food:: the year of the tomato

2012 will forever be known at my house as “THE YEAR OF THE TOMATO”.

(I said that in BIG VOICE-OVER GUY’S voice in my head ~ try it, it really makes it sound better.)

While much of the garden is done and over with, the tomatoes just keep going…and going…and going.

So I keep canning…and canning…and canning.

(I said that in Ben Stein’s “Bueller~Bueller~voice” in my head.  Go ahead if you need to re-read it, I’ll wait right here.)

So, now that you’re back, let’s talk about my recipes.

For years I hated the blanching part.  I burned my hands, the bowls of ice water never stayed cold, and it took hours to get the job done.  Martha, my canning guru friend, couldn’t figure out why I was having so many troubles until she taught me this method.  OMG ~ I can blanch a HUGE batch in minutes now, with no mess and no raw burning fingers.  Finally!

Blanching with ease::

Step 1 ~ only use the completely ripe tomatoes.  If they are not ripe, they are NOT ready.  Don’t get ahead of yourself because it will just be frustrating.  Patience is a virtue, trust me on this one.  It’s an easy enough method if you do it with only ripe tomatoes.  You can always blanch a batch and store it in the fridge for a few days till the rest catch up, then blanch them and cook/can the batches together.  A little planning is worth the effort.

Lets get started.

Fill a large pot of water, cover and get it boiling.

While you’re waiting, rinse your tomatoes, get a big slotted spoon ready, and start filling your kitchen sink with cold water and ice.

OK, once you have a rolling boil – toss a couple of handfuls of tomatoes into the boiling water and set the timer for 3 minutes.  Then using the slotted spoon lift them from the boiling water  (I use the lid to transport several at a time) over to the icy sink water.

Start the next batch on to boil, set the timer, and by the time you get that done the first batch in the sink is ready to core and peel.  They should cool quickly enough to cut out the core with a small paring knife and the skins should be loose enough to nearly squeeze them right out.

When they are at this point – I put them in large bowl to bleed some of the water off and make the cooking time shorter.  You can also freeze them if you don’t like to can.

Stay tuned.  Next I’ll be posting sauce recipes.

Thanks for stopping by!