TomAHtoes

It all starts in the field. But since I don't have any photos of that, we will start in the sink.

Bobbie went to a local Farmer's market this past Friday and bought a bushel of tomatoes. As in past years, she puts them up as simple tomato puree. She then adds seasonings only when she actually opens a jar to make something.

Yesterday she started the canning process by washing them all. As you can see they filled the sink nicely. At this point I was off to a meeting and conference call only to return in the afternoon.
Then they all got to cook down on the stove. This photo was taken in the afternoon after I got back from my meeting so I am sure the tomatoes cooked down from the morning. With three burners on the stove cooking the tomatoes, I was glad it was a cool day.

Finally, here's John running the food mill. It's really quite a contraption. The cooked tomatoes go in the top skins, seeds and all. An auger device forces out the juice and pulp through a cylindrical screen on the side. The skins and seeds are then pushed out the end of the cylinder. It's all quite efficient and fun. All three kids took turns cranking the handle.

Sorry to miss getting photos of the canning process today, but I was in a meeting this afternoon as well. That's OK however, because I still get to enjoy the sauce for months to come.