September: Harvest and Store
Written by: Sumati Shah
Here in my little valley town in Southern Ontario, the weather flipped with the calendar page and blew a cool autumn breeze in with the 1st of September, .as if to make certain that we acknowledge the change. Ok, I’m taking the cue!
Enjoy your harvest.
Tomatoes of all shapes and sizes are pouring in now – it’s the season of sharing. It’s also the season for canning and freezing. I plan for this bounty. It feeds my household through much of the winter (not entirely of course – I’m not talking ‘homesteading’ level here – but we enjoy tomato sauce from our own tomatoes all winter long.
Beans. I’ve sadly (sort of?) not got a good bean harvest. This is because I failed to rabbit proof the bean patch – ok fine, this is where the Garden Journal from last week comes into play. Chicken wire cage for bean patch in 2022 – got it.
Back to the tomatoes though. Seriously, who doesn’t end up with more tomatoes than they know what to do with when the plants have a good year? It’s pretty delightful problem to have. Canning tomato sauce is something I enjoy doing, the process. Music in the kitchen with an apron and ‘the system’. It’s a sort old fashioned delight to my senses and soul.
Alternatively, when the bounty doesn’t all come in at once (every season has its own way) and there’s not really a big batch to make sauce, I freeze them – and it’s perfect! Just wash and dry the tomatoes and then into the freezer bag they go! I take out what I need when I need it, pop those frozen tomatoes into a bowl of warm water (because I’m often last minute about cooking), let them sit for a few minutes and the skin pops off, a little chop to remove the core and we’re off.
I also freeze the over abundance of any other cherry or beefsteak, they’re a nice poppy addition when I’m cooking anything with a tomato base or addition.
Rule of Green Thumbs: Overabundant Harvest?
- Share – maybe your neighbours or friends don’t or can’t have a garden!
- Can – a simple basic sauce is best – fewer ingredients makes for more reliable long term stability – and more versatility of use
- Freeze – any and all tomatoes are great to freeze for later use in just about any dish calling for canned tomatoes – even the cherries!
Go Go Green Thumbs!
