tomatoes – That's Just Me

Canning & Preserving 2014

I’m so happy and proud. I “put up” a good amount of jars this season.

Canning jars on shelf 2014

There’s lots of tomatoes (pints & quarts): chopped, roasted, juiced, & slow-cooked, Concord grape jam & juice, peach maple jam, rhubarb chutney, spicy sweet tomato jam, pickled green cherry tomatoes, cortland applesauce, honeycrisp/gala applesauce, tomato jam, and one lone salsa from last year. Plus there was some spring strawberry jam that’s LONG gone because it was so scrumptious.

My freezer stash includes blanched green beans, chopped raw green peppers, raw whole jalapenos, chopped raw celery, celery leaves, lots of bone/veggie stock, and a bit of canning leftover chopped tomatoes.

We had some leftover honeycrisp applesauce for the fridge, and it was absolutely delicious. Probably the best I’ve had! Yum. I’m still contemplating if I should buy another half bushel to can more applesauce in quarts for all the upcoming holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Mother’s and Father’s day). I got a decent deal on “seconds” from Mann’s Orchard – $16 for 21+ pounds. Considering, honeycrisp are regularly $2-$4/lb, I was thrilled! I want more!

And I’d love to try a batch of sauerkraut. I’ve previously tried fermented pickles, and one batch was great, while the other spoiled. I’ve recently learned that Diamond Kosher salt (my go-to brand) measures completely different than pickling or table salt, so I wonder if that might have been the problem. I’m feeling brave enough to try on a head of cabbage I just bought at the farm.

Of course, now that I’m totally addicted to homemade water kefir, I think more fermented foods are in order.

Other canning plans? I have been saving many interesting recipes from canning and preserving books (public library I love ya), and I’m hoping I’ll find time to make some sort of hot pepper sauce (fermented perhaps), as well as cranberry relish, beet relish (w/caraway), rosemary onion confit, ginger pear chutney. There are so many wonderful recipes out there, we’ll see what I can do this year.

And well, there’s always next year too!

My Healthy Food Budget: Week 2 March, 2013

March, Week Two Healthy Food Budget: $36.83 spent

Great week. I tried very hard to keep my spending to a minimum, and it worked! We got take-out Chinese on Saturday and I picked up a few items at Whole Foods on Monday.

March Food Spending Total $205.89

After spending $36.83 this week, it brings the total for the month to $205.89, leaving $194.11 for the rest of March.

Dining Out: $22.60 / Total $47.05
Groceries: $14.23 / Total $158.84

Whole Foods Market (Monday): $14.23 – organic bananas, 4lb bag o’ navel oranges, organic apples, and 4 cans of Muir Glen tomatoes.

Yes, I know I promised myself that I wasn’t going to spend any money on commercially canned tomatoes, especially when there’s a boycott for General Mills/Muir Glen products! But it was a such a good sale (2/$4) and I had double coupons, which brought the unit price to .75 each. I couldn’t resist!

I am still confident that I’ll have enough personally frozen and canned tomatoes until summer, but I’ll keep the Muir Glen cans in my pantry for emergencies.

So, going forward, I expect that the $200 I have left will be enough for the rest of March!

About My Healthy Budget

My healthy budget goal is to eat seasonal (local if possible,) home-cooked meals while sticking to a $400 monthly budget for all food including groceries, dining out, ~~entertaining~~, vitamins/supplements, and gardening.

There’s two of us eating (mostly) 3 meals per day. DH occasionally eats take-out lunch at work, & that $ comes out of his personal cash stash.

Boycott Florida’s Tomato

Previously, I wrote about a fascinating new study I read on NPR.com. The gist of the research claims organic tomatoes are stressed from natural pests, so they produce more nutrients.

The NPR article also included quoted disputes by Harry Klee, a tomato researcher from the University of Florida.

When I noticed he was from UFL, my very first thought was how can he possibly understand healthy tomato growth when his home-state produces tomatoes grown in sand by slave labor?

Klee’s current research (according to his UFL page) is improving conventional tomato flavor (or lack thereof), by studying the genetic and chemical make-up. Ugh! That’s just what we need. Another scientist wasting millions to “fix” a problem by changing genetics, instead of admitting that it’s actually distorted agricultural practices that caused the problem in the first place!

When will Big Food ever realize we already HAVE perfect tomatoes? They just aren’t supposed to grow on Florida factory farms.

Getting back to Florida, and why I boycott most of their produce.

Florida is the 2nd largest producer of tomatoes in the United States. But due to extremely poor soil, (*cough cough* sand), their fertilizer & pesticide use is through the roof.

Worse, Florida is tied to agricultural “slavery”. Human workers forced to live in poverty, earning next to nothing, while being exposed to dangerous levels of toxins from chemicals, used to grow tomatoes.

That’s why, months ago, I vowed to never knowingly purchase/eat another tomato from Florida again, organic or otherwise.

Change Is Good

Thankfully, since the public has become more aware of the horrors of tomato farming in Florida, there have been changes.

Large food buyers have promised to purchase tomatoes only from growers who agree to comply with the code of conduct. The buyers pledged to pay a penny-a-pound premium for every box of tomatoes they purchased from participating growers, who will hopefully pass the increase to their workers. This could mean that each worker will earn .80 (up from .50) for a box of tomatoes.

According to the Fair Food Program at CIW (Coalition of Immokalee Workers):

Yum Brands (2005), McDonald’s (2007), Burger King (2008), Subway (2008), Whole Foods Market (2008), Bon Appetit Management Company (2009), Compass Group (2009), Aramark (2010), Sodexo (2010), Trader Joe’s (2012), and Chipotle (2012) are participating in the Fair Food Program. All ten companies have agreed to pay a premium price for more fairly produced tomatoes, and to shift their Florida tomato purchases to growers who comply with the Fair Food Code of Conduct.

///What I want to know is why it took so long for Chipotle and Trader Joe’s to come on board??! Not cool!

See more at: The Other Side of the Tomato

Isn’t it crazy that we still need to worry about fair-wage (like “fair-trade”) standards in the United States!? How could something like this happen here?

Anyway, I’m glad situations are starting to change for Florida workers, but I still avoid purchasing most produce (strawberries, lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, etc) from Florida. Besides the extra fertilizer and pesticide load, I still don’t trust that all farms are doing the right thing when it comes to their farm workers.

If everyone stopped purchasing out-of-season produce from Florida, then our fractured food system would have to change! It’s the little steps that count. Vote with your fork!

Links:
Why supermarket tomatoes taste
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-09-02/opinions/35494934_1_florida-tomato-growers-tomato-industry-immokalee-workers
TomatoLand book from Amazon.com
http://www.npr.org/2011/08/26/139972669/the-unsavory-story-of-industrially-grown-tomatoes
http://www.theperennialplate.com/blog/2012/03/the-other-side-of-the-tomato/

Also check out the (heartbreaking) video over at Lupe Gonzalo: Episode 96 of The Perennial Plate from The Perennial Plate on Vimeo.

Organic Tomatoes Are Stressed, But More Nutritious

Yesterday, I read a fascinating article at NPR.

There is a new study suggests that organic farms grew tomatoes that were 40% smaller (than conventional), BUT were actually significantly higher in vitamin C, sugar and lycopene.

Their reasoning is because organically farmed tomatoes are “stressed-out” more than conventional due to less pesticides. The organic plants are forced to fight off pests naturally; the additional stress equates to additional production of stress-fighting compounds like Vitamin C and Lycopene.

Yes, we need to further investigate this study’s conclusion, but when I was researching tomato hornworms and cabbage worms last summer, many experienced gardeners advised that it was better for the plants to have a few pests because it made them stronger. It does make sense when you really think about it, doesn’t it?

The extra bonus is there’s so much more to a tomato than vitamin C & lycopene, so just think of all the tiny un-known micronutrients that are bursting from a responsibly-farmed tomato. Can’t get that from a lab-created vitamin!

tomatoes from my garden last summer

Whole Foods Wake-Up: GMO Ketchup

I admit I was one of the biggest Whole Foods Market groupies. Visiting to one of their stores was like going to church. But the delusion is over, at least for me. I still shop there, but my eyes are open and I diligently read labels.

I think what really set me over the edge was California’s Prop 37 for Genetically Modified (GMO) food labeling and the fact that Whole Foods Market was virtually silent. They pretended to care at the last minute, but Really! Whole Foods doesn’t want GMO labeling any more than other Big Food companies like General Mills, Kelloggs, and Pepsi. If a law like that passed, they would be forced to share with all of us (including their millions of blind-trusting shoppers) that a good chunk of their products do indeed include GMO ingredients.

Case in point, their 365 house-brand ketchup.

A few days ago, I noticed their organic ketchup had the “Non GMO Verified” paper tag under it. Well duh! It’s organic! GMO ingredients are not allowed in any organic foods, so it’s really irrelevant, but that verification label sure does look good, doesn’t it?

Then I glanced to the left, and noticed the non-organic Ketchup did not have the certified GMO free tag. Hmm, why? What’s in ketchup that could be GMO? And there it was: Distilled White Vinegar, made from cheap GMO corn.

(click for larger view)

Notice that only the organic version has the little blurb about how their “private label products are formulated to avoid genetically engineered ingredients” – those words are missing from the label on their regular ketchup.

What I’d like to know are are there any non-organic 365 branded foods that are GMO Free? And I don’t mean single-ingredient foods like rice or beans.

I’d like to see a 365 product that specifically includes some form of corn or soy that is on their Non-GMO verified list. Perhaps there is one, perhaps there isn’t. I’ll be sure to keep looking!

See all posts in my Whole Foods Wake-up series.

Gardening Diary: Canning & Preserving the Harvest

canned jelly and apple sauce

Wow, this year, surprisingly I found that I really enjoy the craft of canning!

It’s a lot of work, but once you get 2 or 3 batches under your belt, there’s confidence and organization that makes the process a little bit easier. The rewards will outweigh the work!

There was a lot that I was worried about in the beginning (like most newbie canners), most importantly was I did NOT want to kill myself and my family with deadly bacteria!

But after reading a lot of library books, and scouring the web for good information, I learned that if done properly, following the instructions, you do not have to fear the canning process!

This post is L-O-N-G, and it might be boring to a lot of visitors, so if you want to learn more about my canning experience (and see a few photos), read onward!

Continue reading “Gardening Diary: Canning & Preserving the Harvest”

Gardening Diary: Tomato Frog (Toad)

I’m so behind on my gardening updates. I’ve been shooting a lot of photos, but I just don’t have the time to update the blog!

But I wanted to mention another fascinating bit of nature. Back about a month ago, I was in my garden in the morning, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a teenie tiny frog (or is he a toad?) sitting atop of one of my cherry tomatoes. He was mid-plant, about 2-3 feet up.

I immediately rushed inside to get my camera, and snapped a bunch of photos of his cuteness.

Look, can you see him? He’s in the middle of the photo, on a tomato. He was so tiny!
tomato frog/toad on top of cherry tomato in my garden

Here is a close up. You can see his tiny fingers grasping onto the tomato stem. So freakin’ cute!
tomato frog/toad on top of cherry tomato in my garden

I love my garden! There’s always something new to discover. It’s sad that summer is fading, and so is my lovely garden.

Even though I’ve grown a few veggies in prior years, this was truly the first year that I was serious about gardening. The first year is always a bit special, but I hope I always feel the same appreciation and respect for what’s growing out there EVERY season. I know subsequent seasons probably won’t feel as “wondrous” as this year, and that makes me sad too.

Gardening Diary: True Vine Ripened Tomatoes

Having a garden really opens your eyes to how produce naturally grows, and it’s a lot different than what’s found at the store.

Grocery stores offer “vine-ripened” tomatoes, but as I recently learned, even those are not truly ripened while attached to the tomato plant. The branch is cut, but the tomatoes are still attached to the “vine” so they can market them as such. They are then ripened by ethylene gas, as it travels across country.

As my tomatoes are growing and ripening, I’ve noticed that the fruit that is closest to the main branch will ripen first, then ripen outward toward the end of the row.

tomatoes ripen naturally on the vine

This morning, as I was harvesting my tomatoes, I got to thinking about the perfectly-colored-red ripened tomatoes on the vine at the grocery stores (like the “grape” variety) and how unnatural it is to have the whole vine ripened at the same time.

At least that’s not how it happens in my natural backyard garden!

Gardening Diary: Preserving Tomatoes by Freezing, Oven Drying & Canning

cherry tomatoes ripening on the vine

My garden will never produce as many tomatoes as I’d like…even though I’m getting full bowlfuls every couple of days, it is never enough! Tomatoes are the perfect food. I adore them!

I’d love to someday grow enough tomatoes so I’d never have to purchase another can/carton of commercial tomatoes again, but that is not a reality this year, but I’m trying to make the best of what I have.

So, I have been learning about the many ways to preserve fresh garden produce for consumption in colder months.

I’ve made a lot of tomato sauce, sometimes with eggplant and peppers. I’m slow-cooking in the oven or in my crock pot. Then storing in freezer bags in my freezer.

I tried something new the other day and I think it’s going to be a favorite.

I was watching the Dehydration class over at breadbeckers.com and it inspired me to learn more about dehydration in the oven. I was thrilled to find out that my oven offers very low temperatures, as low as 100° so I experimented with a batch of cherry tomatoes.

sliced cherry tomatoes before oven drying

It took over 24 hours, experimenting with different temperatures (135-150°) depending on the time of day – it’s helpful if you use an oven thermometer to make sure oven temps aren’t off. The tomatoes dried to little jewels of sugary-flavorful-goodness!

oven dried cherry tomatoes

oven dried cherry tomatoes - close up

Then I spread them on a large plate, and flash-froze them, then bagged them in a quart freezer bag for freezer storage. I know it could be possible to maybe store in a jar, or in olive oil, but I figure that the freezer would be the safest method for now.

I finished drying a second batch yesterday morning, and they went into the freezer as well.

Next, I’m going to try some good ole fashioned canning! I haven’t decided if I’ll do a raw-pack or maybe stewed. I suppose I could try both!

I know I will not have enough of my own tomatoes, so I might be buying some “seconds” tomatoes at the local farm. One farm is selling 7 lbs for $5.99 while supplies last.

I’ve been pouring over canning cookbooks for the last week or so, trying to learn all I can (haha, no pun intended) and I hope that I love canning enough to keep doing it all year long. I have dreams of applesauce in the fall, and orange jam in the winter.

Exciting!

Tomato Hornworms and the Awesome Braconid Wasp Super Hero

We were in the garden Sunday morning, and while I was glancing at my in-ground tomato plants, I noticed what looked like white spikey roots growing out of a tomato leaf. Mind you, my eyesight is not great, but I immediately thought about how weeks before, I noticed low branches were beginning to develop roots where they were touching the ground.

I took a closer look, and yuck! I was mortified to see a big fat icky green worm with rice-like eggs on it’s back. I wasn’t wearing my garden gloves, so I called DH to come and grab it off. Luckily, he broke off the whole leaf (more on that later) and kept the bugger intact.

I was fascinated by this little pest, so I took it into our workroom, grabbed the camera and took some photos.

Then I googled, and learned that we had a Tobacco Hornworm (with a menacing-looking horn on its back-end, that actually isn’t menacing or harmful at all!) and those weren’t eggs on its back. They are Braconid Wasp larvae cocoons.

(click for larger view)

The more I learned, the more grossed out but fascinated I became. It’s literally the movie “Alien” come to life!

What happens is the female braconid wasp lays eggs under the skin of the hornworm, and the baby larvae feed on the worm, as he sits, paralyzed on a leaf. They eat their way out of the layer of skin and spin themselves into a cocoon, where they continue to eat their “host” until they eventually emerge from their cocoons as adult braconid wasps.

hornworm with wasp parasite cocoons attached

I have had the worst case of heebie jeebies all day thinking about it, especially after seeing all the youtube videos and photos. Yuck. Just thinking about the wasps eggs hatching inside a living host and popping out is enough to give me nightmares!

But I was a good doobie, and I put the hornworm, complete with leaf, back over near our tomatoes. I’m hoping that all the wasps will hatch and feast on any hornworm pest population left in my garden.

Nature is wonderful, isn’t it? And I have discovered so much about nature in just a few short months, it’s amazing and thrilling!

It also makes me sad because so many home gardeners don’t think twice about using toxic pesticides instead of allowing Mother Nature a chance to handle it herself!

UPDATE 2012-08-19 ~ This morning, I noticed TWO more icky hornworms covered with the Braconid wasp cocoons, and I let them be on the plant. Exciting. I hope the wasps hatch and attack any future hornworms on my tomato plants.

YouTube:
Horned worm vs. Braconid Wasp – CTnaturalist Online
Tomato Hornworm covered with white cocoons of Braconid Wasp
Tobacco Hornworm Parasitoids Emerge from their cocoons