Monday, September 26, 2011

Totally Tomatoes!!!

Ripe tomatoes are finally here.  I made salsa and canned tomatoes this past week.  I was able to make 20 pints of salsa using only ingredients from my garden - onions, peppers, and tomatoes.  The salsa turned out great!



This is an example of "don't do what I did".  I canned the last bit of salsa into quart jars.  I've actually canned salsa into quart jars for years not knowing that it is a "no-no".

Here is the salsa recipe that I used:

Chili Salsa (Hot Tomato - Pepper Sauce)




Now that we have enough salsa for the next year, all future tomatoes that we don't eat fresh will be canned.  I use a quart of canned tomatoes in spaghetti sauces, chili, and pretty much any recipe where you would use canned tomatoes.  Here are instruction on how to can tomatoes.







Start with tomatoes.  Like those burgundy/green tomatoes?  Those are an heirloom variety called Cherokee Purple.  They taste great!  And look cool...









I pressure canned these tomatoes.  You can also process them using a water bath.  The processing time is longer and I was in a hurry this day.








The most annoying part about pressure canning (in my opinion) is having to watch the pressure gauge constantly to make sure it is right where it is supposed to be.  I have to adjust my burner heat up and down a little to keep the needle where it needs to be.  I forgot how much I dislike standing and watching to make sure the needle stays at 12 pounds of pressure.  I will be water bath processing future batches.  It takes longer, but I can at least clean my kitchen while I wait.


But, in the end when I add all the jars of tomatoes and salsa to my basement storage, it is all worth the time and effort.

Friday, September 23, 2011

September Update

The greenhouse is finished - complete with plastic sheeting on top.  It works well.  During our cold snap, the temperature inside the greenhouse was easily 10-15 degrees warmer than outside.  When it warmed back up to the 70's, the greenhouse got up to 90 degrees before I remembered to vent it.

Now Jayme is working on a fence for the garden using some old rusty wire fencing that our neighbor gave to us.  The fence will also slow the deer down a little.  They enjoy eating my tomatoes and lettuce on occasion.  Jayme is very precise in his work with huge attention to detail.  This is one of the joints that he is using to join the boards. He uses his router to shape both the fence post and the 2X4.  Once again, we are using all recycled wood that he got for free from job sites where a person is having a new deck or fence built.


Here is the finished stretch of fencing on one side of the garden.


I love how it looks.  I am busy harvesting and redesigning my garden for more production next year.  I will have more beds that are laid out in 30 inch rows with an 18 inch walking path through them.  Gone will be the days when the kids get to go into the garden and dig with their toys and shovels.  The beds will be permanent.  After harvesting a crop, I'll just need to gently till the top, add more compost and any soil amendments that are needed, and replant.

We are considering starting a weekly vegetable subscription option for people.  Each week, you would pick up a box containing a mixture of vegetables (whatever is ready for harvest) for a flat weekly fee.  Stay tuned for more information - if we decide to go ahead with the plan.