We've been steadily picking tomatoes for over a month now & have brought in literally HUNDREDS of POUNDS! - no joke!
Here's our most recent rag-tag group of tomato pickers!
We rally our guests, family & friends (any one really), willing to lend a hand, to join in the picking!
(We collected these tomatoes in about half an hour with all the kids)After we pick the tomatoes they are either eaten raw & just popped into the mouth while picking, used in a delicious dish by Jason, chopped & piled on top of bread with a drizzle of the best extra virgin olive oil you can find & a crack of salt for pane al pomodori or we jar them. You truly taste the difference in home jarred tomatoes versus store bought jars or cans - it's huge! I strongly suggest if you've got tomatoes - jar'em - preserve their flavor long into winter & you can use them in any number of ways! Jarring Tip: According to our neighbor Rossana there is no need to peel the tomatoes first (wish someone had told this to Jason before our first round of jarring & the burns that followed from the scalding hot tomaotes in our hands!) She says when you open the jars to use them - this is when you pass them through a food mill....SOO much easier! Grazie Rossana!
Here's how we jar/preserve our tomatoes in Italy:
Pick tomatoes when ripe.
Leave to in a cool dry place to deepen in flavor & mature.
When they are nice & soft, deep red - wash well.
Slice in half & scoop out most of the seeds (if they are large, cut in half again).
In a clean jar pack in your tomatoes nice & tight - using a wooden spoon to push out all the air between the tomatoes.
When jars are full to the top tightly close the lid.
NOTE: An Italian friend of ours swears by adding a pinch of salt to the top before closing the lid.
Wrap jars in newspaper (to prevent banging around in the pot).
Place jars in the biggest pot you have - it must be deep enough to fully submerge the jars.
ONLY if your pot is tall enough - you can add a rack on top of your jars & add a second layer. DO NOT stack jars without a rack.
Fill the pot with water 1 inch above the jars.
Bring to a boil.
Boil for 30 minutes & then shut off the heat. Keeping the jars in the water, all the water to cool completely before removing.
Store jars in a cool dark place for up to 1 1/2 years.
Enjoy your tomatoes all year round!
Looks and sounds so easy reading about canning tomatoes compared to actually doing it!
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of not peeling tomatoes first. Alas, this year in Pennsylvania we have had rain, rain, rain and most of our tomatoes have blight! I loved the photos of the overflowing baskets of tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteMmm. I never knew anything about canning tomatoes. And it looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteDo you add lemon juice?
ReplyDeleteno salt, no lemon juice - just stuff those jars full of tomatoes - NO AIR and boil them for 20 minutes letting them stay in the water as it cools.
ReplyDeleteAn old Italian lady showed me another way. Do everything the same except instead of putting the jars in a pot of water loosly tighten top,place them in a deep roasting pan, put them into a 350 degree oven for 60 mins. Remove, tighten tops then place them upside down to cool. (you will hear the seals pop meaning they are airtight)
ReplyDelete