tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post2649469813573094356..comments2024-03-26T10:01:18.135-04:00Comments on Living the Frugal Life: Tomato Canning BeginsKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18017959421018964001noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-20311687240914573562010-08-06T02:10:12.938-04:002010-08-06T02:10:12.938-04:00Kate, I looked up Turbinado sugar and that would b...Kate, I looked up Turbinado sugar and that would be virtually the same, I think, but the article I read said that wasn't widely/commonly available either. <br />I think I'd substitute half light brown (soft) sugar and half ordinary white sugar or just all white sugar myself.<br /><br />Glad you like it :-)<br />HazelAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-60740722933273854762010-08-05T09:07:00.775-04:002010-08-05T09:07:00.775-04:00Maggie, you're quite welcome. I hope you enjo...Maggie, you're quite welcome. I hope you enjoy growing them.<br /><br />Hazel, thanks for the recipe! It sounds delicious. We call sultanas golden raisins. Demerara sugar is available here, but not widely. Light brown sugar is probably the substitute that's most widely available, though it's really not the same thing. Turbinado would be the closest match, and cane sugar after that. Malt vinegar can be found though it's not as common as in the UK. I may try this in late summer or early fall with any late tomatoes that aren't going to ripen. Thanks again!Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18017959421018964001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-73268937317392677982010-08-05T05:32:21.928-04:002010-08-05T05:32:21.928-04:00I spoke to my mum and we think our family's be...I spoke to my mum and we think our family's been making this recipe for 60 or 70 years, so we must like it!<br /><br />Green Tomato Chutney<br />3lbs green tomatoes<br />2 small cucumbers<br />6oz sultanas<br />2 tbsp English mustard powder<br />1 level tsp cayenne<br />3 1/2 gill vinegar*<br />4 large apples, peeled and cored<br />3 large onions<br />3/4 lb demerara sugar<br />1 1/2 tsp ginger<br />1 1/2 tsp salt<br /><br />Chop fruit and vegetables. Simmer very gently for several hours uncovered. Pot when thick. Being English I fly by the seat of my pants and open kettle can (?) this into sterilised jars! Otherwise process as for any other chutney. Best after maturing for a couple of months, especially if you use malt vinegar. Very nice in a Cheddar Cheese sandwich...<br /><br />* This is an archaic measurement in the UK, not sure if you use it in the US? 1 gill is 1/2 cup, so I make it 1 3/4 cups. This is 7/8 Imperial pint, so 1 US pint.<br />I use malt vinegar usually, occasionally commercial cider vinegar.<br /> Can you get all these ingredients in the US?<br />HazelAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-74031518782437625362010-08-04T22:35:36.474-04:002010-08-04T22:35:36.474-04:00Speckled Romans. I've been wondering what thos...Speckled Romans. I've been wondering what those lovely tomatoes were and am so glad you did this mini review on them. I will have to look for seed for next year. Thanks!maggiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02409400959408658124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-74687209770397980232010-08-04T13:56:22.072-04:002010-08-04T13:56:22.072-04:00Please post the green tomato chutney publicly! Mmm...Please post the green tomato chutney publicly! Mmmmmmmm! <br /><br />We live in the East Bay so at least we get warmer weather and more sun than in SF but I'm still waiting for some good blistering days to get the tomatoes, peppers and eggplants going. :)<br /><br />BTW - I turned my husband onto your blog and he's enjoying it!Robinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03204502488698399384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-77482155794521475252010-08-04T08:33:16.120-04:002010-08-04T08:33:16.120-04:00I don't think you're insane! That's th...I don't think you're insane! That's the kind of goal I set myself. And then admit to DH, who says "right...".<br />I've probably got the same number of plants spread around the garden and allotment, but I'm sure I'm not going to get the same crop per plant. <br />They've been fed and watered, so not sure if it's me or them? Some plants went in a bit late, so they may keep cropping later if I'm lucky and the weather stays good.<br /><br />If you have any tomatoes left (!) I can give you the recipe. It's not very exotic (as I said, my mum doesn't do fancy cooking!) and there are probably hundreds of similar recipes on the net, but it smells of Autumn to me when it's cooking and it's also the first sauce/condiment I got my vinegar-hating husband to try (and like!).<br /><br />HazelAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-85333466546318718882010-08-04T06:19:22.896-04:002010-08-04T06:19:22.896-04:00THM, hope next year's crop is bountiful. I ha...THM, hope next year's crop is bountiful. I have my extra seeds frozen as well.<br /><br />Aimee, the garbage can smoker is really easy to make. If you don't want to power it with an electric burner, do a bit of googling. I know I've seen pictures of a pit fire with a covered trench that fed into the garbage can.<br /><br />Wendy, oddly, we almost never eat chili, which is strange since we grow our own dried beans. I must try that this winter.<br /><br />Tamar, 40 is my stretch number, for sure. That would give me plenty to gift away. I've got 14 plants, 11 of which are either beefsteak or paste, so that's what I'll be relying on for the canning goal. I think temperature counts for a LOT where tomatoes are concerned, but a soil test is always a good idea. Do you know what it is you're looking for? <br /><br />Jenny, I hope your toes heal quickly. It's terrible to be incapacitated, especially when the garden is in full swing.<br /><br />El, I wouldn't say that the skin is notably thick on the Speckled Romans. It seems normal to me, and the skin on Brandywines abnormally thin. Actually I suspected it was the shape of the tomato that helped prevent cracking, but I could be all wrong on that theory.<br /><br />Robin, that was us last year, and even before the blight hit. It's a hot year here, so I'm trying to take advantage of it. Bay area gardening, well...been there, done that. Bay area whether varies enormously from city to city as you well know, I'm sure. Tomatoes are just hard to do in some of them. I found that a potted cherry tomato on the edge of a paved driveway did well, provided you water assiduously. And then there are all the tricks to conserve heat in order to coax tomatoes along. Good luck.<br /><br />Rachel, yeah I'm ambitious enough to qualify as mildly insane.<br /><br />Brenda, I like the roasted sauce recipe. If you want it thick, don't add the pan drippings in, but save them for some other purpose. They're too delicious to throw away. But if you like a thin sauce, add it in with the puree. Hope your canning goes well.<br /><br />cityhippyfarmgirl, those rows of canned anything really do make the heart swell with pride of a job accomplished, I can tell you. Hope you have that satisfaction one day soon.<br /><br />Hazel, now you and Tamar are making me think this is a crazy goal. But on a bit of reflection, 25 pounds of tomato picked yesterday gave me over 6 quarts of sauce. And 25 pounds of tomato per plant doesn't seem at all a stretch to me. So that would work out to 275 pounds of tomatoes, not counting the cherries. Even if we eat a LOT of them fresh, that still leaves me with, say, 175 pounds of tomatoes to can, which should give me at least 42 quarts of sauce. Okay - now I've reassured myself...somewhat.<br /><br />Green tomato chutney sounds marvelous - family heirloom recipe? Why, why do you not have blog, Hazel?Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18017959421018964001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-6102514981292519802010-08-04T02:06:33.652-04:002010-08-04T02:06:33.652-04:00I was going to ask what Tamar asked- how many plan...I was going to ask what Tamar asked- how many plants do you put in?<br /><br />I've never canned before. I was going to try tomatoes last year, but as I even had to buy green tomatoes for our annual chutney because of blight, it didn't happen.<br />(I make lots of chutneys, but we always have to have Green Tomato Chutney. It's about the one thing other than everyday meals I can remember my mum making when I was a child- I didn't inherit my love of cooking and baking from her!- and my granny used to make it before her, so it's a tradition!)<br /><br />HazelAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-72432668839011417112010-08-03T18:48:47.928-04:002010-08-03T18:48:47.928-04:00In time to come I would love to be doing this. I h...In time to come I would love to be doing this. I have images of rows and rows of my own bottled tomatoes...one day one day.cityhippyfarmgirlhttp://cityhippyfarmgirl.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-80366457101072972312010-08-03T17:37:17.497-04:002010-08-03T17:37:17.497-04:00I will begin canning tomatoes in the next week or ...I will begin canning tomatoes in the next week or two and I like the idea of roasting tomatoes for sauce. I will be checking your blog for how that is done. There is nothing like home canned tomatoes. We used ours up by May and have been missing it, I hope to can more this year.<br /><br />-BrendaSense of Home Kitchenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06670637532208860258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-66580266895790199272010-08-03T15:18:25.566-04:002010-08-03T15:18:25.566-04:00Wow - enough tomato sauce to get you through 2 yea...Wow - enough tomato sauce to get you through 2 years will certainly be a lot! I must admit I've never canned tomato sauce before; just whole tomatoes.<br /><br />Sounds yummy though!Rachelhttp://www.canningbasics.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-48016153973617163322010-08-03T14:28:41.426-04:002010-08-03T14:28:41.426-04:00Oh how I wish my tomatoes were producing! They'...Oh how I wish my tomatoes were producing! They're all still green and I fear that I won't get enough to can and freeze this year since we had a very cold June and have had a summer way below normal temps (bay area ca). I may have to resort to the farmers market to get my paste tomatoes for canning :(Robinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03204502488698399384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-57057687112977561522010-08-03T14:03:16.364-04:002010-08-03T14:03:16.364-04:00I grow a Striped Roma and it's very similar; t...I grow a Striped Roma and it's very similar; the skin is super thick though so...I warn people if I serve it fresh. Otherwise, it peels easily after a boil. Like you, Kate, I love the way they look; who cares if it's not the most prolific. <br /><br />And yeah you're earlier than me. I am a full week out from being overwhelmed, which is just fine!elhttp://fastgrowtheweeds.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-41797610333051996742010-08-03T12:46:36.709-04:002010-08-03T12:46:36.709-04:00Hi,
I haven't yet tried canning, and we got ri...Hi,<br />I haven't yet tried canning, and we got rid of our old, inefficient freezer, so my tomato crop will have to be eaten up or given away. I can live with eating fresh tomatoes.<br />Last week I broke a total of 4 toes on both feet, and I empathise with your pain and the accompanying emotions. It's very humbling to be disabled when you're used to rude good health. Probably good for me.<br />JennyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-31016253766467947982010-08-03T11:12:58.971-04:002010-08-03T11:12:58.971-04:0040 quarts? Yowza. How many tomato plants do you ...40 quarts? Yowza. How many tomato plants do you have?<br /><br />Reading that you're canning already makes me think our garden is WAY behind. We've been getting cherry tomatoes for almost 2 weeks, but none of the full-size tomatoes are even close.<br /><br />Our growing season is late, because the water all around us keeps us cool in the spring and warm in the fall, but that can't explain everything. I'm going to try sending soil samples for testing over the winter so I can have some idea how to fix the problems, and maybe I'll be able to keep up with you next year.Tamar@StarvingofftheLandhttp://www.starvingofftheland.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-86335868985491968662010-08-03T10:51:51.203-04:002010-08-03T10:51:51.203-04:00You're a couple of weeks ahead of us, but like...You're a couple of weeks ahead of us, but like you, I'm looking forward to this year's tomato crop. I ran out of tomato sauce too soon last year, and I don't buy canned tomatoes from the grocery. It's a bummer when we can't have chili anymore ;).Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-43865464845052495732010-08-03T10:49:16.817-04:002010-08-03T10:49:16.817-04:00Smoked cherry tomatoes sounds like a fabulous idea...Smoked cherry tomatoes sounds like a fabulous idea! I have a fruit tree orchard so prunings are abundant but I have to check out that garbage can smoker link. Good luck! <br />And happy canning!Aimeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06358194304460170717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-74669120586963470712010-08-03T08:16:46.020-04:002010-08-03T08:16:46.020-04:00Wow - sounds yummy and busy! Hopefully this will b...Wow - sounds yummy and busy! Hopefully this will be the year I finish clearing the land and am ready to go for next year with plantings. <br />I picked up a ton of High Mowing Seeds (non-GMO) and have seeled them in a vacum bag and put them in the freezer...Tree Huggin Mommahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08473115182978929738noreply@blogger.com