I spent several hours today working up the last of our tomatoes. Oh, there are still a few that we will eat fresh but they won't last for long. I got 5 quarts of crushed (I didn't cook them down enough to count as sauce) and 16 pints of diced/chunked. That takes the total to 40 quarts, 20 pints, plus the 10 pints of salsa. Not too shabby, but it's probably not even half of what was out there. But, all things considered, I'm glad to have what I've got. While I won't miss canning, I will miss having fresh tomatoes to eat. I've got two plants that still look OK. A yellow cherry tomato that appears to have some resistance and I planted one of our Campbell's super secret tomatoes in a big pot away from the garden to hopefully save some seeds. I'm not sure if it will breed true so I thought I'd limit the pollination options. That will be the one tomato I will be saving seeds from this year.
I talked to my Mom this morning and she told me that she still has tomatoes and jars and will can some whole tomatoes for me if I want. While having some extra wouldn't hurt, I hate to ask her to do that for us. My parents are both getting up there in age and I don't think need to be doing any extra for me. Oh, Mom has made some pickles for us and frozen some corn but I hate to think of her on her feet canning even more tomatoes than she already has. I know she cans for my siblings who don't do any canning of their own but I'm not about to ask her to do that for me.
But I will take her up on her offer of winter squash since she says they have lots and that's something I didn't get planted this year.
Tomorrow is a grand adventure for us but you'll have to wait to see what it is.
That's a bummer about the late blight - it is so common here, most growers grow toms under hoophouses.
ReplyDeleteMy DH has turned up allergic to tomatoes, so I have enough left over from last year's canning to make it through the winter - I planted a few plants, but they are ripening slowly, and I sure don't miss all that tomato canning either. Sounds like you got quite a bit canned though before the blight :)
Your mom sounds like a peach!
How sweet of your mom. I don't remember how far apart you live, but if its not too far, could you get the tomatoes from her and do the canning yourself? That way she might feel good that she is helping/giving you something, and yet she'd not have to do the hard canning work? Just a thought, again, I don't know the distance involved...
ReplyDeleteThe blight is frustrating. Sigh. I hope your seed-tomato plant does okay.
What do you mean? You can get tomatoes all year round at Burger King!
ReplyDeleteJust kidding of course. Those are actually styrofoam.
Our tomatoes were a flop this year due to late planting, too much mulch in a too wet year. I may get my first tomato off of them sometime the first of next week. Fortunately, I put up a record number of tomatoes last year and will have enough to carry me through this year. But tomatoes go farther in my household of mostly me and a three year old than one with several teens. I've enjoyed reading about your move and garden this year!
What a strange tomato year it has been! I actually had to go to the farmer's market yesterday and buy 2 tomatoes for our BLT's! What was remaining on ours were green forever and now we are getting cool temps so I ripped them all out yesterday.
ReplyDeleteWhat a bummer! At least you got some...
ReplyDeleteKris