Tomatoes

The tomatoes in the raised beds have been producing nicely. The two varieties are called Brandywine and Celebrity. Brandywine is a heirloom variety which is knobbly and misshapen but tasty, while the Celebrity is a hybrid and more uniform and round.

I thought I'd try stewing them and then freezing. I wanted to peel the skins, so I washed and scored the bottoms. Then I blanched them for about a minute and then transferred them to ice cold water in the sink. The skins came off very easily.

Then I chopped them and cooked them until the liquid was reduced by half. I put the hot stewed tomatoes into canning jars and sealed with a lid. After cooling them, I put them in the freezer.

At some point, I want to learn more about proper canning and plan to take a class at Homestead Heritage. But until then I am using my freezer.