The French once believed tomatoes had aphrodisiacal powers and were christened pommes d”amour or love apples accordingly. While commonly used as a vegetable, tomatoes are actually a fruit residing in the berry family. They are a major source of the antioxidant lycopene which is linked to many health benefits including reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. In addition they are a great source of vitamin C, potassium, folate and vitamin K.
From what I see and hear, most folks have had a bumper crop of tomatoes this year and they just keep on coming. After processing 100’s of jars of various tomato products one neighbor finally quit and told her neighbors to come get the rest. When I first moved back one friend told me I never have to grow or pay for tomatoes, just wait until the end of the season when everyone has had enough and are giving them away. She was sure right this year! I’m no expert on growing tomatoes, although mine too did well this year, but I think they liked the excessive heat and drier conditions especially once the fruit began to ripen. I do know too much water after the fruit is set and mature produces watery and often split tomatoes.
I am sure you are tired of hearing about my canning adventures but at least I know the topic is relevant to many area readers. We made our first batch of sauce last week which only yielded 5 quarts and 1 pint which was not quit enough. So, I put out the word to friends and neighbors that I was looking for tomatoes if/when they were done with their own processing and boy did they deliver; I think I had 100 pounds by Saturday night so we were ready to process on Sunday.
Paul had been scalding, peeling, slicing and dicing for hours by the time I arose and I was surprised by the volume of product we had on our hands. Ever up for a challenge when it comes to canning, I went to work spicing the sauce and preparing the jars, lids, rings, etc. Because we had so much product we decided to cold pack plain tomatoes as well as sauce and by the end of the day we had 10 quarts of tomatoes, 5 quarts of tomato juice and 7 quarts of tomato sauce. So now, we too are done, at least with tomatoes. I know there are tons of other recipes using tomatoes (chili sauces, salsas, bbq sauces, ketchups, chutneys, jams, etc.) but I am always shot by the time we finish making sauce to say nothing about adding plain tomatoes and tomato juice to the mix this year. We don’t eat much salsa as we don’t keep chips around the house and when we want Mexican food we go out to eat while in Arizona during the winter months. So, I think we will call it a wrap on tomatoes this year!
Now I will move on to jellies, jams, chutneys and fall fruits. First up is pepper jelly which I love with cream cheese or any kind of cheese for that matter. Then I will make grape juice from a friend’s harvest which I will use for making spiced grape jelly. Last up will be pear and apple products; I am going to try pear butter this year if my sources deliver. Paul is going back to Flagstaff after the upcoming holiday weekend so I will be on my own trying to operate the propane camp stove in the garage for canning these items so stay tuned for how that goes. Yikes!