yet again another bowlful waiting to be picked. My Roma tomatoes out in the garden had finally kicked into gear (once the chippies and squirrels left the green fruit on long enough to ripen!) and they were added to the stash. Before I left them too long, I decided to just go ahead and make a tomato sauce wth them.

I first chopped the cherry tomatoes in half; the Romas into chunks.

My large 4-cup measuring glass runneth over!

After sautéing some onion and garlic in olive oil, in went the tomatoes and some fresh thyme from the garden.

After cooking for about half an hour the tomatoes have released their juice and are free of their skin. Perfect!

Time to run the mixture through the food mill to get rid of the skins and most of the tiny seeds.

Et voilà!—a lovely thick sauce ready to become the base for ... something. From 5+ cups of chopped tomatoes I got about 2.75 cups of sauce.

Maybe this one: Tagliatella with Bacon Sauce; or Rigatoni with Tomatoes and Vodka. Or perhaps just simply to top some of the delicious fresh ravioli that we can get locally. Yum, I’m making myself hungry. Won’t you join me for dinner?

Note: We opted for the Tagliatella with Bacon Sauce, but used penne instead of the tagliatella. We always use Canadian bacon as the “lean, non-smoked bacon” it calls for in the recipe. It was delicious!

I didn’t plan on walking today, it just happened. Before I knew what was happening, I was out the door with my camera in hand, my feet carrying me along seemingly of their own volition. As I penetrated the forest, the wild rose bushes that have overgrown the path reached out to snatch at my clothing with their thorny fingers.  ~ pluck, pluck ~ little girl ... who do you think you are to enter our forest, eh? ~  I ignored them and pushed forward, their thorns leaving tiny pinprick holes in my sweatshirt from their greediness.

The forest is subtly changing. Although most of the leaves are still green, the ground is carpeted with yellow and brown already. As I walk along leaves sift downward on the freshening breeze, making a gentle shushing sound. It’s comforting and restful. The breeze also loosens acorns from high above which come rattling down as they bounce off branches, and my head narrowly escapes a good clonking. Squirrels scurry back and forth amid the thickening blanket of spent leaves, probably collecting those very same acorns. Ah, the cycles of life.

These newly “born” shelf mushrooms look like seashells to me. Such intricacy of coloration.

How did this leaf manage to impale itself on this ragged, upturned tree trunk?

Further down the path I started to notice the vines. Funny what you can see when the thick vegetation of summer is gone. They seemed to be claiming the trees for themselves; making them their own possessions.

I wondered if I stood there long enough, would I be assimilated too?  ~ resistance is futile ... ~  They seemed sinister to me; not sure why.

I walked a bit further, not certain of how far to go. A squirrel came down a tree right in front me, chattering noisily—almost like he was admonishing me to go back. So, heeding his advice, I headed for home, taking my strange mood with me.

I found these grape-like clusters growing close to home. I had never noticed them before. The more I looked, the more I saw! I picked one and broke it open with my fingernail. It smelled very sweet, sugary, grapey, and delicious, but I don’t know if they are edible or not. If they are, why haven’t the birds gotten to them? Does anyone know what they are? New Jersey vegetation still mystifies me!

Until the next time, dear forest. I never know what you have in store for me.

More from my favorite fruit vendor at the Warwick Market on Sunday. He’s at it again!