ikslo Posted March 26, 2023 Share Posted March 26, 2023 8 hours ago, SHP said: It was half way nice out today. I ended up overwhelmed with all the things to do and managed to do nothing. Then had a long conversation with the husband about why staining/painting when the high is 56 is NOT ok when the directions said to only stain/paint when it is above 60. I cannot tell if he is being intent obtuse or thinks that doing things wrong to check a box will help my anxiety and is trying to push without regard to the long term. Yes, he has ADHD. Tomorrow I will make a list breaking everything down to avoid this goong forward. (((SHP))) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikslo Posted March 26, 2023 Share Posted March 26, 2023 (edited) 51 minutes ago, cjzimmer1 said: My relatives own a greenhouse. The year COVID hit, we ended up with a lot more tomato plants leftover than usual. I didn't have the heart to throw them away so I planted everything I could. Every nook and cranny of garden space was tucked with tomatoes, every empty pot I could scavage up got a tomato. I planted 84 that year. My land is smaller than yours, you can do this! On a side note, I'm still using up the tomatoes I canned that year. 10 hours ago, Melissa in Australia said: This summer I planted 60 I have decided that it is slightly too many. Just about every preserving jar is full, and I am now taking basket loads to Dd for her. It is autumn now. I am trying to steel myself up to rip out loaded tomatoes plants as I have preserved over a years worth of ketchup, spaghetti Sauce, Salas, pizza sauce and bottled tomatoes I guess I need to learn how to can tomatoes. Edited March 26, 2023 by ikslo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted March 26, 2023 Share Posted March 26, 2023 4 minutes ago, ikslo said: I guess I need to learn how to can tomatoes. Yes! Tomatoes are so acidic they are very straightforward to can. Also, you can cook any tomatoes down to tomato paste - it just takes longer for juicier tomatoes and the yield will be lower, but if you have 40 plants producing that is probably ok! I freeze tomato paste in blobs since it doesn't take up so much freezer space as while tomatoes would. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikslo Posted March 26, 2023 Share Posted March 26, 2023 Sauce in the freezer is what I have done in the past - I just don’t have a very big freezer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted March 26, 2023 Author Share Posted March 26, 2023 8 hours ago, Miss Tick said: Yes! Tomatoes are so acidic they are very straightforward to can. Also, you can cook any tomatoes down to tomato paste - it just takes longer for juicier tomatoes and the yield will be lower, but if you have 40 plants producing that is probably ok! I freeze tomato paste in blobs since it doesn't take up so much freezer space as while tomatoes would. And you can blanch them, remove the skins, bag, and freeze. They blend nicely when thawed so you can make sauces with them or as chilli base. I plan to do that this year whenever I have too many tomatoes ripe to eat fresh, but not enough to do a canning load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted March 26, 2023 Share Posted March 26, 2023 Just now, Faith-manor said: And you can blanch them, remove the skins, bag, and freeze. They blend nicely when thawed so you can make sauces with them or as chilli base. I plan to do that this year whenever I have too many tomatoes ripe to eat fresh, but not enough to do a canning load. I quickly run out of freezer space, but I have wondered if I could then thaw and can the frozen tomatoes when I have a few quarts worth collected. Have you ever tried that? Or perhaps you have a juicy, dire warning against the practice? 7 hours ago, ikslo said: Sauce in the freezer is what I have done in the past - I just don’t have a very big freezer. Well, it doesn't get more concentrated than tomato paste. Think of it as Instant Sauce Base for later on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted March 27, 2023 Author Share Posted March 27, 2023 46 minutes ago, Miss Tick said: I quickly run out of freezer space, but I have wondered if I could then thaw and can the frozen tomatoes when I have a few quarts worth collected. Have you ever tried that? Or perhaps you have a juicy, dire warning against the practice? Well, it doesn't get more concentrated than tomato paste. Think of it as Instant Sauce Base for later on? Yes, they come out like a can of crushed tomatoes. You need to really pack the jars well so you don't need to add very much water since the freezing process seems to break them down a bit. But crushed tomatoes work for me for many sauces anyway, so I don't mind. My family doesn't really like tomato lumpy pasta sauce or chilli so I run my jars of tomatoes through the blender before cooking with them except for salsa which I make with fresh picked tomatoes, cook up, and then can. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHP Posted March 29, 2023 Share Posted March 29, 2023 I asked my gym rat friends if they wanted to save money on their gym membership and come work in my garden. Sadly, no interest. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted March 29, 2023 Author Share Posted March 29, 2023 So because Michigan is evil and awful, we are experiencing freezing rain. I have not been able to do anything in the raised bed I already have, and dh had not been able to build the news ones. When we aren't waffling back and forth between rain and snow, we have winds of 30-50 mph. Sigh. I am so over this. 😠😭 AND my mother in law through a massive monkey wrench in all my plans, and I have to take her to her gradndaughter's, a ten hour trip one way, next week and since it would be stupid to return home only to go back three days later to get her, spend five days in P.A., and no one will be here to watch over my plants if the seeds germinate so I can't start seeds indoors this week or next. I am waiting for April 6, planting them, turning the plant light on, and leaving a couple of bowls of water on the shelves with string from the bowls into each pod as a way of water wicking irrigation until I return and hoping that will be okay if they germinate while I am gone. I am NOT a happy gardener at the moment. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted March 29, 2023 Share Posted March 29, 2023 We have been having daily hail storms. The kids flipped the switch to the power to the outlets where all of my seedlings are. As the lights are timed to come on at night (ie, free nightlight), I didn’t catch it for a few days. I think I lost most of my sugar snap peas and tomatoes. Recovery isn’t going well. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted March 29, 2023 Share Posted March 29, 2023 (edited) https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-30/spc-canned-tomato-supply-halved-vic-tomato-growers-weather/102142440 Good idea to preserve some tomatoes if you have too many Edited March 29, 2023 by Melissa in Australia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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