Sunday, September 16, 2007

Tomatoes for Peace!

6 hours of work, 37 pints of tomatoes. And two bushels remaining in the basement! I think the rest of them will be roasted and frozen. But not tonight.

20 comments:

Jan said...

I am very impressed!

poodledoc said...

Wow! I'm enjoying looking at this "red gold". All those good tastes and memories locked up in tose pint jars. Planting the seeeds. Trasnpanting into the soil. Tending the tomatoes. Worry over theme during the driest June and July I can remember. Then worrying over them during the foot and a half of rain we got one weekend. Picking scads of the red fruit with Mr and Ms Ether last week. Hanging out with the Ether's and having some laughs on a tough weekend. All that in one littel jar. Wow!

Anonymous said...

Can I borrow a few jars of those tasty looking tomatoes?

While at a book and music store today I listened to some bits from your daughters favorite band, Gaelic Storm, and I must admit that they rocked it pretty hard and I will end up buying one of their CD's thanks to her blog post about them.

Suzy said...

PoodleDoc -- we still have to can the other two bushels!! Ha.

Dr. Monkey -- She'll be so thrilled. You should also look up Enter the Haggis for more Celtic rocking out.

Sorghum Crow said...

Beautiful.

Jess Wundrun said...

Somedays I think that nothing in the world looks better than a few dozen pints of 'put up' tomatoes and nothing looks worse than a full bushel on stand by.

I did a large laundry basket and a full grocery bag of tomatoes last week and after cooking down got 10 1/2 quarts of spaghetti sauce. Including labor, that sauce is now worth $53.62 a quart. Nothing but the best for my kids and peace!

Suzy said...

Jess -- $53.62 a quart? Isn't that what it goes for at Whole Foods?

Sorghum Crow -- I am currently reading the book Blessed Are the Cheesemakers, on your recommendation. I love the hints of magical realism -- but set in Ireland with cheese at the heart of it. Thanks for steering me to it!

Fran said...

That is a gorgeous photo and how I love the thought of tomatoes for peace.

poodledoc said...

Yeah, I need to pick up the bushel but might try freezing a few and doing the baking thing with the garlic, onions and olive oil. I should probably get the baskets back to John at some point. Maybe I can make Poodledoc,Jr blanche some tomatoes.......

Anonymous said...

Hi Suzy,
That was a mighty effort with magnificent results. Canning is a lost art. I'm happy to see you revive it....and I'm kind of happy I'm not involved. I once tried to can pickles and they all went moldy. The steamy kitchen and the lifting the jars out. I was so amazed, really amazed to walk in on it. Bravo to you and Poodle Doc.

Suzy said...

Not a canner -- Where were you? We kept waiting for you to help with the blanching part!

PoodleDoc -- Junior will blanch at the thought of having to do that! When are we getting together to make fruitcakes?

Anonymous said...

It's Sue here, lurking around the blogosphere, and I think I recognize those tomatoes. Very nice job, they are beautiful. Isn't food put away for the winter a wonderful feeling?

A thought, originally from John, perhaps: he reports on an Amish farmer who, upon being questioned about how much his labor cost, replied that the labor on the farm wasn't a cost, rather it was a benefit.

Puts a whole new spin on the $53/quart sauce.

Enjoy,

Sue

P.S. This was my very first blog comment ever!

Suzy said...

Sue -- Welcome to the bloggerhood. It's always a beautiful day here. I'll bet you're intimately acquainted with those tomatoes! Joyful work ... isn't that a concept so many have lost sight of? Ed's mom, upon hearing that I was canning said, "Oh! That's a LOT of work!" Yes, but ... what benefits!

Jess Wundrun said...

Hey, I'd like to add that nobody ever asks how much what oughta be a free walk in "nature" costs the average golfer!

In otherwords, I can eat and wear my hobbies.

Suzy said...

Touché, Jess. Touché. I like that -- eat and wear one's hobbies. I fall into that category too. I get some mighty fine pleasure out of making things that most people buy. One of these days I am going to learn how to make shoes!

Ed said...

I believe your dog was eating and wearing your hobby. Either that or she was bleeding.

Dr. Monkey von Monkerstein: If you liked Garlic Storm, you might be interested in the group "Enter the Haggis" - another one of the above-mentioned daughter's favorite bands. Mostly celtic with some other flavors, as well. They rock most bodaciously!

Suzy said...

Ed ... Eeeeeuw. But, seeing as how she plopped herself down in the middle of the tomatoes, she was bound to pick up a little. It was reminiscent of pumpkin carving with that same dog. And I already mentioned Enter the Haggis.

BTW -- Are there any Norwegians in Dickeyville?

Ed said...

Oops. Sorry about the redundancy about Enter the Haggis. Sorry about the redundancy about Enter the Haggis.

BTW -- There's no Norwegians in Dickeyville. There's none in the valley, there's none on the hill. There never was and there never will be no Norwegians in Dickeyville.

Suzy said...

But Dickeyville does have one very fine grotto.

Ginnie said...

Suzy: your comment on my blog about the Blueberry Hill B&B gave me goose bumps too. Thanks.
I love real canned tomatoes as opposed to the commercial ones.