I may have mentioned in a previous blog that I had planted too many tomatoes in the garden. I gave several small basket-fulls away, ate them in salads, salsa, and spaghetti sauce; but I was still left with far more beautiful, ripe and semi-ripe tomatoes than I could use. The weather has turned cold and the vines are still loaded with green ones, which will now be composted. The ones I had saved from the frost needed to be used quickly. Not wanting them to spoil, I began to wonder if I might be able to use my crockpot to make sauce.
Blanching, seeding, and removing the tomato skins is time consuming and tedious. I did not have a lot of time, so I Googled a recipe which sounded easy enough. I only had to quarter them, toss them in the crockpot, and allow them to simmer for a few hours before straining out the skins and seeds. The recipe suggested using a food mill, but not having one I mashed them through a screen mesh bowl – as best I could. Unfortunately, it was not good enough. I ended up with tomato juice instead of sauce.
I have always had a knack for making a meal even when it appears that the cupboard (and refrigerator) are bare. My tomato juice, while not thick enough for sauce, smelled positively wonderful, since I had added freshly dried herbs from the garden as well. I decided to make a soup, a minestrone using the tomato juice as the base. Applying permaculture reasoning to the problem, my apparent failure was the solution, and my kitchen failures over the years have helped me to become a successful cook.
I have realized that for someone who grows tomatoes and needs to preserve them, a food mill is an essential item for the kitchen. I will definitely be purchasing one prior to next year’s harvest!
