Tomatoes All Year

   There is probably nothing to match the taste of that first ripe tomato in your garden. That event happens at the end of a long process. First you decide whether to grow your own from seed or purchase plants at the garden centre.
 
   Then you have to decide on a variety or two. If you intend to grow lots of plants to provide large volumes of tomatoes then you need to decide how to preserve some for winter & spring use.

   There are lots of ways to preserve tomatoes. Most frequently people can them in pint & quart jars in a water bath canner. If this is your plan then you need to grow regular tomatoes for this purpose. Low acid tomatoes cannot be canned with the water bath canner method without addition of an acid. I'll talk more about this in August when things are really hopping. If you love the low acid varieties for fresh eating and want to preserve them you can do lots of things, you could can them in pints, or quarts in a pressure cooker, more on that in the summer.
 
   I use the freezing method when I don't have enough to fill my canner, or if I am feeling lazy. Just cut the core out and place in a freezer bag, sometimes I even skip that step and just freeze (See photo). I have a dehydrator so I also slice and dry tomatoes. I use them all year. They add a different flavour to meals.

 
   They are a very versatile veggie. Actually tomatoes are classed as a fruit. Ketchup, salsa, chutney, relish and more can be made with them. This year I made lots of salsa, it was a family favourite. I made several batches so I had enough to give to friends at Christmas. I also made pickled beans to share, but that's a story for another time.
 
Happy Gardening – Wendy Salvail