I have In My Kitchen this month an almost empty tomato box. It occurred to me that we are fast coming to the end of the tomato season and I had yet to restock a few staples that I rely on through the year. So it was now or never.
First up, tomato ketchup. I normally make this in huge batches that will last the year, but we came to the end of our stash a few months ago. This ketchup is quite different from the ubiquitous thick, gluggy stuff sold commercially, and is a firm favourite of The Princess.
I had also run out of slow roasted tomatoes, so a large tray of these have now gone into the freezer. The Princess blends a bag of these tomatoes with a block of cream cheese to make a tasty dip, which also doubles as a sandwich spread.
Tomato relish is a staple in my cupboard. It finds its way into ham sandwiches, is great served with zucchini fritters and makes a quick pizza sauce for mini scone pizzas. It also makes a great dip when mixed with cream cheese. I use an old family recipe, that is also a closely guarded secret so I cannot share. Sorry.
I was down to four jars of whole tomatoes so I used the remainder of the box to fill a few extra jars. Then it occurred to me that I had no tomato powder left, so now I might need to buy more tomatoes.
We also had our annual passata day last weekend. This year we turned 320kg of tomatoes into sauce, but we made the effort to drain off more liquid and so ended up with a similar number of bottles to last year. I am not complaining though, as I have 32 bottles of the most gloriously thick passata now tucked into my pantry for the rest of the year.
My iPad is also sitting in the kitchen at the moment, loaded up with my new favourite books: Fix, Freeze, Feast: Meals for a Busy Family and Not Your Mother’s Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook. I have been considering The Princess’s after-school schedule for next term, and am beginning to become quite worried about how I am going to fit dinner in amongst chauffeuring duties.
Freezer cooking is a term I have long been aware of but as many of the recipes I had seen differed greatly from my own cooking style I didn’t really pursue it further. Occasionally I have doubled a recipe to have a meal in the freezer for busy days. Both of these books have now given me some great ideas about how I can adapt my own recipes for freezing, and I have started to stock the freezer for the coming months.
That is it for my kitchen this month. Make sure you pop over to Celia’s at Fig Jam & Lime Cordial to see what is happening in other kitchen’s around the world.
Lots of lovely tomato goodness there, Tania… such a pity that tomatoes are on my ‘banned foods’ list for now. Sigh.
Thanks Liz. Annoying to find out you can’t eat tomatoes in tomato season 🙁
Hi Tania!
I just found your delcious blog on Pinterest after pinning your Slow Cooker Mexican Chocolate Zucchine Cake and becoming your newest Pinterest follower.
Looks like you have a well stocked kitchen. I’ve been going through my stock of Summer’s bounty quickly this Winter, lol…I needed the reminder that sun will shine soon:)
Thank you so much for sharing…You are more than welcome to join us for Cookbook Wednesday and link up. That Fix, Freeze Feast book sounds like one I should look into. I froze Strawberry Jam for the first time last year and it is gone!!! I need more:)
Fant-tomato-astic!! Very envious of your passata weekend Tania, I’d love to do that with a crew in tow!! Cheers, Jan x
There’s a glut of tomatoes on the IMK posts this month and everyone is being very creative. I’ve never thought of doing my own jars of tomatoes before.
Wonderful! TOmatomaniA!
All those beautiful tomato goods make me wish my tiny little tomato seedlings were big and bearing already! Year before last we had so many tomatoes that we bottled lots for cooking and they lasted months, this year I aim to grow just as many or even more again, so that I can try tomato relish too.
Sarah x
Beautiful shots of such lovely tomato preserves. Might have to try those slow roasted tomatoes, sounds amazing.
Such wonderful tomato goodness you have going on in your kitchen! I recently stocked up on meals in my freezer right before surgery since I knew I wouldn’t be cooking during recovery. those books look like they should come in quite handy for your busy days.
Thanks Gretchen. The books have so many different options in them, and I am looking forward to stocking the freezer.
how marvellous to have all those lovely tomato-ey goodies for the coming year. very clever and thrifty of you!
Wow, so much delicious tomato preservation! I like to make a slightly spicy tomato ketchup (my grandfather’s recipe), tomato chutney (especially good with underripe green tomatoes) and to freeze whole cherry tomatoes. I’ve never made passata, I don’t use it much in cooking so not sure I’d use it all up. Love that you have the same jars I use – the short jars and tall bottles with hexagonal shape and gold lids!
Kavey (first time joining IMK!)
Hi Kavey. I freeze cherry tomatoes too. I find them great to slip into stews and currys in winter, but we haven’t had a good enough harvest this year for me to freeze any. I like having all the same jars and bottles as they fit into the pantry better I find.
Your passata day sounds like a great idea and all your tomato products look amazing. You have made me want to make zucchini fritters though to have with some tomato relish!
Wow! I love what you did with your tomatoes. I love tomatoes, too, and the homemade tomato ketchup is really brilliant.
Stopping by from IMK,
xx Jhuls
Thanks for stopping by Jhuls. I love homemade ketchup so much I can no longer eat the shop bought one as it tastes too sweet for me.
Oh there is nothing like tomato goodness 🙂 Sorry it has taken so long, but I am finally getting around to all the IMK blogs for March Just in time for April! 🙂 I too am in tomato heaven, but add in the chilly.. thanks for the tip re semi dried and dip… I’m sure it will taste delicious! Thanks for sharing! Liz xx
It is good to know that I have a stockpile in the cupboards Elizabeth. I am also glad to know that I am not the only one that takes ages to move around the IMK world. So many great kitchens to peep in to aren’t there.