When learning to can, go to THE AUTHORITY on the subject! You won’t go wrong with this book.
It is tomato season here in my zone 7 foodscape in central North Carolina. This is the time of year where I spend less time in the garden planting and more time in my kitchen processing and preserving summer harvests to ensure we will have delicious meals all year long!
Honestly, I didn’t get interesting in canning until 2014, when my schedule changed from having a traditional “day job” to being self-employed. I fully understand that canning takes time, energy, planning, and coordination and it may not be realistic for everyone. But I do hope to show you that preserving your summer harvests isn’t necessary HARD, which is often what people assume.
I am so grateful for my mother-in-law, Donna Arthur, who is an avid canner and over all AMAZING cook. She really taught me the ins and outs of preserving 6 years ago, and I am pleased to report that I have used my big Ball pot countless times in the seasons that have followed. All the tips I am sharing here are from real-life experience, but before you follow my instructions to a T, please consult a proper authority. My go-to canning guides are the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving and The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving.
This week I have been a busy canner, preserving cucumber and tomato harvests in several creative ways. Check out this YouTube video to learn tips from my recent “Canning Extravaganza”
As promised on several social media posts including Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, below are my standard, simple recipes that I have improved upon over the past 6 years. What I love most about these is that they are not THAT time consuming. What does “THAT” mean? From start to finish, aka cleaning, slicing, processing, preserving, and putting everything away you should be able to complete any one (or several) of these recipes in under 2 hours.
The great thing about canning in 2020, is that you do in the comfort of your air-conditioned home, while enjoying your favorite binge worthy show on Netflix. Yes, this is a different era from when my grandmother was canning out of necessity, and we should never lose sight of just how privileged we are to now can for fun. For me, that is the most important lesson to reflect on in 2020.
Gardening is a privilege- not everyone has the land, time, or disposable income to start a garden, let alone maintain it. Gardening can be expensive, both in money and time, and there are many people in our society who have a deficit of both.
Growing food is a privilege- learning how to grow plants, including food crops, is not something that everyone has been exposed to and it takes years of practice before you really understand how to do it well. Again, if you are in the category of knowing how, like myself, be grateful and recognize that not everyone is as fortunate as you.
Eating healthy is a privilege- understanding what is good or bad for your long-term health is information that is directly linked to economics. A large portion of the American society does not even have ACCESS to healthy foods, let alone the education to fully understand why fresh fruits and vegetables are a better solution over easy to find, processed meals and junk food.
Preserving your harvests is a privilege- going back to time and money, it is definitely cheaper to buy pre-processed food at the grocery store than to grow and preserve your own. I am fortunate in that I can go to the grocery store and buy pickles and sauce- provided they are in stock. Unlike many others, I have the choice to make my own from my garden and feel “self-sufficient” despite not needing to be.
Sharing your knowledge is a privilege- this is a concept in recent months that I have really struggled to come to term with, but I am trying to be better. I want to continue to share my passion for growing and eating from your landscape and encourage EVERYONE to just sow a few seeds and watch the magic of horticulture come to life in front of yours eyes. I want to do that with cheer and optimism, but it is increasingly difficult to fulfill that desire without also coming to terms with my own privilege. I am striving to improve, so please bear with me and help along the way, so I can keep encouraging others to do the same. Just like my garden, I am a work in progress.
Be kind and grateful- it may seem cliché, but this world seriously needs more kindness and gratitude. This is something that we can all do and it will immediately improve your life. As my new favorite shirt from House of Swank says, “Kindness is Contagious”!
But so is Covid, so wash your hands, keep social distancing, and wear a mask when possible. #ItsScience
ALL OF BRIE’S TOMATO RECIPES IN ONE PLACE!
Yes, it is a miracle! After many requests, I have finally assembled all of my favorite tomato recipes here for you to enjoy. It is important to note, I cook to taste, which is a nice way of saying I don’t actually measure ingredients! So please take these recipes with a grain of salt and use them for inspiration in your kitchen. Add what you love, remove what you dislike. Make them your own and share with friends and family.
Tomato Juice
Juicing raw tomatoes is a great way to speed up the cooking process and have a foodscape fresh beverage to enjoy. I like to sort my tomatoes by color which creates a brilliant rainbow of juices ranging from orange and yellow to red and purple. The fresh tomato juice is great served over ice in a ball jar with a lid for regular shaking. You can also freeze it for future parties or water bath preserve it for pantry storage.
If you have never canned before, tomato juice is a good place to start, as it is simple and fast and requires no additional preservative such as citric acid or vinegar. This is the one thing I take the time to preserve because I do not have enough freezer space to store it all and enjoy sending the “taste of summer” to friends and family as a Winter Solstice gift. For specific canning instructions consult your user manual or the Ball Canning Guide.
Remember 94% of a tomatoes weight is water, so by separating the juice from the pulp you will reduce the cooking time for roasting by a significant margin.
Ingredients
8-10 vine ripened tomatoes, or as many tomatoes as you have
Preparation
Core and slice garden fresh tomatoes in quarters and add to food processor
Pulse for 10-15 seconds, till tomatoes are evenly chopped
Pour through strainer, collecting juice in bowl
Squeeze the tomato paste dry
Serve as plain juice or follow Brie’s Homegrown Bloody recipe for a cocktail
Freeze in jars or water bath preserve it for cupboard storage
Brie's Homegrown Bloody
Bloody Mary’s have become a staple for our annual Tomato Tasting! I like to set up a make your own station so guests can enjoy a custom drink, but also have prepared jars on hand. We always serve in a Ball jar with a lid for regular shaking, because this juice will separate.
Ingredients
1/2-quart fresh tomato juice
1 tablespoon dill pickle juice
1 tablespoon grated fresh horseradish
1 tablespoon Worcester sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon glazed balsamic vinegar
Dash of freshly ground pepper
1 shot of vodka or gin for added spirit
*Garnish with an olive, jalapeno, lime or wedge of cheese if you choose
Preparation
Fill a quart jar with tomato juice
Add dill pickle juice, Worchester sauce, hot sauce, horseradish, and glazed balsamic vinegar to taste
Add a shot (or 2) of vodka or gin
Screw on lid and shake- keep lid for regular shaking
Serve and Enjoy!
Oven Roasted Tomato Paste
Tomato paste is the base of all thing made from cooked tomatoes. Once you have separated the juice from the raw tomatoes you can simply roast that paste for 45 minutes in a 400F oven. Once this is cooked, you can simply freeze it in quart bags for future use, or add ingredients to make traditional sauces, salsa, or soup which can be frozen or canned for cupboard storage, depending on how much time you have.
Ingredients
Raw tomato paste that has been drained of juice
Preparation
Pre-heat oven to 400F
Add tomato paste to roasting pan
Roast for 45-60 minutes until paste is bubbling and liquid is gone; ideally the top will be caramelized.
Cool at room temperature
Freeze roasted paste by adding servings to quart bags and lay flat
OR Preserve in pint or quart jars, following proper canning instructions (See Ball Canning Guidebook)
Stovetop Tomato Sauce
This sauce is DELICIOUS and EASY to make, especially if you don’t have a ton of tomatoes to process. The great thing about making your own sauce is that you can add what you love and leave out what you don’t. Take inspiration from this video on how I make mine.
Ingredients
12-20 tomatoes: washed, cored and food processed, but not drained of juice
1 onion food processed
3 peppers- sweet or spicy depending on what you like- food processed
5 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon ground pepper
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons Italian seasonings
Preparation
Food process tomatoes, onion, peppers and garlic; add to saucepan
Add seasonings and olive oil and mix thoroughly
Use an immersion blender to create creamy texture
Bring to a boil, then allow to simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally for 2 hours
Serve over pasta of your choice
Freeze roasted paste by adding servings to quart bags and lay flat
OR Preserve in pint or quart jars, following proper canning instructions (See Ball Canning Guidebook)
Tomato Soup
Nothing beats homegrown tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich on a cold January evening. This is a staple in our house, and we play with the ingredients based off what we have growing in the garden. But for the traditional flavor of creamy tomato soup, this recipe is hard to beat.
Ingredients
Roasted tomato paste (1-quart bag of frozen paste will be 4 generous servings)
1 cup heavy whipping cream, half and half, or milk
1/2 cup shredded cheese (hard cheddar or smoked gouda are my favorite)
2-3 cups of water depending on desired thickness
Drizzle of glazed balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil or butter (to sauté onion and pepper topping)
1 onion sliced
2 mild-spicy peppers sliced
Preparation
In a saucepan, combine ingredients and heat to a simmer
Using an immersion blender, mix the contents into desired texture
Bring to a boil, lower heat, and allow to simmer for 15 minutes
Remove from heat and taste before adding seasonings
Top with sautéed onions and peppers sautéed in butter or olive
Drizzle glazed balsamic vinegar to taste
Garden Fresh Salsa
This is guaranteed to please everyone you know. Back in the good old days of socializing and having garden parties, this simple, homegrown salsa was a staple. You can make it mild or as spicy as you want. It is versatile, fresh, and ideal for almost every meal- with or without chips!
Ingredients
12-20 tomatoes: washed, cored and food processed, but not drained of juice
2 cups fresh cilantro
1 onion food processed
5-10 peppers- sweet or spicy depending on what you like- food processed
5 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon cumin
1 lime juiced
Drizzle of honey (to balance spicy flavor)
Preparation
Add tomatoes, cilantro, onions, peppers and garlic to food processor and chop to desired texture
Our into large bowl
Add salt, cumin, lime juice and honey
Mix thoroughly and chill for an hour before serving
Thank You!
I hope this blog post full of my go-to recipes will be useful in your harvesting, processing, and preserving endeavors this season and for years to come. I should confess, I am not into measuring, so please take the above instructions “with a grain of salt”. I prefer to cook to taste, and to use the ingredients that I have on hand, which results in a different variation of each of these recipes every time I make them.
As always, I wish you the best in your garden, home, and beyond. May your foodscape flourish and provide you and your family with the opportunity to grow and enjoy delicious, wholesome meals.
I also hope that you will be inspired to share some of your fresh vegetables with those in need in your community.
Visit Ample Harvest to learn how.
Together, we really can make a difference.
Cheers, Brie