On 3/14/2021 9:11 AM, Snag wrote:
> On 3/14/2021 12:33 AM, Michael Trew wrote:
>> On 3/14/2021 12:10 AM, Snag wrote:
>>> On 3/13/2021 10:45 PM, Michael Trew wrote:
>>>> Does anyone still can food in ball jars?Â* I'm thinking about planting
>>>> a lot of tomatoes this year and canning some.Â* I never have before,
>>>> but there's a first time for everything I reckon.
>>>
>>> We still have some tomatoes from last year down in the cellar - and I
>>> have 24 tomato plants started for this year . Got jelly and jams and
>>> pickles and peaches down there too ! Most from home grown or picked wild
>>> on our land . Tomatoes freeze well too , just rinse off , freeze loose
>>> on a cookie sheet then bag in gallon ziplocks . To use , just hold under
>>> hot water for a few seconds and slip the skin off . I'll be using some
>>> of our preserved tomatoes tomorrow for a big batch of spaghetti sauce .
>>
>> I made a tiny batch of homemade tomato sauce for Italian style
>> Margharetta pizza the other day.Â* Do you normally blanch and peel
>> tomatoes before canning them?
>
>
> Â* The ones we put in jars , yes , they are blanched and peeled . The
> frozen are just washed and frozen with no further processing .
>
>
>>
>> I don't have a lot of land, and did a few container tomatoes last
>> year. Â*Â*I have a pick and a small rototiller, and I might make a row
>> of tomato and bell pepper plants along the southern side of my house
>> before the hill drops off.Â* I saved quite a few bell pepper and tomato
>> seeds for the occasion!Â* I'm in eastern Ohio, but I probably should
>> start them off pretty soon.
>
> Â* If those seeds are from commercial tomatoes , expect to be surprised
> . They will most likely NOT breed true . Get a good heirloom variety
> such as Rutgers or Marglobe if you want to save seed for next year .
> Roma is a good variety for use in sauces and paste . If you aren't going
> to save seed pretty much any hybrid variety will do .
>
The OP did say he "saved quite a few bell pepper and tomato seeds". I
suspect he's starting off with seeds from what he grew in containers
last year... at least, that is how I interpreted it when he mentioned
containers. Whatever they were, they were good enough for him to save
the seeds and want to grow them again. Just sayin'
Jill