Saturday, 8 August 2015

Tom Time.



Ain't it always the same; you wait for the No 10 bus (or tomatoes) to come along, then three (or several tonnes) come along all at once!

I'm flat-out preserving at the moment. As you can see above, today is the turn of Courgettes in Tomato sauce.

And this is my bounty so far.... 


The two jars on the right are all's that's left from last year; both plain tomato sauce. I'll do some more of those tomorrow.




Posted by at

30 comments:

  1. donna baker8 August 2015 at 05:10

    It is a lot of work, but so worth it. Just don't like heating up the kitchen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cro Magnon8 August 2015 at 05:20

      That's right. My sterilising process takes an hour, and in this heat it's a bit excessive.... I go out for an hour.

      Delete
    2. donna baker8 August 2015 at 17:58

      In fact it was 104 degrees here yesterday with a heat index of 112. It killed my tom turkey. Nothing is getting preserved around here this summer I fear.

      Delete
  2. Susan Heather8 August 2015 at 06:02

    Those jars of toms do look good - my Delicata seeds arrived today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cro Magnon8 August 2015 at 06:15

      I roasted another Delicata last night; this time with the skin on. Delicious.

      Delete
    2. Susan Heather8 August 2015 at 06:48

      Do they keep as well as butternut?

      Delete
    3. Cro Magnon8 August 2015 at 06:52

      I'll let you know.... this is the first year I've grown them.

      Delete
  3. Yael8 August 2015 at 06:18

    For the first time here we had those dark green courgettes in our shop ,usualy we have the pail green. I bought the dark ones, they tasted better.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cro Magnon8 August 2015 at 06:53

      And don't bother with the yellow ones, they look nice, but again are not as good as the dark green ones.

      Delete
  4. Sue8 August 2015 at 06:55

    We did a large batch of sun dried tomatoes earlier this week. Weather conditions were perfect and they were 'done' in two days.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cro Magnon8 August 2015 at 07:17

      I've never tried drying them, but in this weather....

      Delete
  5. The Cranky8 August 2015 at 07:04

    I'm freezing my Rosso Sicilians, to process when it's cooler... unless I'm making salsa or pico de gallo I generally process tomatoes during the autumn/winter. I'll smoke a few tomatoes at the end of the season, along with some sweet peppers; sauce made with those seem to have the best flavour!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cro Magnon8 August 2015 at 07:17

      I need a smoker...I've been saying this for years.

      Delete
    2. The Cranky8 August 2015 at 08:36

      I 'smoke' mine on the grill... just wait until it's beginning to die down and place some chunks of slightly damp wood on the coals. Once it's developed a good smoke, it's perfect for the tomatoes and peppers (and onions, which are surprisingly good smoked).

      Delete
  6. elaine 8 August 2015 at 07:33

    Same here - the toms are coming thick and fast - some I will freeze whole, some I will stew for additions to sauces, some turned into Ratatouille etc. I have one carton left in the freezer from last year which I will fry and serve on fried Ciabatta - one of my favourite lunches.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cro Magnon8 August 2015 at 07:43

      I hadn't thought of freezing them whole, I imagine they'd de-frost as mush, but if they're going to be made into sauces it doesn't much matter. I might try a few.

      Delete
  7. Rachel Phillips8 August 2015 at 07:41

    And Richard, not to be left out, laid her egg on top of the tomatoes next to the knife....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cro Magnon8 August 2015 at 07:45

      One of 'The Bimbos' has started to lay... this was her third egg. The knife was to threaten her sister.

      Delete
  8. Coppa's girl8 August 2015 at 07:42

    Have never seen, or tasted, smoked tomatoes or peppers, so that's something new for us to look out for and experience. How lovely to be able to enjoy the fruits of your labours, and remember the wonderful summer sunshine, in the darkest days of winter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cro Magnon8 August 2015 at 07:47

      I could, of course, just go out and buy everything, but it wouldn't be the same.

      Delete
  9. Frugal in Derbyshire 8 August 2015 at 08:33

    I've never heard of smoked tomatoes. Like you Cro I would love a smoker. David keeps telling me that they are easy enough to make, but still hasn't made me one. Perhaps I shall put pressure on him over the winter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cro Magnon8 August 2015 at 08:45

      I want a 'cold smoker', mostly for making bacon; and maybe smoked Salmon. Yes they're not difficult to make, I just need the motivation.

      Delete
    2. The Cranky8 August 2015 at 09:51

      I remembered plans I saw recently on the Mother Earth News website, and thought you might find them interesting:
      http://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/garden-and-yard/how-to-build-a-smoker-zm0z15jjzmar.aspx

      Delete
    3. Cro Magnon8 August 2015 at 11:15

      Unfortunately that's a HOT smoker; a COLD smoker is a wee bit more complicated, but still not difficult to construct.

      Delete
  10. The Weaver of Grass8 August 2015 at 15:23

    I sit here in awe of your committment to bottling, pickling and all things culinary Cro.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Cro Magnon8 August 2015 at 15:34

    I enjoy it Pat.... I also enjoy eating it in Winter.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Cro Magnon8 August 2015 at 16:59

    Foul day here; raining all day long. Still, I'm not complaining, we might have some mushrooms.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. donna baker8 August 2015 at 18:01

      With all the heat and no rain insight, the deer just ate what was left of my tomato plants after the hornworms got finished with them. I'm done for the summer.

      Delete
  13. Jacqueline @ HOME8 August 2015 at 23:59

    You put me to shame Cro ….. as much as I love cooking I am nowhere near as industrious as you. Smoking is quite a delicate process isn't it Cro ? I know that you shouldn't over smoke ! XXXX

    ReplyDelete
  14. Jennifer9 August 2015 at 02:36

    There's not much I love to eat more than homegrown tomatoes! Yum!

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...