P I C K L I S T
CHERRY TOMATOES - PLUM TOMATOES (4.5 LBS!) - SWEET CARMEN PEPPERS - POBLANO PEPPER -
CORN - LETTUCE - FENNEL - GREEN BEANS - GARLIC - THAI BASIL -
HERBY BOUQUET! (THYME, OREGANO, PARSLEY)
We- plants and people- are all totally mesmerized by the rain received on Monday and Tuesday. For the first time this season, the ground is sufficiently soaked, the crops are sufficiently quenched, and all we can say over and over is, Hallelujah! By the time you read this Wednesday afternoon, the world will certainly appear more saturated with color and your eyes may have already adjusted, but from where I sit on this Tuesday afternoon, I'm already daydreaming about the Wednesday morning, fog lift and big reveal. Ooooh la la!
A note about your box, it’s giving East meets West. With Thai Basil, Garlic and green beans, you could easily throw together a stir fry or curry- and the CSA this week was meant to build around that. But then plum tomatoes begged to be picked and there was NO looking back. Enter a nearly 5 pound bag of plum tomatoes and a bouquet Garni of parsley, oregano and thyme to complement. So get your ball jars ready, preheat that oven and while it warms, make yourself a curry to fuel you for the next 10 hours. Below you will find tips on saucing and canning said tomatoes. Take note, hang this newsletter on your fridge and refer to it often as you slice, roast, and jar all the things.
In other news this week, we continued with the onion harvest that remains ok at best. Post onion pick, we cruised up the hill to the pumpkin field and holy smokes, they look soooooooo goooooood! Extra o’s included to emphasize the beauty of it all. Last year our crop did not make it, so it feels so wonderful to see these bushy cucurbits fruit up and grow proper pumpkins and squash.
Pro-tips:
MOM’S TOMATO SAUCE (FROM MY FAVE CANNING COOK BOOK, TART AND SWEET)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
about 3 pounds of tomatoes chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
½ green bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons white wine
½ red bell pepper or 1 full carmen pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon brown sugar
3 cloves of garlic, sliced or minced
kosher salt and pepper to taste
½ pound ground pork sausage (totally optional)
3 tablspn chopped herbs (oregano! Thyme! etc!)
10 fennel seeds
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion (or leeks), peppers, and garlic. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 6 minutes. Add the pork and cook, breaking up the meat until it no longer shows pink, about 4 minutes. Strain the grease if necessary. Add the fennel, tomatoes, and juice, tomato paste, wine, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add the herbs and simmer for another 15 minutes, adjusting heat as needed. Freeze in yogurt containers (leaving head space for liquid expansion) to enjoy all winter. Don’t add the meat and can in jars! (see canning instructions below)
I’m elbow-deep in roma tomatoes at the moment, but wanted to drop by with a few words on one of the ways I’m preserving these scrumptious gems. Long, slow roasting in a 200 degree oven. This treatment shrinks their mass, concentrates their flavor and transforms them into something savory and succulent.
It is so easy to do, I feel a little silly offering instructions. Wash, dry and slice the tomatoes in half. Lay them out cut-side up on parchment-lined rimmed cookie sheets, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Put in the oven and roast at 200 degrees (truly, no hotter than that) for 10-12 hours. I realize that sounds like an inconveniently long time, but I tend to do this overnight, timing it so that they’re finished when I get up in the morning. Works perfectly.
I don’t can these tomatoes (honestly, I don’t think you can). I simply cool them, freeze them on the cookie sheets where they were roasted, pack them into jars or freezer bags and store them in the freezer. Easy for year-round additions to pastas, sauces, salads and more.
Just one word of warning. They are so delicious that they may not make it into the freezer for storage. I took a cookie sheet’s worth to a potluck tonight and served them on top of baguette slices that had been smeared with goat cheese. One person told me that he doesn’t really even like tomatoes, but couldn’t stop eating these. Sharing is caring!
Preserve the bounty of your tomato vines through waterbath canning. Follow these directions for whole, halved or quartered tomatoes packed in water. These instructions are also helpful for referencing when canning sauce- just add lemon juice and salt per jar and process in waterbath, read the following for more tips:
You will need
2-1/2 to 3-1/2 lb ripe tomatoes (about 8 to 11 medium) per quart
Water
1/4-1/2 tsp Ball® Citric Acid or bottled lemon juice
Salt, optional
Ball® Glass preserving jars with lids and bands
Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set bands aside.
Wash tomatoes. Dip in boiling water 30 to 60 seconds. Immediately dip in cold water. Slip off skins. Trim away any green areas and cut out core. Leave tomatoes whole or cut into halves or quarters.
Prepare tomatoes according to raw or hot pack recipe.
Add ½ tsp Ball® Citric Acid or 2 Tbsp bottled lemon juice to each hot quartjar. Add ¼ tsp Ball® Citric Acid or 1 Tbsp bottled lemon juice to each hot pintjar.
Pack tomatoes into hot jars according to raw or hot pack recipe. Add 1 teaspoon salt to each quart jar, 1/2 teaspoon to each pint jar, if desired.
Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center hot lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.
Process filled jars in a boiling water canner 40 minutes for pints and 45 minutes for quarts, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.
Raw pack
Pack tomatoes into hot jars leaving 1 inch headspace.
Ladle hot water over tomatoes leaving 1 inch headspace. Add 1 teaspoon salt to each quart jar, 1/2 teaspoon to each pint jar, if desired.
Hot pack
Place tomatoes in a large saucepot. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil and boil gently 5 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking.
Pack hot tomatoes into hot jars leaving 1 inch headspace.
Ladle hot cooking liquid over tomatoes leaving 1 inch headspace. Add 1 teaspoon salt to each quart jar, 1/2 teaspoon to each pint jar, if desired.