Sue wrote:
On 12 May 2011 02:01:40 GMT, General Schvantzkoph
wrote:
On Wed, 11 May 2011 16:11:44 -0700, Sue wrote:
I am really late getting my garden in this year and finally have the
ground prepared. Whatever tomatoes I planted last year just didn't do
well for canning purposes. I'm not starting from seeds and get my
plants at Lowe's or Home Depot. Any suggestion on a good variety to can
(that I would find at either of those two stores)? My garden is *very*
small so I can't put in too many plants. Sue in the San Joaquin Valley
of Calif.
This is an unconventional answer because it's a cherry tomato, but the Sun
Gold makes incredible sauce. The Sun Gold is terrific eating tomato, the
sweetest of any tomato that I've eaten. It's also an extremely prolific
plant, they start producing early and they continue to produce for months
so you'll have more tomatoes that you'll know what to do with. I made
about 5 gallons of sauce from them last year which I'm still eating. I
freeze my sauce, I don't can so I'm not sure how well it will work for
that, but for frozen sauce they're great.
As an aside, don't buy your plants from a big box store, buy them from a
local nursery. The big box stores don't carry interesting varieties, a
good nursery will have many more choices including heirlooms, and the
plants will be better adapted to local conditions. The plants will also be
healthier, the big box stores wiped out the entire New England tomato crop
a couple of years ago by selling plants that were infected with late
blight.
I was pretty sure I'd get some objections when I posted about Lowe's
or Home Depot. At least I didn't say Wal*Mart. We have no local
nursery. Used to many years ago. The closest possible is 35 miles
away. Gas prices being what they are....
Apparently we haven't had the blight problem here as this is a major
commercial tomato growing area and if we'd had it there would have
been a huge hew and cry.
A few years ago I made an attempt at canning catsup. That was just
too much work for one measly pint. I'm guessing that making tomato
sauce would be the same. I tried making spaghetti sauce once, but it
came out bitter. Tried twice and didn't like the results either time.
I thought I'd burned it the first time since my stove doesn't turn
down as low as it should so the second time I stirred it for the
entire 20 or 30 minutes. Waaay too much work and still awful.
I've always grown some Sweet 100s that were just delicious eating
tomatoes. Almost like candy.
Sue
For sauces, the skins and seeds need to be removed with a food strainer.
Seeds and skins can cause the sauce to become bitter. Also hot house
tomatoes tend to be bitter anyways. Commercial tomato venders cannot
provide a good vine ripen tomato, no way, just not possible. Fresh vine
ripe is always sweeter almost candy like.
Minutes to make sauce for canning... Try hours....
Either you are on the other side of the planet or cat like me and up half
the night. Three in the morning here watching the lighting in the distance
dark sky.
--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)