Drowning in Tomatoes

Tomatoes on the vine . . .

Tomatoes in buckets and crates . . .

Tomatoes everywhere.

Sixty-three quarts and counting....

Maters

Goaded by a recent post over on Elora's blog and by the plethora of tomatoes down in Justin and Claui's garden, as well as the fact that our freezers are beginning to be near full, I pulled out my trusty canning jars and put up some maters today the old time way. The fact that it was nice and cool made working in the kitchen quite pleasant.

It's embarrassingly simple. I wash the tomatoes, cut off the stem ends (and any untoward bits,) cut them in half, and shove them in the jars that have been preheating in the canner.

Mash the halves in with a wooden spoon till there are no air bubbles. I add a teaspoon of salt but it's not crucial. Then wipe the rims, screw on the lid and ring combination (which has also been heating in simmering water) and return to the canner.  When all the jars are full, bring the water to a boil and process at a low rolling boil for 45 minutes.

Remove the jars, tighten the rings, and let cool under a dish towel to guard against a cool draft that might crack a hot jar.  There will be a little ping as each jar seals.

That's nine quarts -- I've got a ways to go to catch up with Elora -- or with Justin and Claui who've put up around 125.

More Tough Love

The tomatoes above look nice and full and healthy.  Too full, however. 

I spent some time in the garden, removing the lower leaves and the suckers from the tomatoes.  They look rather sad and spindly now but they'll be benefitted by increased air around them and perhaps they won't get the dreaded blight for a while. 

As I worked, I could hear the bray of the vuvuzelas from the house where the World Cup was on.

and I felt a closeness to the rest of the world as I oonched along on my rear end down the rows of tomatoes.

And on the subject of pruning for better air circulation, I've been trimming great fur wads off of Eddie's hindquarters. It's a slow and inexact process as I have to catch him unawares and I can get in one snip before he brings his claws into action.  But over the past week, I've made a bit of progress . . .

It will grow back, Eddie -- I promise.

 A few pictures from the garden . . .


 

When Growth Is Good

Those baby chicks that were hatched on June 22 and received on June 24 (above) are almost completely feathered and will soon be out of their brooder and into the chicken house. Most of the chicks, the ones with gray-green legs, are Ameracanas -- layers (god willing and if nothing gets them) of blue-green eggs. The four dark ones with yellow legs are Golden-Laced Wyandottes -- and I'm eager to see if they grow up to be as attractive as they're pictured.

And those tomato plants I put in back on May 7 . . .

. . . are performing magnificently! We have are lots of plum tomatoes for sauces and roasting and then there are these big Cherokee Purples. They won't win any beauty contests but their flavor -- deep and rich and sweet and just acid enough -- makes them the best tasting tomato we've grown.

A lot of you have probably read it already but I can't resist putting a link to my article on Tomato Porn