On Thu, 12 May 2011 01:29:59 +0000 (UTC), Nad R
wrote:

zxcvbob wrote:
Sue wrote:
On Wed, 11 May 2011 16:21:55 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:
On May 11, 7:11 pm, 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.
If your canning for sauce Roma's are the best and the grow in a fairly
compact plant.
Sorry. I should have been more specific. No, I grow for stewed
tomatoes - tomatoes with onion, celery and bell peppers.
Sue


Any tomato will work then. Maybe plant a couple Better Boy and one
something-else (Roma?) Better Boy is a hybrid all-purpose tomato. It
has good flavor and usually yields very high.

Bob

Find a local green house nursery instead of the big box warehouse places.
Nurseries will have healthier and a greater selection of plants.

Chuckle. We have no local green house. The closest possible would be
35 miles from here. Since I have no pressing need to go out of town
in the next few days (my only reason is for doctor's appts) the cost
would be pretty awful considering the price of gas right now.


Tomatoes for canning are divided into two categories, "Plum" and "Globe".
Plums tomatoes are great for sauces they have a higher pulp to juice ratio.
Plums also have Plum shape to them, tends to be long and tapered at the
ends. Globes are more rounded and good for general canning and for soups.
Romas "plum" tomatoes are good for sauces and Big Boys "globe" tomatoes are
good for Juices and Soups.

One problem I had last year was that I didn't have enough tomatoes at
any given time to can. I'm thinking maybe my error was in getting two
different varieties (2 plants each). I don't know. They just weren't
successful.
Sue

Sue wrote:
On Thu, 12 May 2011 01:29:59 +0000 (UTC), Nad R
wrote:

Find a local green house nursery instead of the big box warehouse places.
Nurseries will have healthier and a greater selection of plants.

Chuckle. We have no local green house. The closest possible would be
35 miles from here. Since I have no pressing need to go out of town
in the next few days (my only reason is for doctor's appts) the cost
would be pretty awful considering the price of gas right now.

You must be living in the city. I live in the country were their are lots
of green houses and nurseries. I love the nurseries where thousands of
plants of many kinds surround you. The colors and the numerous sweet earthy
smells... Better than going to a movie.

Tomatoes for canning are divided into two categories, "Plum" and "Globe".
Plums tomatoes are great for sauces they have a higher pulp to juice ratio.
Plums also have Plum shape to them, tends to be long and tapered at the
ends. Globes are more rounded and good for general canning and for soups.
Romas "plum" tomatoes are good for sauces and Big Boys "globe" tomatoes are
good for Juices and Soups.

One problem I had last year was that I didn't have enough tomatoes at
any given time to can. I'm thinking maybe my error was in getting two
different varieties (2 plants each). I don't know. They just weren't
successful.
Sue

I will subdivide tomatoes once again. Their are two kinds of tomatoes
plants, "Determinate" and "InDeterminate". Determinate tomatoes ripen on
the vine all at once which are great for canning. Determinate tomatoes have
a single stalk that grows upwards, Romas and Beefsteaks are determinate.
Indeterminate tomato plants provide fruits throughout the season, never
enough for canning. Indeterminate tomato plants are bush like with no main
stalk. Examples of indeterminate tomato plants are "Early Girl" and
"Cherry". You will not get enough to even think about canning.

Indeterminate tomatoes use those ring like tomato supports. Determinate
tomatoes plants tend to use ladder supports. I would think for canning
small amounts, six plants at least would be a minimum. Around Three pounds
of tomatoes for each quart of whole canned tomatoes. I will be growing
close to forty tomato plants for canning this fall for me myself and I.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)

In article ,
Nad R wrote:

Determinate tomatoes ripen on
the vine all at once which are great for canning.

Make that "all at once-ish". It's more like a bell curve with a few
ripening, leading to a lot ripening, and goes back to a few ripening,
and ends with winter.
--
- Billy

Bush's 3rd term: Obama plus another elective war
Bush's 4th term: another Judas goat

America is not broke. The country is awash in wealth and cash.
It's just that it's not in your hands. It has been transferred, in the
greatest heist in history, from the workers and consumers to the banks
and the portfolios of the uber-rich.
http://theuptake.org/2011/03/05/michael-moore-the-big-lie-wisconsin-is-broke/

Billy wrote:
In article ,
Nad R wrote:

Determinate tomatoes ripen on
the vine all at once which are great for canning.

Make that "all at once-ish". It's more like a bell curve with a few
ripening, leading to a lot ripening, and goes back to a few ripening,
and ends with winter.

Ouch...that hurts!
My math teacher always did hit me with that ruler for not adding my error
rates.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)

In article ,
Nad R wrote:

Billy wrote:
In article ,
Nad R wrote:

Determinate tomatoes ripen on
the vine all at once which are great for canning.

Make that "all at once-ish". It's more like a bell curve with a few
ripening, leading to a lot ripening, and goes back to a few ripening,
and ends with winter.

Ouch...that hurts!
My math teacher always did hit me with that ruler for not adding my error
rates.

Too young to hit with a slide rule, huh?
--
- Billy

Bush's 3rd term: Obama plus another elective war
Bush's 4th term: another Judas goat

America is not broke. The country is awash in wealth and cash.
It's just that it's not in your hands. It has been transferred, in the
greatest heist in history, from the workers and consumers to the banks
and the portfolios of the uber-rich.
http://theuptake.org/2011/03/05/michael-moore-the-big-lie-wisconsin-is-broke/

On Thu, 12 May 2011 07:05:27 +0000 (UTC), Nad R
wrote:

Sue wrote:
On Thu, 12 May 2011 01:29:59 +0000 (UTC), Nad R
wrote:

Find a local green house nursery instead of the big box warehouse places.
Nurseries will have healthier and a greater selection of plants.

Chuckle. We have no local green house. The closest possible would be
35 miles from here. Since I have no pressing need to go out of town
in the next few days (my only reason is for doctor's appts) the cost
would be pretty awful considering the price of gas right now.

You must be living in the city. I live in the country were their are lots
of green houses and nurseries. I love the nurseries where thousands of
plants of many kinds surround you. The colors and the numerous sweet earthy
smells... Better than going to a movie.

LOL. No city here. I live in a town of 34,000 in the San Joaquin
Valley of California. Thousands of acres of commercially grown
canning tomatoes grown around here (as well as cotton, almonds,
cantaloupes, sugar beats, wheat, dairy cows, sheep. Oh, I could go
out into a field and get the tomatoes I suppose but I'd rather grow
them myself. No, there is no nursery around here other than an orchid
nursery.


Tomatoes for canning are divided into two categories, "Plum" and "Globe".
Plums tomatoes are great for sauces they have a higher pulp to juice ratio.
Plums also have Plum shape to them, tends to be long and tapered at the
ends. Globes are more rounded and good for general canning and for soups.
Romas "plum" tomatoes are good for sauces and Big Boys "globe" tomatoes are
good for Juices and Soups.

One problem I had last year was that I didn't have enough tomatoes at
any given time to can. I'm thinking maybe my error was in getting two
different varieties (2 plants each). I don't know. They just weren't
successful.
Sue

I will subdivide tomatoes once again. Their are two kinds of tomatoes
plants, "Determinate" and "InDeterminate". Determinate tomatoes ripen on
the vine all at once which are great for canning. Determinate tomatoes have
a single stalk that grows upwards, Romas and Beefsteaks are determinate.
Indeterminate tomato plants provide fruits throughout the season, never
enough for canning. Indeterminate tomato plants are bush like with no main
stalk. Examples of indeterminate tomato plants are "Early Girl" and
"Cherry". You will not get enough to even think about canning.

Indeterminate tomatoes use those ring like tomato supports. Determinate
tomatoes plants tend to use ladder supports. I would think for canning
small amounts, six plants at least would be a minimum. Around Three pounds
of tomatoes for each quart of whole canned tomatoes. I will be growing
close to forty tomato plants for canning this fall for me myself and I.

Excellent info. I knew about the two types and suspected that's where
I may have gone wrong in the last couple of years. I think it was
just luck my first 3 years of growing tomatoes. Thanks!
Sue

Sue wrote:

LOL. No city here. I live in a town of 34,000 in the San Joaquin

Wow! That's massive! My township I live in has less than 5,000 people for
100 square miles... You must be living on top of each other no wonder
you only have space for just a couple of plants

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)

On Fri, 13 May 2011 00:50:16 +0000 (UTC), Nad R
wrote:

Sue wrote:

LOL. No city here. I live in a town of 34,000 in the San Joaquin

Wow! That's massive! My township I live in has less than 5,000 people for
100 square miles... You must be living on top of each other no wonder
you only have space for just a couple of plants

) I understand. I used to live in a small town in Alaska.

On Thu, 12 May 2011 07:05:27 +0000 (UTC), Nad R
wrote:



I will subdivide tomatoes once again. Their are two kinds of tomatoes
plants, "Determinate" and "InDeterminate". Determinate tomatoes ripen on
the vine all at once which are great for canning. Determinate tomatoes have
a single stalk that grows upwards, Romas and Beefsteaks are determinate.
Indeterminate tomato plants provide fruits throughout the season, never
enough for canning. Indeterminate tomato plants are bush like with no main
stalk. Examples of indeterminate tomato plants are "Early Girl" and
"Cherry". You will not get enough to even think about canning.

The Early Girl were labeled as determinate. Oops.
Sue

Sue wrote:
On Thu, 12 May 2011 07:05:27 +0000 (UTC), Nad R
wrote:



I will subdivide tomatoes once again. Their are two kinds of tomatoes
plants, "Determinate" and "InDeterminate". Determinate tomatoes ripen on
the vine all at once which are great for canning. Determinate tomatoes have
a single stalk that grows upwards, Romas and Beefsteaks are determinate.
Indeterminate tomato plants provide fruits throughout the season, never
enough for canning. Indeterminate tomato plants are bush like with no main
stalk. Examples of indeterminate tomato plants are "Early Girl" and
"Cherry". You will not get enough to even think about canning.

The Early Girl were labeled as determinate. Oops.
Sue

I wish I was perfect
Sounds like you know the process of selecting the kind of tomato you want.
Now where did I put that Arecept memory drug.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)

On Sat, 14 May 2011 10:46:14 +0000 (UTC), Nad R
wrote:

Sue wrote:
On Thu, 12 May 2011 07:05:27 +0000 (UTC), Nad R
wrote:



I will subdivide tomatoes once again. Their are two kinds of tomatoes
plants, "Determinate" and "InDeterminate". Determinate tomatoes ripen on
the vine all at once which are great for canning. Determinate tomatoes have
a single stalk that grows upwards, Romas and Beefsteaks are determinate.
Indeterminate tomato plants provide fruits throughout the season, never
enough for canning. Indeterminate tomato plants are bush like with no main
stalk. Examples of indeterminate tomato plants are "Early Girl" and
"Cherry". You will not get enough to even think about canning.

The Early Girl were labeled as determinate. Oops.
Sue

I wish I was perfect
Sounds like you know the process of selecting the kind of tomato you want.
Now where did I put that Arecept memory drug.

I was oopsing at me. I thought the label was wrong. ;o)
Sue - with memory issues of her own.

Sue wrote:

-snip-
One problem I had last year was that I didn't have enough tomatoes at
any given time to can. I'm thinking maybe my error was in getting two
different varieties (2 plants each). I don't know. They just weren't
successful.

With 4 plants, I'd be concentrating on good eating tomatoes. Buy the
canning tomatoes from a local farm by the bushel. Enjoy the fresh
ones while you are able.

I plant a dozen plants and don't plan on canning any. [if I have a
good crop I'll do some chili sauce]

Jim

Sue wrote:
On Thu, 12 May 2011 01:29:59 +0000 (UTC), Nad R
wrote:

zxcvbob wrote:
Sue wrote:
On Wed, 11 May 2011 16:21:55 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:
On May 11, 7:11 pm, 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.
If your canning for sauce Roma's are the best and the grow in a fairly
compact plant.
Sorry. I should have been more specific. No, I grow for stewed
tomatoes - tomatoes with onion, celery and bell peppers.
Sue

Any tomato will work then. Maybe plant a couple Better Boy and one
something-else (Roma?) Better Boy is a hybrid all-purpose tomato. It
has good flavor and usually yields very high.

Bob
Find a local green house nursery instead of the big box warehouse places.
Nurseries will have healthier and a greater selection of plants.

Chuckle. We have no local green house. The closest possible would be
35 miles from here. Since I have no pressing need to go out of town
in the next few days (my only reason is for doctor's appts) the cost
would be pretty awful considering the price of gas right now.

Tomatoes for canning are divided into two categories, "Plum" and "Globe".
Plums tomatoes are great for sauces they have a higher pulp to juice ratio.
Plums also have Plum shape to them, tends to be long and tapered at the
ends. Globes are more rounded and good for general canning and for soups.
Romas "plum" tomatoes are good for sauces and Big Boys "globe" tomatoes are
good for Juices and Soups.

One problem I had last year was that I didn't have enough tomatoes at
any given time to can. I'm thinking maybe my error was in getting two
different varieties (2 plants each). I don't know. They just weren't
successful.
Sue



If I get enough peppers and tomatoes at once, I can a batch or two of
salsa, but mostly my tomatoes are for eating fresh and giving a few
away. Commercial canned tomatoes are so good and so cheap, it hardly
pays to can your own -- except occasionally as practice so you know
*how* to can your own if you need to someday. In a pinch I can use
canned whole tomatoes (the big #10 cans from Sam's Club) and fresh
chiles and onions to make salsa.

Tomatillos actually grow better here (Minnesota) than tomatoes, so I
like growing a few of them for green salsa. They usually reseed
themselves and I just transplant a few, but I didn't get any volunteer
seedlings last year so I bought some fresh tomatillos and planted
seeds saved from the biggest one. They are coming along nicely.

Here's my favorite salsa recipe:

Chile Salsa
(from USDA bulletin 539) yield: 6 to 8 pints

5 pounds tomatoes
2 pounds chile peppers
1 pound onions, chopped
1 cup vinegar (5%)
3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Roast and peel peppers if they have tough skins (not necessary with
jalapeños or serranos) remove seeds and stems, chop. Scald and peel
tomatoes; chop. Combine all ingredients in large saucepan. Bring to
a boil and simmer 10 minutes. Ladle into pint jars, leave 1/2 inch
headspace. Adjust lids and process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

Notes: If the tomatoes are too juicy, add an 8 ounce can of tomato
sauce or a tablespoon of tomato paste. I like using half bottled
lemon juice and half white vinegar instead of straight vinegar. I
don't know why but it tastes better than using all vinegar or all
lemon juice.

-Bob

On Thu, 12 May 2011 12:48:57 -0500, zxcvbob
wrote:

Sue wrote:
On Thu, 12 May 2011 01:29:59 +0000 (UTC), Nad R
wrote:

zxcvbob wrote:
Sue wrote:
On Wed, 11 May 2011 16:21:55 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:
On May 11, 7:11 pm, 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.
If your canning for sauce Roma's are the best and the grow in a fairly
compact plant.
Sorry. I should have been more specific. No, I grow for stewed
tomatoes - tomatoes with onion, celery and bell peppers.
Sue

Any tomato will work then. Maybe plant a couple Better Boy and one
something-else (Roma?) Better Boy is a hybrid all-purpose tomato. It
has good flavor and usually yields very high.

Bob
Find a local green house nursery instead of the big box warehouse places.
Nurseries will have healthier and a greater selection of plants.

Chuckle. We have no local green house. The closest possible would be
35 miles from here. Since I have no pressing need to go out of town
in the next few days (my only reason is for doctor's appts) the cost
would be pretty awful considering the price of gas right now.

Tomatoes for canning are divided into two categories, "Plum" and "Globe".
Plums tomatoes are great for sauces they have a higher pulp to juice ratio.
Plums also have Plum shape to them, tends to be long and tapered at the
ends. Globes are more rounded and good for general canning and for soups.
Romas "plum" tomatoes are good for sauces and Big Boys "globe" tomatoes are
good for Juices and Soups.

One problem I had last year was that I didn't have enough tomatoes at
any given time to can. I'm thinking maybe my error was in getting two
different varieties (2 plants each). I don't know. They just weren't
successful.
Sue



If I get enough peppers and tomatoes at once, I can a batch or two of
salsa, but mostly my tomatoes are for eating fresh and giving a few
away. Commercial canned tomatoes are so good and so cheap, it hardly
pays to can your own -- except occasionally as practice so you know
*how* to can your own if you need to someday. In a pinch I can use
canned whole tomatoes (the big #10 cans from Sam's Club) and fresh
chiles and onions to make salsa.

Tomatillos actually grow better here (Minnesota) than tomatoes, so I
like growing a few of them for green salsa. They usually reseed
themselves and I just transplant a few, but I didn't get any volunteer
seedlings last year so I bought some fresh tomatillos and planted
seeds saved from the biggest one. They are coming along nicely.

Here's my favorite salsa recipe:

Chile Salsa
(from USDA bulletin 539) yield: 6 to 8 pints

5 pounds tomatoes
2 pounds chile peppers
1 pound onions, chopped
1 cup vinegar (5%)
3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Roast and peel peppers if they have tough skins (not necessary with
jalapeños or serranos) remove seeds and stems, chop. Scald and peel
tomatoes; chop. Combine all ingredients in large saucepan. Bring to
a boil and simmer 10 minutes. Ladle into pint jars, leave 1/2 inch
headspace. Adjust lids and process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

Notes: If the tomatoes are too juicy, add an 8 ounce can of tomato
sauce or a tablespoon of tomato paste. I like using half bottled
lemon juice and half white vinegar instead of straight vinegar. I
don't know why but it tastes better than using all vinegar or all
lemon juice.

-Bob

Thanks. Oh, I don't see that my canned stewed tomatoes are any better
than what I could buy at the store. It's just the satisfaction of
doing it. I was raised by a career woman who made strawberry jam
*once*. That was the total of her canning.
Thanks for the recipe!
Sue

Sue wrote:

Oh, I don't see that my canned stewed tomatoes are any better
than what I could buy at the store. It's just the satisfaction of
doing it. I was raised by a career woman who made strawberry jam
*once*. That was the total of her canning.

I sympathize with running a hobby to completion once and then losing
interest. I've done that with most of the crafts that I have tried. I
demonstrated to myself I could do X. Done. Next project type.

Only a few hobbies I've continued. Herb gardens, home brewing ...