Monday, September 27, 2010

'Tis the Season

Fall is the season of plenty around here. Local food grown on local family farms, food from our own garden and surrounding trees, everything coming ripe and ready all at once, so much fresh goodness on our table!
Carrot Tomato Soup for dinner, from pounds and pounds of fresh tomatoes and carrots picked that day (recipe found here on SouleMama's Blog). I'd never actually made Tomato Soup from fresh tomatoes before, but after coming home from Miller Farms today with 20 lbs of tomatoes (along with 16 other sacks full of the Fall harvest), I knew this was the day. The girls loved it. Who wouldn't love a creamy tomato soup with fresh basil in it? My cupboards and closets are stocked! I finished canning about 50 lbs of peaches today, along with 10 pint's of Grandma Jo's Special Sauce, aka Blender Ketchup (that's what I did with the rest of the 20 lbs of tomatoes that I didn't turn into soup).The smell of Grandma Jo's Special Sauce filled the house for two days while it cooked down. Mmm mmm mmm! It brought back so many memories of my own childhood. Isn't it amazing how many good feelings can be evoked just by a certain smell? Grandma Jo's Special Sauce is special indeed. If you're wondering what to do with your Fall harvest abundance of tomatoes, give this recipe a shot:
Grandma Jo's Special Sauce, aka Blender Ketchup
8 lbs tomatoes, washed, peeled* and stemmed
2 red bell peppers
2 green bell peppers
4 onions
3 c white vinegar
3 c sugar
3 T salt
1/2 tsp allspice
3 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp hot red pepper
De seed and cut peppers in strips. Skin and quarter onions. Blend tomatoes, peppers and onion in blender. Bring to a boil in a large stockpot along with vinegar and sugar. Place other ingredients in a cheesecloth bag and add to pot. Simmer uncovered till reduced by half, about 24 hours.
Directions and times for canning blender ketchup can be found here.
*To peel tomatoes: dip them in a boiling water bath for about a minute and the skins will slide right off.
We are loving this Sauce in our house right now!

1 comment:

Emily (Laundry and Lullabies) said...

I'm amazed at your accomplishments! It takes TIME to do all that - how did you ever manage it? We've been barely keeping up with our four tomato plants in the backyard! ;)

Do the girls help? Or do you plan something else to keep them busy while you work?