Roasting the skins off as described in yesterday's post was a great time-saver and so much less tedious than scoring and blanching. Another upside is that roasting them enhances the flavor, and the salsa and pasta sauce tastes better than any I've ever made. The downside is that it reduces the yield, probably because it dehydrates the tomatoes a little bit. On the other hand, they cooked down faster too. So all of that to say that I'm going to need more tomatoes if I'm to reach my 20 quarts of sauce and 12 pints of salsa goal.
This morning I'll go harvest whatever I can from our plants...I'm not expecting very many. Yesterday I sent an email to my farmers asking them if they could give me 40 pounds more. I have today's candidates (and the last of the tomatoes) weighed out in portion sizes. I set them out next to the food processor so they could consider their fate. Five pounds will get me one more batch of salsa and four 4-pound portions will give me four more sheets of roasted tomatoes for sauce. That's probably enough for another batch of sauce (about 3-1/2 quarts). With that in mind, I expect to end with about 12-13 quarts of pasta sauce and 7 pints of salsa.
As for today's effort, I have a head-start. When I finished up yesterday, I already had four cups of roasted tomatoes for sauce. I need three more of these for another batch.
When I'm all finished, I'm going to re-write my pasta sauce recipe to include the roasting process, and I'm going to double all the amounts since I always double the recipe. When I have it all written out, I'll publish it here so you can have the recipe for future reference. It's a nice marinara sauce, and a family favorite.
This morning the kitties indulged Mike in a kitty brushing session. It helps with shedding and dander, and the kitties love it.
Hey Smitty...dad's going to brush us, but you have to hold still if you want in on this action."
I don't know, Sadie...that's kind of girly. I don't know if a proper mancat can allow himself to be brushed.
That's okay, Smitty...it just means I get more brush time, and let me tell you, this is meowrgasmic!
Keep that brush away from me...besides, it has Sadie's cooties on it now. Ew.
Okay, well maybe a little bit...a little farther back on the neck there...that's it...ahhhhhhhhhhhhh...
With fewer tomatoes, I can take a little time for slow-stitching, but then I'll be back in action. Roasting, seeding, chopping, boiling, filling, processing...all in an all-day's work. Tomorrow we rest.
8 comments:
I did up some toms and squash for the freezer this morning. Nothing to your extent though. Bella just loves her daily brushings - trying to get Moe to love it, too (nope).
With all your tomatoeyness, I'm pscyhed up for a tomato zucchini hash supper.
Great idea about roasting the tomatoes ... anything to make skinning them easier, and I'm all for it.
Keep wondering ... Hope that you have your tomato quilt hanging to go with your activities!
You definitely going gangbusters on those Poisonous Wolf Peaches! I'm looking forward to seeing a photo of the jar-filled pantry shelves when you're finally finished!
Both kitties do look smug after their brushing sessions. LOL
Yum! I can’t wait for the recipe. I would love the sausa recipe too. Looks like you and Mike were very productive. You roasting and chopping and Mike making the kitties happy.
You had a busy holiday weekend. Looks like the kitties got some extra attention. What does Mike do while you are being a whirlwind in the kitchen?
Well, I know you had tomato success. They sure do look pretty (and tasty) in those canning jars! Max never liked brushing; I could only brush him so long, and then he'd let me know it was time to be done. He was a long-haired cat, so brushing was definitely necessary, but only on his terms. I don't miss the cat hair, but I sure miss him!
I do not think there is much prettier (except my little granddaughter) than
rows and and rows of canned tomatoes and/or salsa.
Your picture was beautiful.
The roasting process is interesting. A very easy way to peel them! My kitties love to be brushed, too
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