I live, write, and garden in the PNW with my husband of 27 years, disabled daughter, college-aged son, and my 84-year-old mother. We have paid off $250,000.00 worth of debt (if you include the interest) in the last fifteen years and as of 6/12/2020 are 100% DEBT FREE!!!!I've started my first batch of homemade tomato sauce going. DH and I cored and cut up 10 pounds of paste tomatoes tonight. They got pulverized in the blender and then poured into two crockpots (an eight quart and a six quart). I will be cooking them on low all night. They should be reduced by half in the morning which should give us about 5 quarts of tomato sauce. We didn't fill them up to the top as I didn't have enough tomatoes. Next time I will get 15 pounds as that should give us 7 quarts and 7 quarts is a canner load.
Right now the puree is bright pink even though the tomatoes were bright red. It will cook down to red though. I remember that from the past.
We went to the farm stand that carries only Washington state produce and quite a bit of it is local from Everson and organic. The tomatoes were from Eastern Washington. It is too soon to get large amounts of local tomatoes but in a couple weeks I can. Meanwhile I am happy to support any of my state's farmers.
I really liked the farm stand. The guy working it was offering samples of the fruit. He gave DH and DS big chunks of watermelon to try and offered peaches and nectarines as well. DD and I didn't try anything as we are both on an eating plan that only allows high carbs once a day. But I did buy some nectarines and had one with my dinner and it was excellent. And the boys thought the watermelon was amazing.
I will go back and buy more tomatoes tomorrow. They had some orange ones and some yellow ones as well and I think it might be fun to make some sauce in those colors or at the very least some diced tomatoes.
The paste tomatoes were well-priced so I think this is where I will get most of my sauce tomatoes, except what I am growing. It's still not quite as cheap as if I was buying the S&W organic canned sauce or diced tomatoes but until there is no BPA in their cans, this is the better way to go. I still consider it economical, though. Plus nothing beats fresh, home canned. And it is cheaper than the Muir Glen ones so it's worth it.
I'll post photos tomorrow of the finished product.
First Batch of Tomato Sauce Underway
August 22nd, 2012 at 04:07 am
August 22nd, 2012 at 02:26 pm 1345645570
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