Sprouting Up in Your Garden July 6, 2009

I love when synchronicity happens. I was out transplanting gobs of tomatoes, peppers, basil and eggplants and wondering if I was too late in the season. It doesn't seem so, as late as summer seems to have gotten started but.....then my Sunset magazine came in the mail. I wait for it every month and then pounce on it the minute it comes in. I start by flipping thru and scanning all the articles and then go back and read

the ones that caught my eye in depth (yah, you do it too....). Just so happens that they had two that just happened to coincide with my thoughts this week: apparently now is the time to plant tomatoes (yah I know, seems late doesn't it? I thought so too, but don't we all have tomatoes sitting out there green? maybe this is why...), and then a fabulous article on canning and preserving produce from farmers' markets. Awesome! Just so happens I was planning to talk about preserving tomatoes, inspired by a reader who sent in a request (thanks, Carol!), a friend (who wants to learn canning), and my grandmother and mother (queens of preserving in my opinion). Perhaps it will inspire you to preserve your harvest, if you don't already.....

Oh, tomato, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...... ok, ok, so it's not Shakespeare, but aren't tomatoes the classic summer vegetable? How many of you wish in the middle of winter that you could eat those summer fresh tomatoes? I know you can't see but I am raising my hand high! One year we had a glut of tomatoes of all sorts, and my husband got the bright idea to make tomato puree and freeze it for making things in the winter; I have to say that was the best pizza sauce and spaghetti sauce I think I have ever had!

Now, we did not can them or make tomato puree right away. Actually, the only thing we did during the summer was wash off the tomatoes and then put them in freezer bags until we had time later (honestly, it was just too hot that summer to even think about running anything that required heat!). So come fall, we basically just threw them all in a pot, poured in a little water to keep the bottom ones from scorching, and let them cook down. Once they had cooked thoroughly, we ran them through a blender, and then a strainer to get out any larger pieces of skin. We chose to freeze the results since we had a deep freezer at the time; when we do it this time, we will have to can the puree. I think we will try out the Sunset Magazine recipe I have in this newsletter since it seems fairly basic.

But puree is not the only way to preserve your summer tomatoes! There are so many different recipes out there, pretty much as wide as your imagination. Just to name a few:

These are just a few of the recipes out there, and not only that these methods "can" apply to a lot of your other summer harvests (a pun, ha ha!). Be sure to check out the links to preserving food that we listed below. They are sure to get your imagination fired and your mouth watering!

Some of our favorite sites on preserving! I get hungry and really ambitious every time I read through these sites:

Canned Heirloom Tomatoes

Time: 3 hours. For this extra-easy recipe, adapted from the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning (uga.edu/nchfp/index.html), you just squish raw skinned tomatoes into jars. This cold-pack technique may cause the fruit and liquid to separate a bit during processing, but the results still taste delicious.

FIRST-TIME TIP: It's essential for food safety when working with tomatoes that you acidify them with bottled (not fresh) lemon juice or citric acid, which has a standardized acidity, and that you do not increase the amount of herbs or add any other ingredients.

Yield

Makes 6 to 7 qts.

Ingredients

17 pounds ripe yellow or red heirloom tomatoes
14 tablespoons bottled ReaLemon lemon juice or 3 1/2 tsp. citric acid such as Fruit Fresh*
7 teaspoons salt (optional)
7 sprigs fresh thyme, each 3 to 4 in. long (optional)

Preparation

1. Follow directions in "Canning ABCs: Get Ready" (below), using 7 wide-mouthed quart jars, rings, and lids.

2. Meanwhile, peel tomatoes: Fill a large saucepan three-quarters full of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook 1 layer of tomatoes at a time in water, just until skins split or will peel easily with a knife, 20 to 40 seconds. Let cool, then core, pull off skins, and trim any brown areas, working over a bowl to catch juices.

3. Put 2 tbsp. lemon juice or 1/2 tsp. citric acid in each jar. Add 1 tsp. salt if you like. Follow directions in "Canning ABCs: Fill and Seal Jars": Cut tomatoes to fit through jar openings, if needed, and push them into jars to fill compactly, leaving 1/2 in. headspace. Pushing will create juices; if needed, add more juices from bowl so tomatoes are covered. Using the handle of a fork, poke 1 thyme sprig down the side of each jar if you like. Release air, wipe rims, and seal with lids and rings as directed.

4. Process as directed in "Canning ABCs: Process Jars," boiling for 1 hour and 25 minutes (add 5 minutes for every 3,000 ft. in altitude above sea level). It's okay if jars leak a little. Turn off heat and let the jars stand in water in canner for 5 minutes. Cool, check seals, and store as directed (up to 1 year).

*Buy citric acid in your grocery's baking aisle.

Canning ABCs

GET READY:

1. Gather equipment: canning jars with matching metal lids and rings, a boiling-water canner with rack, a wide-mouthed funnel, tongs, and a jar lifter. Most hardware stores carry these basics.

2. Fill canner with water and heat it up. The canner should be two-thirds full for pint and half-pint jars; half-full for quart jars. Set rack on pan rim and cover pan. Over high heat, bring water to a boil (180° to 185° for pickles); this takes 30 to 45 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, wash canning jars and rings in a dishwasher and hand-wash lids; drain. For jam only, sterilize the washed jars too: When water in canner boils, place jars on rack, lower into water, and boil for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer and keep jars in water until needed.

4. Nest lids inside rings in a saucepan and cover with water. Heat until small bubbles form (do not boil). Remove pan from heat and cover.

5. Rinse produce, then prepare as recipe directs.

FILL AND SEAL JARS:

1. Ladle foods into jars through a wide funnel or arrange with fingers, leaving the headspace (the distance between jar rim and food) specified by the recipe. If the last jar isn't completely full, let cool, then serve or chill; do not process.

2. Release air bubbles in chunky mixtures: Gently run a knife around inside of jars. Wipe jar rims and threads with a clean, damp cloth so that lids will seal.

3. Center lids on jars so the sealing compound on lids touches jar rims. Screw metal rings on firmly, but don't force.

PROCESS JARS:

1. Lower jars on rack into water. The water should cover jars by at least 1 in.; add hot water as needed during processing. Cover canner and return water to a boil. Cook for time specified in recipe.

2. Lift rack with jars onto edge of canner, using tongs and a hot pad. Using jar lifter, transfer jars to towels on a work surface. Don't tighten rings. Cool completely at room temperature. You may hear a "ping" as jars form a seal.

3. Press on the center of each lid. If it stays down, the jar is sealed. If it pops up, it isn't (you can still eat the food—chill it as if it were leftovers). Label jars and store in a cool, dark place up to 1 year.

From now on this newsletter will be bi-weekly, as that allows more time for research and publishing. I hope that you will all continue to stick with us! We look forward to hearing from you all!

If there are any questions or subjects you would like us to cover, please email us at amity@sproutinguporganically.com and then look for them in future newsletters!