Sun-dried Tomatoes

Image via Wikipedia

What to do with those little tomatoes that have been coming out of our garden??? I've always loved sun-dried tomatoes so I thought I would try to make my own. I found some directions on the Epicurious website. The "sun-dried" effect can be accomplished in the oven, which I think is much safer than leaving those tomatoes out in the open air for 8 hours with nothing covering them. I just wish I could do this in the middle of winter when I could use the extra heat in the house, since the oven has to be on for 8 hours!

Directions:

Turn the oven on at 250 degrees. Wash about 20 small tomatoes, halve lengthwise and remove the stem area. Place the tomatoes cut-side up on cookie sheets that have been fitted with racks (I used my cake-cooling racks). Drizzle with a small amount of olive oil, some dried basil and some black pepper (don't salt them - they're salty enough). Let them sit in the oven for about 8 hours. Check them after about 6 hours to make sure they're not getting too dark. If they are, open the oven door for the remaining time. Remove from the oven and let them cool on the racks, then place them in a glass jar and cover with olive oil. They can be stored in the pantry or in the fridge.

What to do with those sun-dried tomatoes? I made a cheese ball by adding about 8 chopped sun-dried tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of pesto and 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese to 2 cups of cream cheese. Place into a small round bowl which has been fitted with plastic wrap. Pack it in pretty tightly, then cover with the ends of the plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, then unmold and decorate with toasted pine nuts. Serve with toasted bread rounds or pita chips.

Other ideas for sun-dried tomatoes: snip 4 or 5 pieces into your Pasta Primavera, or add to your favorite tomato sauce. You can also make a simple pasta dish by adding chopped sun-dried tomatoes, crumbled goat cheese and cooked Italian Sausage to cooked penne pasta. Make sure you add a generous amount of grated Romano Cheese! And of course, you can always make a pizza with sun-dried tomatoes, chopped fresh spinach (which has been barely steamed), and a nice sharp cheese like goat cheese or provolone.

My Search for Canning Supplies

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I have found myself with an abundance of tomatoes from the garden that we harvested over the past few days. What to do with them? I decided to can some and make some marinara sauce with some; that should get us through the winter without having to buy tomato products.

I spent about 2-1/2 hours this afternoon and literally went in circles, trying to find supplies for canning. I've never canned anything before, so this was definitely a learning experience for me. I started this morning, pulling out my mason jars. I had about eight pint jars and about a dozen quart jars with no lids. I have a large stock pot so I thought if I could find a rack for inside that pot, I would be able to fit seven jars in the pot. I would also need a jar lifter. So I hit the highway.

I started out at Walmart. Their canning supplies consisted of two canners with rack ($18.97), a canning tools kit (including a jar lifter), and miscellaneous mixes for pickles, jams, etc. I did not find anything to use as a canning rack. I decided to hold off on buying anything until I hit a few more stores. This being a small town, I didn't have many choices.

I headed down to Canton since I thought the canning supplies would be more plentiful there - I had assumed that more people canned in Canton (no pun intended). I stopped at Fred's and Maxway (Big Lots-type stores) but found nothing but a few canning jars. I then went to Cold Mountain Hardware. That was a neat store -- a hardware store in the front and a junk/antique store in the back. They did have a few canners there, but nothing under $50. They also carried jar lifters at $9.99. Walmart had a whole little canning tools kit which included a lifter and funnel and a couple of other doodads for $6.97 -- so I did not get that jar lifter. I did pick up a really nice basket, though; nice and deep with a wooden handle, perfect for harvesting our garden bounty. Since it was my first time shopping there, the proprietor gave me 20% off, so the basket came to $8.00. I also picked up an item that I'm hoping Michael will be able to use as a birdbath -- it's a garbage can lid, galvanized and brand new. I couldn't resist picking it up at $1.49.

My quest took me back to Waynesville, this time to another hardware store. By this point I had given up on finding a canning rack and decided I would just buy a whole new canner. They did have some, including a 7-jar canner (which was $18.97 at Walmart), which they wanted $24.99 for. The jar lifter they had was $7.99. I walked out with nothing. Back in the car, this time to KMart. They had one canner, which was a kit consisting of a 7-jar canner (same size as the one at Walmart), a canning rack and a canning tools kit. The price was $50.00. They had several boxes of pint jars and one box of quart jars, which was $9.99. Again, I walked out with nothing.

Back in the car, this time back to where I started -- Walmart! I was worried that two hours had gone by and they might not have any of those canners left. I was quite surprised to see a whole new display of canners! They had also restocked the quart canning jars. I walked out of Walmart $39.00 later, but happy. I now have a new canner, a canning tools kit, another dozen quart jars and new lids for the jars at home. A great investment that will last me years.

I probably would have saved a lot of time and money by just getting the canner at Walmart when I first saw it, but I really did get an education in canning supplies for this area. Sometimes we have to learn things the hard way. I have also come to the conclusion that, even though I would like to patronize our local merchants, when it comes to saving money you just can't beat Walmart. I saved myself at least $30 today just by shopping around.

My next step will be the actual canning process. This should be interesting!

Italian Vegetable Saute

Image by Merelymel13 via Flickr

This is a great recipe for using up those vegetables from the garden, and it takes about 20 minutes. My mom used to call this "Jumbraut" (or something like that). You can add other vegetables as you wish (mushrooms would be awesome). Add a loaf of crusty French or Italian bread and you've got a delicious meal.

Ingredients:

1 onion, halved lengthwise and sliced into 1/4" slices
1 green or red bell pepper, sliced into 1/4" strips
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced into 1/4" pieces
2 medium tomatoes, coarsely cut up (don't squeeze out the liquid)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
6 or 8 basil leaves, thinly sliced
olive oil

Preparation:

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Coat the bottom with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add the peppers and onions; saute for a few minutes until lightly browned. Add the garlic and the zucchini and cook for a few more minutes until the zucchini have browned and are getting tender. Add the tomatoes and cook for another few minutes until they have broken down and become a bit saucy. Season with salt & pepper, top with fresh basil and a sprinkle of olive oil.

This dish is best served warm (not piping hot), scooped onto a piece of Italian or French Bread. Save some bread for wiping up all that delicious left over sauce -- that's the best part!