Wondering what to do with all the tomatoes you are harvesting now? If you think
YOU have too many tomatoes, my sister and bro-in-law have been harvesting
50 pounds A DAY for the last few weeks!!
This was Sue's solution, years ago, to an abundant harvest and we've both used this idea since.
It is important here to note one thing: Don't spend time canning anything
you and your family won't actually use or eat. Many of us gardeners get
caught up in the moment, and it breaks our hearts to see any food going to waste.
Remember that you're wasting time, food, and energy by canning it, only to
throw it out in a year or two. THAT'S wasteful!
If you aren't up for canning, donate your abundance to the Ely Food Shelf.
Or your neighbors.
We all know a family with small children that would appreciate some fresh groceries.
We all know an elderly neighbor or two that used to garden, but they can't anymore due to
health reasons. Just because they can't garden anymore doesn't mean they don't remember what
good food tastes like and you KNOW
they would love a homegrown tomato or two and a handful of green beans.
If you find time this fall, make a batch or two of chili mix to have on hand when
unannounced guests arrive, you're too busy reading the latest book by the woodstove,
or you're too tired to cook after that XC ski across the lake.
Go out and grab the best of what the garden has to offer:
onions, peppers, celery, basil, parsley, and or course, tomatoes.
Give your onions, peppers, garlic, celery, and parsley a whirl in the Cuisinart,
or chop finely by hand.
Add a small bit of olive oil to the bottom of your biggest dutch oven,
then add the chopped vegetables and give them a quick saute.
Also zip your tomatoes through a food mill or your Cuisinart.
I don't bother to remove the skins, but I do core the tomatoes.
I want the fiber of the skins in my chili.
Seasoning the batch: this is smoked paprika, garlic pepper, chili powder, and granulated garlic.
You'll need to salt your mix to taste, and
add some sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
I often use agave nectar as a sweetener, and you don't need much,
just enough to tame the acidity.
At this point, I also add some lemon juice to brighten the flavors and
some soy sauce for umami.
Don't panic, and seriously, you don't need to worry about
teaspoons of this and tablespoons of that.
Use your very own sense of taste and make this chili mix yours.
If you absolutely need some numbers, I'll say this:
approximately 1/3 pepper and veg blend to 2/3 pureed tomatoes.
After you've cooked the mixture down to a consistency that resembles salsa,
ladle into quart jars and hot water bathe for 15 minutes.
Remove from the hot water bath and allow to cool before marking and storing.
Be sure to check all seals before storing, and
either reprocess unsealed jars again with a new lid,
or store in the fridge and use in a week or so. Often it's a faulty lid to blame, not you,
so expect that now and again a jar won't seal and it's not because you
don't know what you're doing.
If you're overwhelmed by all there is to do yet this fall, you can toss the tomatoes
in the freezer and process them this winter. It's just not quite the same as doing it in the fall when
everything is harvested at the same time, so try to find a couple hours yet before
we get that hard frost and it's too late.
To make your batch of chili,
simply brown a pound of ground beef (or ground turkey or no meat at all),
add in a can of rinsed black or kidney beans, and a jar of the chili mix.
I also add a pint jar of my home-made tomato soup, but that's another post for another day!
Bon Apetit!
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