Speaking of the end of summer, does anyone have any tomatoes in their gardens? We put in a dozen or more plants and have barely had enough to eat let alone can. I was resigned to not having canned tomatoes for the winter and then something weird happened.
Someone gave me four boxes of canning jars, about six dozen altogether. Not that I needed them, I have plenty but who can turn down free canning jars? Before they were even unloaded from my van, someone offered my husband 85 pounds of fresh, ready to can tomatoes. About six boxes. I don't know how they knew it was 85 pounds, did they weigh them? 85 lbs sounds like an obscene amount of tomatoes to bring home to your wife who had a bad day due to a really annoying book review.
Being the considerate husband that he is, he called me first and asked if I would want to can tomatoes. What do I say? First all the jars appear, followed by all the tomatoes. Obviously, someone is trying to tell me something. Is there going to be a famine in the land? Will I be so busy with my happy, successful life this winter that I won't have time to go to the grocery store? Will the economy collapse? Will our family economy collapse?
Who knows why it is so important for me to can tomatoes, but clearly it is. I say Yes. Bring home the 85 lbs of tomatoes and let's see what we can do.
Eight hours later. That is eight hours straight of me in the kitchen on my feet preparing and canning tomatoes. Hello world out there, I just want to say hi. Now I'm going to bed.
Someone gave me four boxes of canning jars, about six dozen altogether. Not that I needed them, I have plenty but who can turn down free canning jars? Before they were even unloaded from my van, someone offered my husband 85 pounds of fresh, ready to can tomatoes. About six boxes. I don't know how they knew it was 85 pounds, did they weigh them? 85 lbs sounds like an obscene amount of tomatoes to bring home to your wife who had a bad day due to a really annoying book review.
Being the considerate husband that he is, he called me first and asked if I would want to can tomatoes. What do I say? First all the jars appear, followed by all the tomatoes. Obviously, someone is trying to tell me something. Is there going to be a famine in the land? Will I be so busy with my happy, successful life this winter that I won't have time to go to the grocery store? Will the economy collapse? Will our family economy collapse?
Who knows why it is so important for me to can tomatoes, but clearly it is. I say Yes. Bring home the 85 lbs of tomatoes and let's see what we can do.
Eight hours later. That is eight hours straight of me in the kitchen on my feet preparing and canning tomatoes. Hello world out there, I just want to say hi. Now I'm going to bed.
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I am sure that you will be so busy writing your next book, doing book tours, visiting Oprah, and doing research in Italy that you won't be able to go to the store. Those tomatoes will be sooo good. By the way, nice that the jars came first. Can you imagine your regret if you said no to the tomatoes because you didn't have any jars?!?
ReplyDeleteWhat a skill to have!! I wouldn't even now how to begin to can tomatoes so yay for you!!!!
ReplyDeleteI say tomorrow is another day (so shred that review in the past and to be forgotten place!)
Take care
x
We eat our tomatoes as fast as we grow them, so no canning here. Thank goodness--I'm sure I'd make a muddle of it.
ReplyDeleteJane, you are cracking me up. I've sure missed your posts and comments here in blog world. Yes, it was like a sign. First the jars, then the tomatoes. It was clear what I had to do.
ReplyDeleteKitty, All you need is a book of instructions, a canner, lids, rings, a whole bunch of canning jars (and you have to know what those are LOL), free tomatoes from your or someone else's garden, an entire day of nothing else going on but processing the tomatoes, and your computer handy so you can visit blogs when you get a few minutes to sit down. Easy! Anyone can do it!
Linda G., They're so good fresh from the vine. I only can them when I have about 85 lbs. of extra ones we can't eat.
Karen, that was such a lovely post, Gosh, I admire you canning all those tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteIf you wrote a book, Karens world - advice from her kitchen, it would be just like eat,pray,love without the travelling.
Brigid, what a compliment, because I adore the book Eat, Pray, Love. Irish sister, we have got to drag ourselves away from our kitchens and our dust bunnies and write our stories!!
ReplyDelete