Phew! OK so a bushel of tomatoes is a little more gigantic/cavernous/never-ending than I imagined. In fact after I first began happily slapping pans of tomatoes into my oven for roasting, I looked at the gazillions that were left and—for a minute there—thought I was going to run from the house screaming.
But never mind all that. Over the course of three days last week I processed this parade of sun-warmed Roma magnificence from Highmark Farms in Cookstown, ON.
But never mind all that. Over the course of three days last week I processed this parade of sun-warmed Roma magnificence from Highmark Farms in Cookstown, ON.
After first wheeling said bushel home from our local Fairmount Park Farmers’ Market in my Red Flyer wagon, the marathon began. I roasted, I blanched. I blended. I plopped sauce in Rubbermaid containers and made rustic labels (yes I did!). I popped whole tomatoes in freezer bags—with dates clearly marked in blue Sharpie. Those babies are all snug in my freezer now.
But this project didn’t just squirt tomato innards all over my kitchen and trigger eight extra dishwasher loads. Nope. What this project did was renew my appreciation for the quality of a homemade product (more on that later), but also for all the hard work performed by previous generations of (primarily) women.
Here I was proud/exhausted after a short bout of what can only be called “hobby” preserving. Today though, unlike generations past, I have choices. I’m not charged with preserving food to feed my family through a long cold winter. (Isn’t that what Loblaws is for?)
Here I was proud/exhausted after a short bout of what can only be called “hobby” preserving. Today though, unlike generations past, I have choices. I’m not charged with preserving food to feed my family through a long cold winter. (Isn’t that what Loblaws is for?)
Seriously though, what I am interested in is upping our consumption of quality local food, and becoming more conscious of all the inputs up and down the food chain. Yes, my project is small-scale. For some of you, one bushel of tomatoes is amateur league—you’re canning somersaults around me. But for those of you who are curious, who’ve been asking me about my tomato pile, I want to share a few thoughts. Here’s what I learned from one lovely locally grown bushel of tomatoes.
The plan
Like many of you out there, I confess to a fear of canning. I hope I get over it, but this year I chose the straightforward route of freezing. And I chose two methods requiring as little labour as possible:
The plan
Like many of you out there, I confess to a fear of canning. I hope I get over it, but this year I chose the straightforward route of freezing. And I chose two methods requiring as little labour as possible:
1) Roasted tomato sauce. I followed this recipe from Disney Family.com. After roasting tomatoes (with skins left on) with garlic and herbs, you pulse with an immersion blender to create the sauce. I made one change, swapping in Balsamic vinegar for sugar. (Adding sugar just feels wrong to me.) Frozen sauce keeps four months in the freezer.
2) Whole, skinned tomatoes. I also used this recipe from TLC. Tomatoes keep up to nine months in the freezer.
2) Whole, skinned tomatoes. I also used this recipe from TLC. Tomatoes keep up to nine months in the freezer.
Time
For me, processing was time-consuming but simple work. For the roasted sauce, after the first couple of batches, I doubled my capacity by putting batches on two oven racks. With the blanching method, once I did it a couple of times, I really sped up.
Quantity
All in all, my $25.00 bushel yielded about 20 Ziploc bags of Roma tomatoes (I was aiming for the same amount as a big can), plus roughly 20 cups of sauce. We ate some of the sauce right away, so it’s a little hard to calculate—yum!
Freezer space
Good news for those of you, like me, resisting the urge to buy a chest freezer. I scrounged enough space for a bushel of tomatoes right in my side-by-side. Two shelves are plenty!
Uses
Already, I've used my sauce to make a hearty tomato soup—just add a bit of stock and cream. I’ll also be making pasta sauce, chili, curries and other soups.
Quality
Best of all, what I’ve noticed right away with this tomatoes-gone-wild project, is the depth of flavour you get. With my sauce in particular, roasting at peak freshness has given me such a unique product--you just can't get this in stores. Will I do it again next year? Sign me up. I know the kind of work I’m getting into, but I'm also thrilled by what I get out of it!
For me, processing was time-consuming but simple work. For the roasted sauce, after the first couple of batches, I doubled my capacity by putting batches on two oven racks. With the blanching method, once I did it a couple of times, I really sped up.
Quantity
All in all, my $25.00 bushel yielded about 20 Ziploc bags of Roma tomatoes (I was aiming for the same amount as a big can), plus roughly 20 cups of sauce. We ate some of the sauce right away, so it’s a little hard to calculate—yum!
Freezer space
Good news for those of you, like me, resisting the urge to buy a chest freezer. I scrounged enough space for a bushel of tomatoes right in my side-by-side. Two shelves are plenty!
Uses
Already, I've used my sauce to make a hearty tomato soup—just add a bit of stock and cream. I’ll also be making pasta sauce, chili, curries and other soups.
Quality
Best of all, what I’ve noticed right away with this tomatoes-gone-wild project, is the depth of flavour you get. With my sauce in particular, roasting at peak freshness has given me such a unique product--you just can't get this in stores. Will I do it again next year? Sign me up. I know the kind of work I’m getting into, but I'm also thrilled by what I get out of it!
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