I never thought I would say this: I am sick of tomatoes. I love 'em. I hate 'em. The taste is divine. And homegrown are the best! But this year our tomatoes have gone above and beyond anything I could ever wish for. I can honestly say that I have eaten tomatoes at least once a day for the last two months. But the season is winding down and my pantry is getting full and I am getting tired.
Not expecting a bumper crop, I planted all kinds of tomato seedlings. Big boys, Early girls, cherry tomatoes, Romas, and a whole bunch that I don't even know what we have. So far this year I have made two batches of salsa, two batches of tomato soup, diced tomatoes, tomato juice, chili sauce, pasta sauce, and soup starter. And they just keep coming!
This week has been so busy. With no time to can, I wash the tomatoes, core them, put them in gallon freezer bags, and stick them in the freezer until things slow down a little. Today was the day!
I had three gallon bags in the freezer and a gallon ice cream container of unfrozen tomatoes.
I use this old strainer that I have had forever and dip the tomatoes into boiling water for just a few minutes. Fresh tomatoes don't have to stay in as long as the frozen ones.
Another one of my ice cream containers is filled with cold water and ice. Plunge the tomatoes into the ice water and the skins come magically off!
I save all the peelings and cores. My chickens love them!
Using the food processor, I grind the tomatoes, leaving all that good pulp and seeds in the mixture.
Heat it till boiling. I had so much that I had to use two pans. While it is heating, I take my clean water bath canner and fill with water (I fill to the last ring on the top), and turn on. I sterilized my jars and lids in this clean water. Fill the jars with your tomatoes, and add 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice to each pint jar. Of course, if you are using quarts, double that. Put in the water bath canner for 45 minutes.
It's okay if you choose to use quart jars. There are only two of us here so I use the pints. I use these tomatoes all year long in soup, chili, or any other recipe that calls for canned tomatoes.
Out of my tomatoes today, I got 12 pints. The bad thing about that is that my canner only holds 8 pints so I had to run two batches.
Confession time: I hope I don't get visited by the police. My kitchen looks like a murder scene. Tomatoes are about the messiest of any vegetable (or fruit) that I have ever preserved. And unfortunately, I am a sloppy cook.
Oh, yes, I have had this food processor for over 30 years. I like old things....just like me.
Here is a little hint. When canning, put a little vinegar in the canner before use. It helps keep the jars pretty and sparkly. I forgot on my first batch and had to wipe down each jar and lid. This is especially important if you have hard water or live in the country with a well.
I did squeeze in a little time to put out my garage sale wagon and some pumpkins and gourds from the garden. I bought the mums at a flea market for $10. We had everything else. I love fall
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