Arkansas Weekly

I don't know where I got the idea, but I am sending you a picture and explaining how you can raise tomatoes in a whiskey barrel. The first thing you do is go to Wal-Mart or Home Depot and buy whiskey barrels. Bring them home and set them on the ground in a spot where they can get plenty of sun.

The next thing you do is get some rich soil and fill up the barrel to about three inches from the top. Go and get some tomato plants -- large ones if you can find them. Dig two holes in each barrel, put some Miracle-Gro fertilizer in the bottom of the holes, then set your tomato plants in the holes and water well.

Get some concrete wire mesh and make hoops to fit the barrels. Drive some steel rods in the ground and tie the hoops to the rods to keep the vines from blowing over.

Wait three weeks, fertilize with Miracle-Gro, then wait another week and fertilize again. On the third week, fertilize again and keep the vines watered well -- at least three times a week.

In the picture, you can see tomato vines over six feet tall and very healthy. I put two Better Boy plants in one barrel, one Better Boy plant in the other barrel, and one plant of salad-size tomatoes in the other barrel. I was raised on a farm, and I have never seen tomato vines as tall and as healthy as these are. I bought one tomato at the farmers market a few days ago and paid a dollar for it. I do a lot of buying vegetables at the farmers market, and you get fresh vegetables right from the local farms.

I will be 90 years old in a few days, and I am not able to till a garden. I found out about tomatoes growing in a barrel, and there is no tilling to do. You could raise other vegetables that way too. We love fresh tomatoes, and all we have to do is pick them from the barrels.

I have written several cookbooks since I retired, and I got the idea to try raising the tomatoes in a barrel.

I believe that tomatoes are used more than any other vegetable and baby potatoes would come in second.

I planted my tomatoes on April the first, and we did not have a frost this year in April.

Recipe of the Week
Tomato Carrot Soup

Ingredients: two tablespoons of unsalted butter; one yellow onion, peeled and chopped; one-half pound of carrots, peeled and chopped; one teaspoon of curry powder; seven large ripe plum tomatoes; three and one-half cups of chicken broth; six tablespoons of slivered basil leaves; salt and pepper to taste; and sour cream.

Directions: Melt butter in pot and add onion. Saute for five minutes. Add carrots and curry powder. Cover and cook 20 minutes more. Remove skin on tomatoes by dipping in boiling water for 30 seconds, then chop coarsely; add tomatoes and chicken broth to saucepan with vegetables. Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add two tablespoons of basil, salt and pepper; simmer one minute. Transfer soup to blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Stir in remaining basil. Serve cold or hot topped with a dollop of sour cream. Makes two to four servings.