Gardening

Re: Tomato sauce

Discount Diva — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:47:35 GMT

Thanks so much for the recipe!

I usually make my own spagetti sauce, anyways, so it will be great to be able to can it. Tomatoes are s-l-o-w-l-y ripening. I planted several different varieties, and they all have different maturing rates, so I am just going to have to be patient. By this weekend enough should be ready for another batch of canning.

I feel like a Little House on the Prairie woman!

Ha ha.

Re: How Does Your Garden Grow? Summer 2009 Garden Club!

littlepitcher — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:43:48 GMT

You can use white vinegar in tomatoes, too. I use it in canned tomatoes and red jalapenos to bring the pH down.

eBay has a bunch of All American pressure canners for sale, in various sizes, for decent prices. These don't need gaskets, and have lifetime warranties. They are superb quality--I'm using Cuz's late mama's and it does a great job. I was checking prices for someone else (they're $300 new at the hardware stores) and figured someone might need a deal.

My latest plantings of mustard and salad greens are up and running. I have a grand total of one pack of Sugar Snaps and every feed store in town has returned their seeds to the supplier. I'll plant what I have and hope that no-one else recognizes them for food, since they'll be adjacent the street. Jalapenos are still bearing, I'm getting the occasional habanero, and the tommy-toes are bearing like mad. The large tomatoes are rotting, in many cases, before they mature.

Re: How Does Your Garden Grow? Summer 2009 Garden Club!

zohnerfarms — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 04:17:59 GMT

I think it is safe to say my garden is trying to go out with a bang - I picked tomatoes three times today & I KNOW I didn't miss THAT many! I have another batch of tomato puree reducing on the stove right now. In an hour or so, I will probably put it in a couple of canning jars in the fridge & finish reducing it tomorrow.

DH & I picked the Reliance grapes tonight & filled an oversized stainless steel canning bowl with clusters of purple/green grapes. I know they are supposed to be light purple when ripe, but the green ones are just as sweet as the purple ones, so I figured it was time. Besides, the wasps have figured out where the grapes are.

The pimento & pepper plants are still outdoing themselves, but this year I have a grand total of 4 beets & 5 carrots. I planted 2 packages of beets & 5 packages of carrot seeds, but I guess either the birds or the weather got them. Neither the yellow nor green bean plants ever came up.

It is almost as if what did come up is trying to make up for what didn't.

Re: How Does Your Garden Grow? Summer 2009 Garden Club!

babs — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:43:23 GMT

A frost warning was posted for my area a while a ago. covered a few things. Dont think that it will get me, hopefully more for the higher elevations a few miles away. Babs

Re: How Does Your Garden Grow? Summer 2009 Garden Club!

Pat — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:31:27 GMT

zohnerfarms:
It's not a bargain if they won't eat it!

Nope, that wouldn't work for you, then! I kind of liked it, but haven't used it in some time. I grow heirloom tomatoes that have enough acid of their own so I don't have to add any.

Re: How Does Your Garden Grow? Summer 2009 Garden Club!

zohnerfarms — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:12:11 GMT

Pat:
zohnerfarms:
Since I have a GD who reacts to lemon juice, I just pressure can the tomato sauce, so I don't have to add the lemon juice.

You can substitute apple cider vinegar for lemon juice.

I have substituted the apple cider vinegar before. Although I liked it; the rest of the family hated the taste, so I haven't made it that way again. It's not a bargain if they won't eat it!

Tomato sauce

haverwench — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:11:25 GMT

zohnerfarms:
Discount Diva:
I wonder if you can can spagetti sauce?
Yes, you can. If you put meat in it, you will have to pressure can it. Tomato sauce that has been cooked down to thicken it can be water bath canned, but you have to add lemon juice.

There's a nice, simple-looking recipe on the Animal, Vegetable, Miracle site, suitable for water-bath canning or freezing. Mind you, I haven't tried it myself yet--we only just managed (this past weekend) to build a fence that will keep out the groundhog, so we are still waiting for what's left of our tomato crop.

Re: How Does Your Garden Grow? Summer 2009 Garden Club!

Pat — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:53:08 GMT

zohnerfarms:
Since I have a GD who reacts to lemon juice, I just pressure can the tomato sauce, so I don't have to add the lemon juice.

You can substitute apple cider vinegar for lemon juice.

Re: How Does Your Garden Grow? Summer 2009 Garden Club!

babs — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:48:42 GMT

No forst yet but suppose to be down to 42 tonight. I am so not ready for the cold. Garden was so slow, beans are just now producing a lot. It has been a crazy year.

Bought corn on Sat. Cutting it off and freezing it. so far 9 containers done. Drying summer squash and zuchinni. Canned green beans on Sat. Hope to have more to can. Babs

Re: How Does Your Garden Grow? Summer 2009 Garden Club!

Cinnamonhuskies — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:45:36 GMT

Did anyone get frost last night? It got down to 32 degrees, but no frost.

Frost/freeze warnings are up again tonight.

Re: How Does Your Garden Grow? Summer 2009 Garden Club!

zohnerfarms — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:10:21 GMT

Discount Diva:
I wonder if you can can spagetti sauce? I

Yes, you can. If you put meat in it, you will have to pressure can it. Tomato sauce that has been cooked down to thicken it can be water bath canned, but you have to add lemon juice. Since I have a GD who reacts to lemon juice, I just pressure can the tomato sauce, so I don't have to add the lemon juice. In fact, I am doing a very small batch of tomato sauce right now - four 1/2 pint jars.

The dehydrator has 3 trays of sliced onions, one of slice green peppers & 3 of zucchini chips processing right now. I think the sliced onions & peppers add a touch of zing to the zucchini chips that I like.

Re: How Does Your Garden Grow? Summer 2009 Garden Club!

Discount Diva — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:03:09 GMT

The dishsoap spray did not work. The red bugs are probably red spider mites. I am going to do some more research.

Unfortunately, the spray damaged my raspberry plants, even though I rinsed them off as instructed. A lot of the leaves turned black and curled up or shriveled up. Grrr. I'm mad at myself. I hope they will shake it off and keep growing.

As for the rest of my little garden, I have 189 green tomatoes that I am impatiently waiting to ripen. [Not counting the bush of cherry tomatoes - I get a half dozen a day and more still coming]

I canned 6 quarts of cukes/pickles-yummy. Also canned six more quarts of salsa. About four hours of work, but fun! And productive.

I wonder if you can can spagetti sauce? I am going to look for a recipe. I have 12 jars left, but I can always get more if necessary.

Re: How Does Your Garden Grow? Summer 2009 Garden Club!

Stacycue — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:17:54 GMT

Thanks, Pat, I'll try that!

Re: How Does Your Garden Grow? Summer 2009 Garden Club!

Pat — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:13:44 GMT

Stacycue:
I went out in the rain to check my tomatoes and zucchini yesterday and picked one cherry tomato. This looks like it for my garden, unless the weather shapes up.

If your tomatoes are even beginning to ripen, you can pick them, wrap them in newspaper and store them in a dark place and they'll ripen just like on the vine. They won't ripen all at one time, so you'll have them over a period of time.

Re: How Does Your Garden Grow? Summer 2009 Garden Club!

Stacycue — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:01:07 GMT

I just read in my local paper that late blight has been reported in Wisconsin, but not in my county yet. I haven't noticed anything wrong with my tomatoes, other than the fact that they're still green. It has been cold (50's and highs in the low 60's) and rainy here for the last three days. I went out in the rain to check my tomatoes and zucchini yesterday and picked one cherry tomato. This looks like it for my garden, unless the weather shapes up.