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| This is my outdoor canning station. Still minus a table but I make do |
I've already started giving tomatos away. I took the neighbor a box yesterday and the mail lady keeps finding tomato's in the mail box. Of course Mars keeps ribbing me about the bounty. He keeps saying "Aren't you glad you only planted 30 plants? And remember? You wanted to plant 50". Yeah yeah funny man. I wonder if I'll end up dropping them off on neighbors front porchs like zucchini before it's over.
Other than 3 plants that got knocked down in the last storm we had they are all looking nice and healthy. It actually looks like they might make it through the summer and into the fall. I haven't started drying tomato's yet but I suppose I will be soon. So far all I've been drying are the skins.
I had seen a post from someone who had made tomato juice for the first time. She talked all about how easy it was. Really? I'd like to remember where I saw it cause I wanna go ask her just what she considers hard!! LOL This had to be the most labor intensive thing I've done in ages. All the chopping of veggies to add to the juice, the cooking down, stirring, using the food mill to get it all nice, and then using the food mill again to try for a more smooth texture. I realize now I should have used the food processor first and then the food mill though. All that work netted me 7 quarts of tomato juice. I don't know if I'll be making more tomato juice any time again soon. But then again I sure do have a lot of tomato's still coming on. Geesh....
A friend sent me some seed a few months ago. One of the packages she had marked Yellow Canary Squash. I was instantly intrigued as I'd never heard of this before. Why? Because it is actually Canary Melon. I'd never heard of it or seen it before. I planted some and it's been growing like crazy. Nothing seems to be bothering it either. We're having a real bad grasshopper year and they aren't even on the melons. This thing is not only huge but so are the melons. There are at least a dozen of them out there and they all are at least 4lbs each, some more. She told me her kids liked it baked with some cinnamon and sugar. I've never heard of baking a melon before but I'm willing to try it.I've never eaten them before? How 'bout you? Have you ever grown or eaten Canary melon? Any suggestions or recipes?
Propane? On what do you can? Outdoors? Can I use a grill for canning? I love tomatoes. I love canning them, but I have never canned tomatoes for eight days. I might be weary if I canned for half that long.
ReplyDeleteLinda, that picture is of my canning set up. I'm still needing a table but that's the new three burner high BTU propane stove my mom sent me. Does your grill have a propane burner? Mars found one in an old grill a few years ago and made me a little canning stove. I used it for a few years. I always can outside though. It's just to darn hot in the house to light a fire in there.
DeleteAs for being weary, Girl I'm just flat tired of canning and am taking off til I can go get some propane on Friday!
Sigh we have a lot of tomatoes but this year they are taking a big hit in the looks department. Blemishes are everywhere. Small bug bites, blossom end rot all I can figure is it's a by-product of the exceptionally wet year we are having.
ReplyDeleteWe haven't canned any yet still in the blanching and freezing stage only but about to run out of room.
So many folks are getting some weird freaky wet weather this year. The grasshoppers are starting to move in on the tomato's now. How the heck can you fight a dang grasshopper anyway?
DeleteWow, "only" thirty plants and you've got tomatoes coming out of your.....ears?! I think I only planted a dozen but they are still really slow....first too hot and the pollen dies, then drizzly & overcast and no ripening.
ReplyDeleteYou need a big ol' satin sash to wear when you're canning that says "Tomato Queen".
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DeleteYeah a satin sash just screams "Queen" doesn't it?
DeleteRed is probably not your favorite color right now lol. I did see all those good looking tomato skins on your dehydrator also!
ReplyDeleteAggie, I really am proud of those skins, but yeah... the red is starting to wear a bit thin.
DeleteGot a Canary Melon in my last CSA box & the recipes suggest making a melon soup. I have cut it up but haven't tried the soup (looks like a smoothie to me) yet.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I've never had melon soup, have you? Do they call for cooking it or just blending it up real well?
DeleteI don't do well with tomatoes, its either too much rain, or some sort of pest.
ReplyDeleteBut did manage to make several quarts of pickles, and peach perserves so far. Getting ready to do corn, and white potatoes next.
At our Country estate, my Father in Law built several storage sheds, it is my goal to turn one of these in to a canning kitchen..
JUGM, I'd happily trade you mucho tomatos for a few peaches *wink*
DeleteThat just sounds WAY too hard. Helped Grandma years ago. Cut out core. Put in big pot by hand squishing them in your hand as you go. Boil. Put through food mill. Boil goodness that came through mill. Put in jars. Seal em up. Done. Grandpa brought them in the back door by the bushel then carried the jars to the basement when she was done. She always had a huge stock pile and shared well.
ReplyDeletePerhaps you are making V-8?
Oh it WAS wayyy to much work. Like I said, I hope I find that blog again cause I seriously wanna know what she thinks is HARD! lol
DeleteI wonder what would happen if you did not peel them. It would save the scalding and peeling time. Would you be able to claim and dehydrate the stuff from the mill?
DeleteThis one's for you Sci-fi. Sung to the trucker song '6 days on the road' by Dave Dudley.
ReplyDelete*Well, I scalded all the ‘maters,
they were rollin’ ‘round the tabletop.
I’ve got my propane on,
And she’s burning like never before.
There’s a ton of gleaming jars in sight,
'Mater skins dryin’ all night.
8 days of home cannin’ and I’m a gonna take a break tonight.*
HAHAHAHAH How freaking awesome!!!
DeleteHope you are having a well deserved break while you wait for more propane. :-)
DeleteToo bad you can't sell some at a farmers market, or thru Craigslist? I found someone last year, and they had some great veggies...
ReplyDeleteYou know that's a great idea! I've kind of been playing around with the thought for a little while now. I'm wondering if maybe next year I might dip my "toes in the water" so to speak. Heaven knows we have enough garden room to do it!
DeleteOff topic... Don't know if you know or not, but YeOldFurt is in a bad way... From HossBoss, thought you should know since you know them...
ReplyDelete"Not sure if this still your email. I need some prayers, Craig. Jesse is back in CCU at the hospital. He was feeling bad and called EMS this morning while I was at work. He had a seizure while the EMS guys were here and his heart stopped. They got it going again but Jesse was unresponsive. His cardiologist checked him out and four of the six brand new bypasses were completely closed off. He now has brand new stents in his brand new bypasses to try and hold them open. He is still not responsive and is listed as critical in ICU.
Any prayers would sure be appreciated.
Roxanna"
Thanks so much for letting me know, Mayb. It's much appreciated.
DeleteTried to e-mail you but it didn't go through. Shoot me an e-mail at mayberry@stx.rr.com.
DeleteMayberry - we'll keep them in our prayers too!
ReplyDeleteSci - you've been nominated for a leibster award by yours truly. head on over to my blog to accept! congrats! your friend,
kymber
YeOldFurt took a turn for the worse. I can forward you the updates but your hushmail keeps kicking my e-mails back. Don't want to put it in comments...
ReplyDeleteSci,
ReplyDeleteHey girl, not having gas for a while give you a break. I did find a website where you can dehydrate tomatoes and place them in oil in a jar to store.
http://www.anoregoncottage.com/how-to-dry-and-store-tomatoes-in-olive-oil-the-video
Give Mars a hug!
Hello, I'm just passing thru but had to comment on your canning station, I like it! We used to do that in the kitchen, outside looks so much better & that's a heck of a stove for it but I do see what you mean about a table.
ReplyDeleteToo many tomatoes sounds like a better problem than not enough.
Enjoy the rest of the summer.
Our gardens totally tanked this year. One freaking tomato worth the name, three ears of corn (we planted 80 plants) eggplant, beans, zucchini, squash, all a total loss - your tomato production is inspiring. It's really hot here. That's my excuse.
ReplyDeleteYour tomatoes and all your hard work canning - amazing! We have 18 plants and most are struggling. Different raised bed/soil and the attack of the horn worms. Worst tomato season ever for us.
ReplyDelete