Tomatoes

Lately we have been swallowed up by tomatoes around here.

I love that.

Ellie and I are the only people in the household who eat tomatoes, but everyone LOOOOVES our home made tomato sauce which we use in soups, pastas, lasagna and the like.

So that means we have been processing and cooking down and canning tomato innards over and over when we have enough to manage a batch.

Family picture.  There are many types of tomatoes here which is why there are so many shades of fruit.  All are yummy.

After a minute long bath in boiling water to loosen the skins, these babies got to run their way through our processing process. This year we added this little play mate to our canning adventure -- a lovely food strainer.  I adore this processor.  It made such an amazing difference when peeling and de-seeding the tomatoes (like a HUGE difference...I think I prefer to NOT do those jobs by hand if I have the choice, thanks anyway).

Anyway, I boil the tomato water until it reaches a thicker, sauce like consistency then add some salt and a touch of lemon juice and seal it in glass jars.  This stuff is uber tasty and waaaaay better than store bought tomato sauce.  

Thanks so my happy, little plants for furnishing us with 25+ quarts of tomato yumminess for the coming winter.