In the last few weeks I have done very little in my own garden, but finally on this long weekend I have made some great progress.
So far this weekend I have tidied, pruned and harvested. I have planted out seeds (carrot, swede, broccoli, onion sets), collected seeds (carrot, bean, zucchini, squash, sunflower) and enjoyed being in my garden.
Being tomato harvest time, I have also picked kilos of tomatoes. We seem to eat a lot of tomatoes, but there are far too many ripe at the moment to possibly eat them all. Sound like what's happening in your patch too?
Well, besides the green tomato pickle and relish that I sometimes make, I also bottle my tomatoes. It's a bit like tinned tomatoes, but in a bottle I suppose.
It's really very easy to do. I pick my tomatoes and give them a good wash. If they are large tomatoes, I blanche them and remove the skins then roughly chop. Then into the slow cooker. Cherry tomatoes go straight in whole. Turn it on low or high depending on how quickly I want them done and leave the slow cooker to work its magic. Sometimes I add herbs, but I usually leave any flavourings and seasoning till I'm cooking with the bottled tomatoes.
Several hours later, the tomatoes are cooked in a clear-ish liquid that they have produced. I take clean, hot jars and lids from the dishwasher (but you can also boil then oven dry jars and lids), spoon the the tomatoes and juice in, seal them up and there we go!
The lids with safety 'buttons' pop down and you know that there is a good safe seal. I store in my pantry and use as I would tinned tomatoes from the supermarket. Only, I know I have organic, zero carbon mile produce going into my dinner, and it tastes so good.
So the road to sustainability is slow, because I only have 20 jars of tomatoes so far, and the tomato season in coming to an end. I could probably make 100 jars and we'd get through them in less than a year. Next year, I'll put in a few more plants and collect more jars and we'll be just a little bit further down that road.
I started canning tomatoes last year. We have used almost all of them this winter. It really does feel fabulous to reach into the pantry and pull out something organic and tasty, sealed with love. I'm looking forward to canning more this summer. 20 jars is a good start.
ReplyDeleteIt does feel good, doesn't it! Do you have any canning/bottling tips?
ReplyDeleteLiving in a city of convenience, it can appear somewhat 'old fashioned' and not necessary to do things like growing and storing produce. But as there is a shift in thinking towards being self sufficient and living in a sustainable way, there is more of the connectedness to the land we live on, which I think is wonderful. It also make me feel less like we are trying to be like Tom and Barbara Good from from the 1975 sitcom "The Good Life" and more like this way of thinking is becoming 'mainstream'.
Plus, I get to hear from like-minded people and share tips and recipes :)