Well, there’s no better way to get over a pity party than to do something that turns out well. I would have loved to have some time with my sewing machine but Papa is away and Tristan and Katie spend all their time bickering when left to their own devices in the playroom. And bickering leads to hair pulling and sometimes biting and then usually some yelling from me. So, sewing was out of the question. Knitting would be fine but Tristan has pulled the needles out of the sleeve I’ve been knitting on a sweater at least 3 time so that wasn’t feeling like a good pick-me-up either. Cue the arrival of a bushel of tomatoes.
I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon and evening hard at work in the kitchen preserving a bit of summer for the cold days ahead. I used the Relish, Sauce, and Chutney – All in One Day recipe from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Two things I remembered in the process — I despise peeling and seeding tomatoes; Peeling peaches is easy and I really need to can some peach preserves before the end of the season. I recently finished reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and I am always on the lookout for new canning recipes. This one was pretty good. It took much longer for my sauce to thicken and I really think it could have been thicker still but I wanted to go to bed before midnight. It just means the sauces are a little thinner and that I had a lot left in the pot at the end. I took some of that to the farmer’s market today to give to the workers from our CSA farm — they also sell at the market. The rest is in the fridge next to a pork loin that is defrosting. Now I think those two might be a match made in heaven.
Hi! I also enjoyed Barbara Kingsolver’s book. I noticed what you said about peeling tomatoes – which I absolutely refuse to do. So, I make roasted tomato sauce will requires no peeling or seeding. Here’s the link to how I do it:
http://booksandcooks.blogspot.com/2008/08/my-roasted-tomato-sauce.html
Oh, I love that book and really need to do a little canning of my own. Since we run a neighborhood co-op I can get all that produce quickly…but it just takes the motivation. Thanks for the inspiration, now let me go searching for that other half!
Yum. Yum.
I wish you were here to teach me to can. I have a phobia- I always think I’m going to poison somebody.
Mmm, looks good
Peeling peaches is easy, but I hate trying to can the clingstone variety. It’s troublesome getting those pits out without making a pulpy mess out of the fruit.
Oh yum! I never seed tomatoes. I eat them seeds and all when raw, so why not in a sauce? As for the peeling, that sucks, I agree.
i’ve been eyeing that recipe along with her tomatoe sauce recipe but am also weary of peeling and de-seeding. but it does beat refereeing a hair pulling match!
looks yummy!
What a great idea! I, too, have a phobia of poisoning us with homecanning.
we made peach jam yesterday. But b/c I did it with my stepmother I only walked away with two jars! I’ll definitely have to do more before peaches disappear. And T pulling the knitting off the needles, so so much like my life!
I’ve never canned but freeze tomatoes for winter. I peel by dipping in boiling water whole. I wait till the skin starts to look wrinkly and then put in cold ice water then peel. It comes off easily. I then place in freezer bags.
don’t you just love putting food by for the winter? all that work is worth it when i open a fresh jar in the middle of winter and taste a little bit of summer. my girls and i enjoy your blog!