What are you canning now?

[Kismet]

I put 24 roma tomato plants in the ground last weekend will that get me enough to can some sauces?

It should be enough. I have about that many plants I started from seed. They're about four inches tall and it will be June 1st before I can put them out. Sometimes, I envy you your heat (although not your drought - I hope you get more rain this year).

 

[vfem]

I am planning on picking up 12 tomato plants tomorrow. I have a few more coming from a friend as well. Last year I had 20 plants total, only 2 being cherry tomatoes and it wasn't enough for me. This year I want to double that number. Of course, if they were all paste tomatoes I probably would have had plenty!

 

[#1California Chick]

Do you have a recipe to share?? I have berries in the freezer also!

Cindy

 

[#1California Chick]

It ought to be PLENTY to make sauces AND "sun dried" tomatoes -- which are my favorite!

Cindy

 

[#1California Chick]

Clearing the berries out of the freezer. I'm making Triple Berry Jam (Blackberry, Strawberry, Raspberry)

Do you have a recipe??

Cindy

 

[KDbeads]

We put in 12 tomato plants yesterday, 4 celebrity, 4 rutgers, and 4 romas. My mom has extra from the ones she started so I'm thinking we'll get another 10 or 12, probably better boy, big boy and heirloom brandywine. I think that might be just enough....

We just cracked open the last jar of tomatoes last year, we've been using them very sparingly.

BTW, I'm not sure if I found it on this thread or not but we tried out a green tomato relish last fall and it has gotten rave reviews. Even my mom can't get enough of them and that's saying a lot since she's not a relish/pickle person. I didn't have the red bell peppers so I just used more green.

Green Tomato Relish

Ingredients:


Vegetable ingredients:



Brine ingredients:


14 c. green tomato, chopped



1 qt cider vinegar


3 c. green bell pepper, chopped



8 c. sugar


3 c. red bell pepper, chopped



2 Tbsp whole mustard seed


6 c. onion, chopped



2 Tbsp celery seed


2 Tbsp salt






Preparation: Mix all vegetable ingredients and let stand overnight (or approx. 8 hours). In the morning, drain the vegetables.

Bring all brine ingredients to a boil. Add vegetables. Return to a boil.

Ladle relish into pint jars using slotted spoon. Then fill jars with brine. Leave 1/2 inch headspace.

Clean jar rims. Cap with hot lids. Process in boiling water bath 10 minutes.

 

[jomoncon]

Clearing the berries out of the freezer.  I'm making Triple Berry Jam (Blackberry, Strawberry, Raspberry)

That reminds me, I have figs in the freezer from last summer when I got sick & couldn't can them. I guess next week, fig preserves are on the way!

 

[Olive Hill]

How many plants you will need is going to be dependent on a lot of factors: what type of tomatoes you're growing, the quality of your soil, how well you take care of your garden, your climate, the type of sauces you want to make, how much of those sauces your family eats, and so on and so forth.

In general, 4 tomato plants will yield 7 quarts of a basic spaghetti sauce. (Figured at 10 lbs per plant yield, and 40 lbs tomatoes needed per 7 quarts of sauce.) Some tomato plants will yield more heavily than that, some will yield lighter, some tomatoes contain more water and you have to use more, etc, etc, but it's a good place to start.

Personally, for our family of four, 20 plants is not even close to enough. We eat a lot of tomatoes though. Between canned tomatoes, salsa, spaghetti sauce, ketchup, bbq, tomato sauce and tomato paste it adds up quick.

 

[vfem]

Well I found a great deal on tomato plants today. A pack of 4 for $1.50. So I brought home 40 plants

Now... just to find room to plants them all somewhere?!!?!? Hahahaha

 

[math ace]

I planted 40 tomatoe plants last year and had tomatoes running out of my ears LOL...
I only made salsa with them - -- LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of salsa.

My family is really picky when it comes to ketchup..... HUGE Heinze ketchup fans! Trust me on this, they can tell the difference and DON'T like the other brands

So making ketchup would be risky...

Spagetthi sauce we use a lot of and not particular of the brand. HOWEVER, I did a cost comparsion and determined that I could save more money using the tomatoes in salsa vesus watching for sales and using coupons to buy store bought spagetti sauce.

So, I made lots and lots and lots of salsa..... Did I tell you yet that I made LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of salsa from the 40 tomatoe plants that were planted last year ? ? LOL

I think I still have a case of salsa left....

Maybe there are 2 cases left ....