Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Heirloom Tomatoes & Squeezo Machine




My Favorite tomatoes for slicing and eating plain are the heirloom varieties. They are flavorful and come in so many unusual colors. Aren't these green ones gorgeous? They are fully ripe and this beautiful bright green color. The best tasting though, this year, was the dark ones that had a purple/black skin with a reddish pink flesh called Pierce's Pride. It's pictured here on the plate with the green variety and a delicious yellow tomato.

We also like the big tomato varieties for sandwiches, such as Big Boy or Beefsteak.

And the best for cooking into a sauce are the Roma varieties. This year I found an Amish tomato that was like the Roma only much bigger. The reason the Roma tomato is good for making sauce is because it is a fleshier tomato with less juice and so it thickens beautifully. With the amount of tomatoes we grow though almost every variety ends up in my tomato sauce.

I use this squeezo strainer to remove skins and seeds from the pulp. Mine is very old (at least 50 years). One can buy them new for over $200 new, but I did see quite a few up for auction today on ebay starting for a lot less money. It's a very handy machine for making tomato sauces as well as apple sauce. There is a crank on one side. Out the other side of the squeezo comes the skins and seeds, which we toss into the compost. The large funnel at the top is where the blanched product goes in, and then there is a spout out the front where the pulp comes out. We attach it to our picnic table because it can be quite a juicy mess.

Nothing can be simpler than cooking down this sauce and processing it up for winter storage. Every modern canning book will have picture instuctions for how to can or process tomato sauce. These books can be purchased any place where canning jars and other canning products sold.

Here the the girls and Noah are helping to make applesauce last fall. We get our apples from one of the many orchards just south of the Missouri River. We usually combine a juicy sweet Gala or similar type apple with some tart Jonathon's for our applesauce, which I also process for winter use. Look here to see my canning recipes for the best salsa and old fashioned cucumber relish.

6 comments:

Jonara Blu Maui said...

Those tomatoes are gorgeous..I had no idea that they came in so many different colors! I wanna taste!

MamaCta! said...

I just have to say the picture of the sliced tomatoes is so artistic and delicious looking. Makes me want to go out and get some tomatoes. But can't find any around here that would taste as good as I imagine those taste.

ChezChani said...

Once, long ago and far away, we lived in the country and had a garden. Store tomatoes taste nothing like fresh picked, I just loved to eat it plain, like an apple. I miss those days and that place. The only thing I can grow is weeds, and I'm getting really good at it. Thanks for sharing this and that picture of the sliced tomatoes could be framed.

Barbara said...

Thank you for stopping by my blog. It led me to yours and I must say I now have a craving for some really sweet, juicy tomatoes! I moved back from Arizona a year ago partly so I could get good produce again and I haven't been disappointed!

I also love your jewelry! The colors and style are so pretty. You should do well on Etsy with these.

You are an ambitious lady and my hat goes off to you.

carmilevy said...

Those colors are permanently embedded into my eyes...how beautiful they all are!

You've reminded me that the things that taste best are always the ones that were made at home, by the people who matter most.

merel huijben said...

I cant believe its already been a year and a half since I visited yall! the tomatoes look great I bet they taste great too! hugs to all