Canning time!!

[njpines]

With all the hot, sunny weather we're having, the tomatoes are coming in like gangbusters! First batch of canning done over the weekend -- a V8 type tomato juice cocktail mix that my husband really likes.  Tomatoes, shredded carrots, celery, bell peppers, cukes, zucchini, Vidalia onion and a few long, hot peppers for a little kick.  Cook all down to a mush and run through a food press; then to the liquid add lemon juice, Worchestershire sauce, fresh horseradish and bit of sugar and let simmer for another hour, uncovered.  Then pour into your jars!

Next -- pasta sauce!

[bijou]

I'll have to wait a while to join in, my tomatoes are weeks behind yours. 

[JLO]

With all the hot, sunny weather we're having, the tomatoes are coming in like gangbusters! First batch of canning done over the weekend -- a V8 type tomato juice cocktail mix that my husband really likes.  Tomatoes, shredded carrots, celery, bell peppers, cukes, zucchini, Vidalia onion and a few long, hot peppers for a little kick.  Cook all down to a mush and run through a food press; then to the liquid add lemon juice, Worchestershire sauce, fresh horseradish and bit of sugar and let simmer for another hour, uncovered.  Then pour into your jars!

Next -- pasta sauce!

Wow, doesn't THAT sound delish!  Our tomatoes are doing well, but they won't ripen for at least a month.  Your V-8 juice is one I will try for certain, but I wonder about the amounts of ingredients you use.  Have a recipe to share?  Thanks 

[vesta111]

  This recipe I will use in my juicer, the juice will be frozen and the pulp will be frozen also for salsa in the future.

Darn if I freeze the juice and place in ice cube trays, what a kicker for Bloody Marys

[IassaFTots]

Wow that sounds good.  Tomatos in Texas are having such a hard time that the Farmers Market is importing them from Tennessee.  So sucks.  I was hoping to start canning this year, I have never done so before....but due to many circumstances beyond my control, it will have to be later. 

 

[njpines]

I agree -- it IS early yet but it's been such a hot June and July that we already had a bunch ready to be turned into something.  We've pretty much finished the beans and peas, the zucchini & squash come everyday (as always!) and the peppers are getting there -- I like to wait until they at least start to get red.

JLO -- I'll put something together for you.  Some of it comes from a recipe and some comes from my head  !

(and, no, I'm not really Mrs. Alfred Packer over here, trolling!!  )

[JLO]

I agree -- it IS early yet but it's been such a hot June and July that we already had a bunch ready to be turned into something.  We've pretty much finished the beans and peas, the zucchini & squash come everyday (as always!) and the peppers are getting there -- I like to wait until they at least start to get red.

JLO -- I'll put something together for you.  Some of it comes from a recipe and some comes from my head  !

(and, no, I'm not really Mrs. Alfred Packer over here, trolling!!  )

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Thanks for putting something together!

[Karin]

Oh man, do i  New Jersey tomatoes.  Friends of ours would vacation there, and return with tomatoes and sweet corn.  Grill up a couple filet mignons, and what a dinner.   

[njpines]

Sorry this took so long but here's a recipe for the V8 juice.  Also, I made a really good salsa Saturday that I'll write up as well . . .

V-8 or cocktail juice:

20 c (approx. 8-10 lbs) tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
2 c celery, chopped (you can also throw in the leaves)
1 large sweet onion (Vidalia preferably), chopped
1 c grated carrots
1 c cucumber, chopped
1 c red or orange bell pepper, chopped
1 c zucchini, chopped
(+ any other veg. that appeals to you really . . .  )

Put all of the above into a large Dutch oven or pot; cover and cook on low until all are soft (approx. 30 min).  Run the cooked veg. mix through a food mill or, if you don't have one, pour it into a colander and use the bottom of a glass or coffee cup to press the juice/pulp out.  Return the juice/pulp back to the pot and boil gently, uncovered, for 30 min.  Add the following to the juice:

1/2 c lemon juice
1 T sugar
2 t horseradish (if you grind it fresh, you'll probably only need 1 teaspoon or to taste)
2 t Worcester sauce
1 t salt
a few shakes of whatever hot sauce you prefer

Simmer (just bubbling gently), uncovered, for another 30 min. and pour into canning jars.  The amounts in this recipe yielded 8 half pint jars when I made it last month.


Here's the salsa recipe that turned out really well over the weekend:

10 c chopped tomatoes (I usually pour off the tomato water after I get them all chopped up and in the bowl)
10 roasted & chopped long chili peppers (they were roasted on the grill with just a little peanut oil brushed on)
2 large sweet onions, chopped (Vidalias again)
1 large bell pepper, chopped
2 c tomato sauce (yes, canned . . . the horror!)
2 or 3 T crushed garlic (I used the kind in the jar)
1 1/2 t salt
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
3 T balsamic vinegar
Hot sauce to taste (I used 4 or 5 good shakes of a garlic habanero pepper sauce)

Mix all of the above in a bowl and refrigerate.  Since this is a cold recipe, I just freeze what we aren't going to use in a couple of days. It made about 3 pints total so I froze 2 of the pint containers.

[JLO]

Oh, I thank you so much - printed out and ready to make.  Our 'maters are producing daily.  We are also thinking of different ways to eat them raw, because they taste so good that way.  BLT's of course, and tonight we had stuffed tuna salad - what else, what else...

I love this song!  John Denver live - Homegrown Tomatoes.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkTlgoQquoA

 

[njpines]

I'm canning 2 types of pasta sauce this weekend -- one's a slow cooked-all-day type with a lot of different ingredients in it, and the other's only partially cooked to keep the tomatoes chunky/fresh tasting and consists of mostly just garlic, basil and tomatoes.

I'll post the recipes next week if anyone's interested . . . I've made both every year for probably 20 yrs now and the ingredients can vary depending on what's around.

I've got a ton of herbs I have to use as they're starting to go to seed . . . I'll probably dehydrate what I can't use up in the sauces.