2024 garden season

[JeepHead]

When we have extra tomatoes, after making enough salsa, we make and can marinara sauce. This recipe uses a lot of tomatoes. But it’s best if you have a huge 20 quart pot because you have to reduce it down by half by slow simmering. We don’t bother removing the seeds.

National Center for Home Food Preservation - National Center for Home Food Preservation

The National Center for Home Food Preservation is your source for home food preservation methods.

nchfp.uga.edu

That's one thing I plan to make is spaghetti and pizza sauce. I do have several large pots for fish fries, seafood boils etc. Should work out well.

 

[JeepHead]

Wow. That’s very ambitious. I have a quarter acre garden, but only plant 4 tomatoes. I use concrete wire mesh to make 5’ cages and the openings are large enough to reach through to pick. With 4 plants 6’ high, I pick 2 5 gallon buckets full each week. That’s all we care to mess with.

I have been thinking about various ideas to support the plants. This is one I will have to consider.

I was thinking about putting posts on each end of the garden and running steel cable across and tying the plants to them somehow but don't want to bend the stalks....

 

[DJ54]

When we have extra tomatoes, after making enough salsa, we make and can marinara sauce. This recipe uses a lot of tomatoes. But it’s best if you have a huge 20 quart pot because you have to reduce it down by half by slow simmering. We don’t bother removing the seeds.

National Center for Home Food Preservation - National Center for Home Food Preservation

The National Center for Home Food Preservation is your source for home food preservation methods.

nchfp.uga.edu

Those who preserve tomato products, keep an eye out for a food mill called a Squeezo. I have one but have picked up a couple others at yard sales and thrift stores for friends very reasonable. They make/sell a newer mostly plastic model, but not near the same. Great thing is my cordless drill with chuck up on the auger. I can run a 16 qt. stock pot full of tomatoes through 2X in less than 10 minutes. Just cut and quarter tomatoes, cook them down, no blanching needed to remove skins. The cone screen removes skins and seeds. I catch and run the skins through the second time. Amazing the "goody" you get from them. It's so thick you need a spatula to scrape it off the screen.

3 years ago I experimented with straining the watery juice through a colander from the tomatoes before running through the Squeezo. It literally peaked up in my 4 cup measuring cup I fill jars with like a milkshake. It had settled some when I walked over in front of the freezer for a nice white background so it would show up better. Sure saves a lot of time and energy cooking down to thicken. Years back I used a electric roaster to cook down and it usually took overnight to get the consistency I wanted. I eliminated that process by using this method. That and using the Mrs. Wages mixes sure saves a lot of time, and I love the taste. I use the pasta, pizza, and salsa mixes. Pretty simple to use, bring tomato juice o a boil, add the mix, simmer for 20 minutes, then water bath for 40 minutes. The pizza sauce calls for sugar, but I don't care for sweet sauce, so leave it out. The medium salsa mix also comes in a larger container that makes 14 pints. It's really close in the taste of Pace salsa which is my favorite of store bought. I always make 28 pints and usually have to ration it the last few weeks before I make more. Pretty much like the Franks hot sauce commercial, I put that sh*t on everything...

 

[jyoutz]

I have been thinking about various ideas to support the plants. This is one I will have to consider.

I was thinking about putting posts on each end of the garden and running steel cable across and tying the plants to them somehow but don't want to bend the stalks....

I make round cylinders from the concrete mesh then support them with 1/2” rebar with a 4” bend at the top. I push the rebar into the ground inside the cage, then turn it so the bend goes through the mesh and supports the cage.

 

[workinonit]

It's interesting how we all do things so differently. Here in the south, we eat stewed tomatoes on rice. It's great with pork chops and fried round steak. I freeze tomatoes whole. Scald them and get the skins off and cook them just a bit before bagging and freezing. Then they can be unthawed and used for anything. I've never understood the seed removal. I never remove the seeds or pulp.

 

[DJ54]

I have been thinking about various ideas to support the plants. This is one I will have to consider.

I was thinking about putting posts on each end of the garden and running steel cable across and tying the plants to them somehow but don't want to bend the stalks....

Google "Florida Weave". I use heavy cages, but also set a T-post every 5 plants, then run 3 runs of the Florida Weave tying off to posts. There are many videos on it not using the cages, I just prefer to. I save the twine off my round bales to tie them up. Works very well.

I have bought T-posts at auctions, and also bought several bundles when on sale at Rural King, to keep costs down and all at once. They do sell twine in boxes for tying plants too if you don't have a source for twine. If you have Amish in your area, there's more than likely a wholesaler/retailer growers supply in the area.

I thread the twine though a 24" piece of scrap PVC to use as a wand to go around plants, makes it much easier to get under plant limbs even though they are caged.

 

[DJ54]

Wow. That’s very ambitious. I have a quarter acre garden, but only plant 4 tomatoes. I use concrete wire mesh to make 5’ cages and the openings are large enough to reach through to pick. With 4 plants 6’ high, I pick 2 5 gallon buckets full each week. That’s all we care to mess with.

The last 2 years mine came on the week of our clubs tractor show. I called some friends that can a HUGE amount of anything they can get for family. They picked 2X that week, and I asked them if they would weigh them, as I was curious how many they got. She said they do anyway, so as to know how many jars to prep. in 2 pickings they picked 750 lbs. I knew they were pretty well loaded, but not suite that much..!!

This is a pic of the first picking @271 lbs. Only because that's all the buckets they had and left some. Second picking they brough many more buckets for the rest. Enough to fill the back of a full size Chevy Suburban, the back seat and floor, and a bucket between her feet on the way home. Took them 3 days to get them all worked up with 5 canners running. A couple of the large pressure canners, and 3 of the automatic one's they'd picked up at yard sales.

 

[jyoutz]

The last 2 years mine came on the week of our clubs tractor show. I called some friends that can a HUGE amount of anything they can get for family. They picked 2X that week, and I asked them if they would weigh them, as I was curious how many they got. She said they do anyway, so as to know how many jars to prep. in 2 pickings they picked 750 lbs. I knew they were pretty well loaded, but not suite that much..!!

This is a pic of the first picking @271 lbs. Only because that's all the buckets they had and left some. Second picking they brough many more buckets for the rest. Enough to fill the back of a full size Chevy Suburban, the back seat and floor, and a bucket between her feet on the way home. Took them 3 days to get them all worked up with 5 canners running. A couple of the large pressure canners, and 3 of the automatic one's they'd picked up at yard sales.

That’s a full time job processing that much. I do the same thing (invite friends to pick) for my raspberry patch.

 

[workinonit]

Couple of pics of what's going on here.

 

[jyoutz]

Couple of pics of what's going on here.

View attachment 871581View attachment 871582

Very nice. A great start on the season.