It's time! The heirlooms are finally arriving in in groups rather than being lonely and anti-social! Heirloom tomato sauce is such a luxury come winter, I was rather afraid I wouldn't have enough to sauce thanks to the bad tomato year I have been having but it looks like we'll be okay as long as the hurricanes stay away for a few more weeks.
After squeezing out the excess juice and seeds, started cooking down the yumminess. Sauteed some shallots, garlic, red wine and bell peppers with basil & oregano. (I use whatever I have on hand, so this part changes sometimes)
Added to the sauce and started cooking down. I love the crock pot for this, I am able to leave the house and it also keeps the house cooler.
Ran the stick blender through and continued to cook down. (My $6 W@lmart stick blender is probably my most valuable kitchen tool this time of year!)
This will be used for pizza sauce so I cooked it down for 8-9 hours so it is nice and thick and tangy, I was left with 5 pints ready for canning or freezing!
Ended the day on a high note: my favorite garden dinner of all - STIR FRY! I don't know why I can't seem to cook a more sensible portion than this. The single dad next door received a large plate to share with his kids, they are always in shock to not be eating hot dogs or frozen dinners I think LOL. My kids amazed me by not only trying every vegetable, but devouring most of the dinner. I kept them extra hungry today thinking I was going to have to fight the vegetable war with them tonight. I am just slap-happy over these yard long/Chinese Long beans, they really add a lot to the dish and they grew faster than any pole bean I've ever tried, and they are the prettiest things out in the garden!
Things are looking good for another batch of sauce soon...
I hope Pizza Boy/hubby is happy, I know he was probably scared seeing all my container tomatoes die, then the others in the storm... but the UFO's were my contingency plan I guess, they are the most gorgeous and healthy looking tomatoes I have ever seen, and I tell them how much I love them every time I walk by, they are pretty much my Jake Gyllenhaals of the tomato world, hmmm, I still need to name this mystery seed!
Ooh, Heirloom tomato sauce. Yum yum. I picked my first heirlooms today and boy where they so good! Next year, I want to grow a whole lot more of heirlooms! Can't wait. Which are your favorite?
ReplyDeleteWow, look at those tomatoes!
ReplyDelete"Gillies", you said it yourself! I just may be trying that crock-pot sauce very soon. So it doesn't burn?
ReplyDeleteoops, I mean "Gyllis"- I am so out of touch I don't know who that is, though I at least know he is a Hollywood hunk.
ReplyDeleteAre you following a recipe for the sauce (for canning), or just winging it, and then putting those jars into the freezer?
meemsnyc, BRANDYWINES! In my book, there is no equal in taste. However, this year has proved that my unknown heirloom mystery seed is by far the healthiest plant... my Brandywines didn't even make it through mid-July!
ReplyDeleteKelly, Brokeback Mountain & Jarhead are definitely his "hottest" movies in my opinion LOL! I never ever follow a recipe, I just don't have time for that and it would involve me actually having to have specific ingredients on hand, even though I'm type A, I'm not when it comes to recipes! These will go into the freezer because I don't have time to can (have to do it outside), but if I was canning I would just make sure I had the recommended amount of lemon juice/vinegar per pint and roll with it. (I use it anyways a little bit, I guess I did add balsamic to today's batch with the wine, I just forgot!
Oooh, that sauce looks so good I think I can smell it! Is the only freezer you have that little chest type we see in the picture? I think you have a side by side freezer/refrig, too, though don't you?
ReplyDeleteErin, do you peel your tomatoes before you make the sauce? It seems like most of the recipes I've seen requires the peeling step, which to me seems like a lot of work.
ReplyDeleteLooks very tasty! I'm a big fan of stir-fry myself. I do so much Asian cooking that my family sees it as New and Interesting when it's *not* Asian inspired!
ReplyDeleteI'm just starting to get ripe tomatoes here - they're all going into the freezer to be sauced later when there are enough of them. I agree with you on using the crock-pot for cooking down. I've done that when making apple butter. I never know when I'm going to have to stop in my tracks and deal with something - the crock-pot gives me a nice long safety zone!
Kelly, forgot your other question - I have never had it burn on me... I cook on high stirring a couple of times per hour, but if I leave the house I just turn it down to low.
ReplyDeleteMama Pea, yes that tiny freezer is the one purchase I made 2 years ago that I could not do without. I need a bigger one when hubby is home but I have no room for it. I am so space challenged I used to put it in my bedroom LOL. I have the side by side fridge/freezer that holds all the meat and convenience/pre made meals, and the chest freezer holds all the garden veggies, jams, juice, sauce, and bread. The only reason it is working so well this year that I haven't canned is because hubby is deployed so I didn't put in my big beef order at the farm. This will become a problem again next year LOL
Thyme, I do peel my tomatoes beforehand, although if you don't puree the sauce right away and just start cooking the big tomatoes down, in an hour or so you can take a fork into the pot and literally skim the skins out they will come off eventually - I did this once last year. My friend always leaves the skins on and just puts it through the blender really well. Not sure why I do, maybe so I have a reason to zone out at the kitchen table for an hour LOL? Personal preference, I guess.
Alison, that crock pot became a necessity when my little guys were still needing diaper changing, constant (seemed like!) breastfeeding and just getting into general trouble, now I can't do without it. It gives you time to "think"... put everything in there and you have all day to figure out what you are going to do with it later :)
You just reminded me that I have a stick blender. Sometimes are kitchens become to big for our own good. i can't believe that I forgot that I had that. If our weather stays like this any longer, I will be switching to the crockpot too.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't I ever remember I have a stick blender just sitting unused in a drawer? I always put the hot stuff in the food processor, and make a big mess of it. Stick blender. Stick blender. Stick blender. If I write it fifty times, maybe I'll remember.
ReplyDeleteI got tomatoes today, too *great big grin*.
My immersion blender (stick blender) is one of my most used appliances. Seriously, I LOVE that thing.
ReplyDeleteI need a stick blender, too. :-( Then I could make beautiful sauce like you...
ReplyDeleteYUMMY! You are just the best when it comes to gardening and putting up!
ReplyDeleteEG, lovin' the rhyme.
ReplyDeleteErin, I meant to say that I very rarely watch movies, so I have not seen those you mentioned. AND that I have a crock of tomatoes going. :)
I need to get a stick blender. And make sauce in the crock pot. Brilliant!
ReplyDeleteIt has turned into the stick blender commercial here! I should mention that I bought it for mixing my homemade laundry detergent when I screwed up and it got too thick and I had to mix more water in! $6 and you would think it would be broken by now but it's going on 2 years! I have to hide the bottom part since the kids think it's cool... cool = they want to try it probably when I'm not around!
ReplyDeleteGran, I did the blender thing with hot sauce a few times, I know exactly what you are talking about !
Dani, it's all an illusion, I'm a mess!
Kaytee, welcome! I don't know about brilliant LOL... it seems most of our "brilliant" ideas were born out of necessity or lack of proper supplies! In my case it was wanting to make sauce but not with 2 toddlers underfoot!
ReplyDeleteI registered for my stick blender and received it as a shower gift. It came with a blade & bowl (for mini food processor),a smoothie cup, and a whisk. My food processor parts have broken very recently after a decade of use, but the rest is still going strong. The problem is that I loved the little mini food prep function, but don't need to buy another whole dang set-up as the main motor still works well. Not sure why I am sharing all of this. :)
ReplyDeleteKelly, LOL...
ReplyDeleteThat looks like my kind of dinner! And what yummy looking sauce...oh how I would love to grow enough tomatoes (or any tomatoes) to do that! Maybe some day...
ReplyDeleteOh, yum! It all looks so very good.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm regretting not planting long beans!!!! They are quite delicious...and so is that dish by the looks of things.
ReplyDeleteI like the fact that you added wine to the sauce. Cooking with (while drinking) a bit of red is one of my favorite things. It just adds so much to a sauce.