The lyrics of Mr. Rocky Mountain High’s song do not ring quite true because I will sell you a few (the word “few” being  key) of St. Fairsted Farm’s homegrown tomatoes so you can make this delicious pie:

What you will need:

1 – 9″ pie crust (I’ll let you decide if you want to do a scratch crust or cheat and buy ready-made.)

1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon thyme
1 small clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 cup of finely grated sharp cheddar cheese (I highly recommend Cabot’s Cheese)
2 1/2 pounds garden ripe tomatoes, peeled and cored

1. Prepare your pie crust to the recipe or instructions and prebake. Then let the crust cool completely.

2. Preheat oven to 425 F.

3. Whisk together cream and eggs in a large bowl until combined. Add the thyme and garlic, mix well. Stir in the cheese. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.

4. Coarsely chop the tomatoes and add them to the mixture. Mix, set aside.

5. After the crust has cooled, fill it with the tomato mixture. Tomatoes will mound slightly in the center of the pie dish, which is fine. Bake in the center of the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 F and continue baking until the custard is set and pie is golden on top, approx. 45-50 minutes.

6. Let the pie cool for 10 minutes. You can serve immediately or let it cool to room temperature before serving.

This pie is almost good enough to make you forget about the heat of a Texas summer. 

It’s time to get ready to open the farm stand but will post a printable recipe later this evening.

Enjoy my friends!
ang.

Other than myself, nobody has traveled more miles in my truck than my co-pilot Trooper. I’m always making jokes about my dodge dually being the most expensive doghouse imaginable or Trooper only loving me for my truck. She just loves to go wherever I’m going.

Trooper showed up at the garden a couple years ago, I wrote about it here. Then once it was certain she played well with all farm critters and was going to be part of the farm, I wrote about it here. And through the years Trooper has inspired, entertained and made me laugh, you can read more here or here or here. Trooper has earned her name in every sense of the word.

Wednesday evening I was fearful of being short on banana peppers for Thursday’s baskets. With little daylight left and in a hurry I headed out to the garden patch without my co-pilot,Trooper. Knowing that I was running a risk of Trooper following me I took the back drive we never travel in hopes the neighbors pack of dogs would chase her back to the house.

Night had fallen and as I traveled back home I saw smack dab in my lane a whopping two pounds of fur. I could straddle the pup with my tires and pray or hit the shoulder and pray the car behind me hit his brakes as well. I chose the shoulder and was fortunate the car behind me stopped as well.

After checking with the neighbors, I learned somebody had dumped a litter of these little darlings in the area. They told me two of her litter mates had already been sent to the pound earlier in the day, so we headed home together.

Arriving home there was no greeting from Trooper, she indeed had gone AWOL. It was back out to see if I could find where she had now gone off, being night I didn’t have much luck. The next morning I searched again with no luck. I decided somebody must have picked her up and it was going to require putting up poster boards with her picture to get her back.

In the afternoon we opened the farm stand, I walked over to the grocery store to get farm mom and me a couple drinks. While checking out I asked the cashier, Kim if she closed the store last night and if she had seen Trooper. She said “A black & white dog? You may want to go up to Caney Creek High School near the football field. There’s a dog that has been hit.” The knot in my stomach, fighting back tears, I raced to the farm stand, climbed into the truck to find out.

There my dear co-pilot laid on the shoulder of the road…with no kindness shown to her. I took her home and laid her to rest underneath the Bur Oak Tree by the chicken coop

I haven’t been able to stop the tears from that moment and the irony of rescuing the pup 2 miles up the road from where I was to find my dog slain is eating me up. God as my witness, I swear if I’d thought Trooper would have traveled over a mile from home I never would have left without my co-pilot. My grief has me doing the what if, would of and should of… but one thing is certain, I don’t want this puppy.

Please if your reading this and you can provide the pup a loving home, contact me. Every time I look at her it pains me and reminds me of my poor decision that night. If I haven’t found a home for her by Monday morning, I’ll have to take her to the pound which will really make me feel like my loss or act of kindness was in vain.

Update: The puppy has a wonderful new home and they named her “Honey.” I laugh at the name for in these parts everyone is “honey” or “sweetie.” Couldn’t get more Southern Belle than that…

Howdy Bipeds! It’s me, Lionel, once again. Today I thought I would share with you how much I’m forced to endure just to keep  my biped farmer happy. Lawdy, I keep wondering why she can’t just rent a DVD or go to the movies — life would be so much simpler!  Did you know that the first three letters in the word “angina” are A-N-G?  Coincidence?  I think not!

Just in case ya’ll were wonderin’, one of Ang’s favorite songs is “Build me up, Buttercup” .  Jeez, don’t ask me why.  I don’t believe she’s even listened to the lyrics, she simply enjoys the danceable beat. And watching her dance is like lookin’ directly into the sun — its painful and temporarily blinding.  I have no good explanation for her.  Meanwhile, I merely gaze out the window and shake my lionhead at her antics.

Good-bye forever…   I’m just kidding.  Like my pal Arnold — “Ah’ll  be baaack!!”  (That’s my Austrian accent!)