DeathLlama did a helluva job growing a vegetable garden. We had peas, beans, corn, and Japanese cucumber, but the BIG success stories were the tomatoes and the, erm, decorative pumpkins. Story on the pumpkins–I bought a couple last season to set out for the fall holidays. When the holidays passed, we playfully tossed them against the brick wall to watch them burst. This scattered seeds everywhere, and as DL started cultivating the then-bare soil, he found hundreds of volunteers. He pulled scores of them out, but we still have a bumper crop of 100+ minipumpkins. Anything we can do with these, besides leaving piles of them on friends’ doorsteps as a gag?
The tomatoes are obviously quite a bit more useful. I’d hate for them to go to waste, but we have way more than we can eat. There is a soup recipe in another thread I made last night, but it barely scratched the surface. (Great soup, though. What is the best way to freeze another batch of it–just pour it in tupperware and toss in the freezer?) What else can I do with what has to be well over 20+lbs of tomatoes? Is canning/jarring that difficult? Should I make sauce? I’m looking for canning techniques, recipes, and any other ideas for this domesticallly challenged Doper.
If I were you and had that many mini-pumpkins, I’d consider donating a generous number of them to my local elementary school, church or other organization which had lots of children.
I used this technique to make my sauce last night, and it was truly amazing. I used fresh oregano and marjoram from my garden, along with dried thyme and a bay leaf for the herbs, half a large, red onion and 3 large cloves of garlic sauteed in olive oil (since I didn’t use meat), a small can of tomato paste and about 1/4 cup of merlot splashed in at the end. I even added back some of the tomato juice I had reserved, to give it a bit more “bite”. Salt, pepper and fresh, chopped mushrooms finished it off. Very, very yummy.
You could also make some sauce and tomato juice to use in a big batch of stuffed peppers. Here’s my recipe for them.
I’m sure you realize this because you specified that they’re decorative, but the pumpkins sold for decoration are usually pretty flavorless, being bred for show rather than taste, so don’t try to eat them.
Canning tomatoes is easy peasy. I don’t even process them. (Shhh! Don’t tell mom!) We use home canned tomatoes for chili, soups, and stews.
All I do is core them, cut them in chunks, and toss 'em in a pot. While the tomatoes are simmering, I wash the canning jars in hot soapy water, and I boil the lids. While the jars and lids are still hot, I fill the jars to about a half inch to the top with hot tomatoes, add a tablespoon of lemon juice, and put the lids on.
If I want juice, I strain the cooked tomatoes in a strainer, the same one I use for spaghetti.
I was shocked when a neighbor told me she didn’t process tomatoes. I was sure they’d spoil, but maybe they have enough acid content to kill bacteria. Or maybe it’s the lemon juice, I dunno. Whatever, it works, and it saves a lot of time and energy.
If you’re lazy and/or just feeling overwhelmed with the volume of your tomatoes, just stick 'em in a gallon freezer bag and you’re done. You can turn them into sauce later.
You’re supposed to blanch & peel them first, but the freezing process makes it just as easy to peal them once they’re defrosted.
