I am about 20 lbs into this year’s tomato-preserving extravaganza with tomatoes crammed into every nook and cranny of the new kitchen. It is at this time of year that my extended family accepts that I have gone off the deep end of my homemade mission, but I assure you that the seeming madness is well worth it. I have not purchased a shelf-stable tomato product from the grocery store since early 2012. It has forced me to moderate our year-round tomato consumption and there is great peace of mind in knowing that I know the how, when and where of every tomato that goes into our meals. I am a little behind this year because of the move, but am feeling good about the progress that I have made in a week:
- basic tomato sauce – 5 ½ pints
- oven roasted tomatoes – 2 pints (freezer)
- enchilada sauce – 2 ½ pints (freezer)
- ketchup – 3 ½ pints in ¼ cup portions
The few spare pounds that I’ve had left have quickly disappeared to tomato salads and fresh salsa, so there has been absolutely no waste so far! I now have to get down to the business of my annual supply of crushed and raw-packed tomatoes. Picking up 20 lbs today to dedicate to that and am hopefully going to be able to put away an additional 20-30 lbs before the season ends.
As for the rest of the kitchen and eating, it is all happening and coming together. Can’t wait to clear tomatolandia so that I can get back to weekly meal planning and the predictability that comes with it.
aneelee 
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