Country Lore: October/November 2017

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Preserve Garden Vegetables

We live on a small homestead, and we grow a substantial amount of our own food. With three growing children, I need to have a surplus of everything. My family loves tomatoes, so we grow a lot of them. The problem we were running into was how to store what we needed for winter in a very limited space. Then, a “eureka” moment came to me. Now, I can store hundreds of tomatoes in a quarter of the space, and they last us all winter long. Here’s how I do it.

First, my family and I pick the ripe, beautiful tomatoes from our organically grown plants. Then, I wash them and cut them into thin slices. I leave the skins on the fruits, which saves time and adds to the mix.

Next, I put the slices into the dehydrator and let it work its magic. When the tomato slices are completely dry, I take them out to let them cool for an hour. Once they’re cool, I use my blender to turn them into a powder, but you could also use a mortar and pestle. Then, I put the tomato powder into a clean, dry canning jar for later use.

When I want to thicken soups or add flavor to slow cooker meals, I take out a tablespoon at a time and add it to the liquid. One tablespoon is equal to one medium tomato. I’ve tried a variety of tomatoes, and they’ve all come out tasting great.

  • Published on Sep 19, 2017
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