This year's tomato harvest has been one for the books. We've canned a variety of different tomato based items including tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce, and salsa. Even with all that we've canned, which is pushing 200 jars, we've still not met our goals for the year. Sadly, there's just only so many hours in each day and we are plum tuckered out!
Mashing tomatoes with mama's monster masher is a prize job for many of my little ones. When I am making tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce, I do not peal my tomatoes. I simply quarter my ripe tomatoes and throw them in a large pot. As the tomatoes cook down we mash them to help speed up the process.
I use my stick blender for EVERYTHING! It is truly one of the best investments I've ever made for our homesteading and homemaking adventures. Once the tomatoes are cooked down enough (usually about an hour of cooking down and mashing) We bring out my stick blender and puree the tomatoes. All of the skins do not get pulverized, but enough of them do that it doesn't bother us. If you really wanted to, you could strain them to remove the few little peelings left behind.
When it comes to deciding what to can and when to can, I always start off with tomato sauce because I can use that in more meals than anything else. I typically fill up about 50 pint jars for pizza sauce (and no I do not can pizza sauce, it's just way to easy to whip up when needed that I spend my summer canning season devoted to other canning needs). After I have my pint jars filled then I move on to quart jars of tomato sauce. The quart jars of tomato sauce is used in soups and stews, which we eat a lot of since they can fill a large family on a strict budget! After I've got my desired amount of tomato sauce in quart jars, I move on to spaghetti sauce or salsa. That changes every year, It depends on which one we've used the most of throughout the past year.
I love my big stainless steel stock pots. They have paid for themselves over and over again. I didn't even spend a whole lot for them. The first one I found on clearance at Target many moons ago for $40, and the other one I found on Amazon for around $35. I did not invest in any high dollar stockpots because these work just as fine.
This year we've had quite a few jars to bust throughout the canning process. Of course this is heart breaking after you've worked so hard to get the produce to that point, but it is just part of the process. I feel like we've had an abnormal amount of jars to bust because we moved the jars 4 times in 12 months (insert groan and eye roll). It seems we continue to be 'bit in the bottom' over buying that money pit of a house. But, I'm trying to stay focused on looking at the bright side and just be thankful we have the jars to can and the produce to put in them ~ BUT most importantly we no longer live in that house!
All of these pictures were taken at different times throughout the summer gardening season. I love to watch our larder fill up and to see our hard work from beginning to end, it really helps to fuel me on to the finish line.
As I shared in my last post, we have had to quit picking the bulk of the garden and have given so much away. I'm trying not to feel guilty over this, but it's super hard. Admitting you're NOT super woman is hard, lol. Even though we're scheduled to begin our homeschool year on August the 5th, I am hoping to get in a few more canning sessions. Lord willing I will be able to process the 30 pumpkins littering my storage room, a batch of mild salsa, a batch of tomato sauce, and a large batch of applesauce. I keep trying to remind myself that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and we CAN do this!
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)
With Love & Hope,
Jennifer
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