tomatoes, how do you keep till there's enough to can? recipes?

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how do i keep tomatoes good till i have enough ripe ones to can?we've grown sauce tomatoes & juicie ones. it's our first year canning so any recipes are very much appreciated.do you have to pressure cook tomatoes for juice & sauce? thanks so much, fred

-- fred in wi (sixuvusmeyers@aol.com), August 27, 2001

Answers

Greetings Fred! I use paste tomatos fresh to make sauce. Just slice them into circles and cook. I brown the meat(I use turkey now but used to make it with beef), and then add the tomatos, onion garlic, basil, oregano, and salt. The tomato meat will cook right out of the peel and I just skim a fork on top to collect the skins. It ususally takes about ten paste tomatos, but you need to try some and see if you have enough sauce. Add more if needed. I slice the Brandywines and dice those, since they are so big. Then I slice the other ripe ones and freeze them in slices. That is it. I do not peel them or anything, just slice. I make sure to save some seed and juice when chopping for fermenting in a container, so I have more seeds for next year. I use the Open Pollinated types. If you slice and freeze, you can keep adding to the bag until it is full. HAVE FUN! ~Brenda~

-- Brenda (brenclark@alltel.net), August 27, 2001.

Run them through the juicer and mix the results back together again, then freeze in bags until canning amounts have developed.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), August 27, 2001.

I wash, core and cut paste tomatoes in half lengthwise and cut other types in chunks, then freeze in larger plastic containers or in gallon bags. When I have enough to make a canning run worth the mess or just plain know I'm going to have time, I let them thaw in the spare frig in the basement then proceed with the juicer and can as usual. Sometimes, I wait until just before deer season to do this to make room in the freezer and by then it's cooler. I don't mind heating the kitchen so much later in the year.

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), August 27, 2001.

Hi Fred, As the others suggested, freezing until the required amount is available works great. I thought I would send you my favorite sauce recipe. Tomato Sauce 21 pounds of tomatoes(about 63) 1 large green bell pepper 2 onions 2 stalks of celery 1/2 cup lemon juice (bottled ok) 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/3 cup chopped parsley (fresh)

Peel tomatoes and puree in a tomato press or in batches in a food processor. Put into a large pan. Process onions, bell pepper, and celery together and mince finely. Add to tomatoes. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens and has reduced by almost half. Ladle hot mixture into hot jars. clean rims of jars, seal, and process in a water bath canner for 35 minutes.

Also a helpful hint when canning tomato juice and whole tomatoes. Add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to each quart. This guarantees acidity, so the juice, etc. doesn't spoil. Happy canning. :-D

-- Kim in Indiana (kwcountrygirl@aol.com), August 29, 2001.


Freeze. When ready to cook, remove from freezer, dip in boiling water (a slotted spoon is good here). You can now slip the skins off while the bodies of the tomatoes are still solid. Now cook as you wish; or cut in halves or quarters lengthwise, defrost, remove seeds and then cook.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), August 29, 2001.


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