22 lbs in a week

All of these tomatoes were processed over the weekend.

8 pounds turned into Freshy Fresh Pasta Sauce and a good portion of that went into Mama's Lasagne. Other than using Italian Sausage for the protein and grating cheese instead of using pre-grated cheese from the store (eek), we stayed true to the recipe. The lasagne is delicious. I tried taking photos of it for you, but the lighting has been very unflattering. Maybe I can stage something before it's all gone.

10 pounds were crushed and canned according to the directions from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.


Crushed Tomatoes

Not having canned tomatoes before, I thought I'd start small with 10 pounds. The guideline from the web site was 14 pounds for 9 pints, so I thought 10 pounds would be just short of 7 pint jars--my canner rack holds 7 pint jars comfortably. Our tomatoes must be overly juicy because 10 pounds was over 8 pints. Next time I'll use quart jars and I shouldn't have a problem. The overage is in the fridge and might be used in tomato bisque.

In addition to the tomatoes in Friday's photo, I picked ~4 pounds over the weekend and we gave those away. Looks like I'm going to be spending a lot of time with pots boiling on the stove until summer's over. Not that I'm complaining... being able to enjoy our own tomatoes this winter will make it all worth it.