It has been all about tomatoes In My Kitchen this month. I have a group of friends who I make passata with, but due to hot weather and a lack of tomatoes it didn’t look like it was going to happen this year. Suddenly I got the call from my friendly supplier with what was likely to be our one chance for tomatoes this season. The catch was that we had to make passata that weekend. I don’t think we have ever organised ourselves quite so quickly.
Twenty four boxes (or 240kg) of tomatoes makes 172 beer bottles of passata. Thirty four bottles each. I am now set for the year. I bought a 10kg box of tomatoes for myself at the same time. The box disappeared into 12 jars of whole tomatoes that will be used for stews and soups through winter, whilst the rest were slow roasted and frozen for mid-winter focaccias and dips.
As it’s been too hot to bake I have been playing with the dehydrator instead. We are now on our second batch of beef jerky. This is really a work in progress. The first batch was quite tasty but I was unimpressed with the second batch. I just need to persevere until I find a recipe I like. I also experimented with a batch of corn chips to use up some tins of corn that had been lurking in the pantry. The corn was pureed with oven roasted capsicum, nutritional yeast, chipotle powder and salt and pepper. If the way The Princess is munching through them is any indication, the experiment was a success.
Next up was a large batch of Spiced Plum fruit roll ups. I get complaints about my bland fruit leather, so this time the plums were pureed with some vanilla and spices. Shredded coconut was then sprinkled over the wet puree. They are being eaten so I must have got it right this time. The spare trays in the dehydrator were given over to odds and ends of bread that had been turned into crumbs. The dry crumbs are stored in the freezer for coating chicken schnitzel and fish cakes.
The zucchinis are threatening to overtake the garden, and a moment of inattention often results in monster produce that must be used. I froze quite a lot for cakes and fritters through winter. The best method for freezing is to pack grated zucchini into zip lock or vacuumed packed bags. Don’t bother squeezing excess moisture out at this stage as the zucchini is easier to squeeze once defrosted. Even zucchini slice and chocolate zucchini cake didn’t dent the flow, however, so I made a batch of Kyrstie’s (A Fresh Legacy) Zucchini & Tomato Kasundi. I now have a manageable amount of zucchini left.
I managed to sit on the lucky table at the school fundraiser this month. Eight people on a table, and we won six prizes amongst us. One lady won twice. I was very happy with my hamper, particularly the little tiffin.
Finally, there are always books. Mr Grumpy gave me Hugh’s Fruit book for our wedding anniversary this month. This will go into heavier rotation once the weather cools, but we have already had a couple of good meals out of it. Breakfast is not one of my strengths, so I am going to try some of the ideas in Whole Grain Mornings. I also want to brew my own ginger beer, so the comprehensive instructions in Probiotic Drinks will come in handy.
That is it for my kitchen this month. Head over to Celia’s Fig Jam and Lime Cordial to see what is happening in other kitchens around the world.
I would love to play with a dehydrator one day, and it sounds like you’ve been putting yours to excellent use. I am also impressed with your tomato stockpile and the selection of books!
I think the dehydrator has much scope. I just need to work out what that scope is 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
Nice to meet you Tania! We are safely away from passata time here as it is winter! But like you I roast and jar and puree away when we have too many and they are very welcome in the wintertime for all sorts. I am admiring of your dehydrator experiments as my husband got me one last year and so far I have managed to dry apple slices and I think one other thing but I have forgotten what it was, and then I put it away, bad me! I must have another go at using it. It’s all such good fun!
Thanks Joanna. Likewise. I do love reaching for the tomatoes (or any preserves really) in winter. It is such a sense of achievement. For a long time all I had dried was apple slices as well. I am on a mission at the moment to find some snacks for The Princess that do not contain sugar, so the dehydrator is getting a real work out. There are lots of great ideas on Pinterest if you need inspiration 🙂
I’m so impressed by your passata and canned tomatoes — I always throw up my hands at the end of summer and pack the freezer full of bags of tomatoes. Your way is far cooler. I like the idea of spices in the fruit leather as well — I will have to remember that for when our trees start bearing this summer.
The adage ‘many hands make light work’ is so very true here. We process all those tomatoes in one morning. Not bad for something that lasts the rest of the year. I also freeze a lot without doing anything to them as well if that makes you feel any better 🙂 I really like the spices in the fruit leather, and you get a lovely smell in the house whilst they are drying too.
Hi Tania. Wow. That is a lot of tomatoes. I am so glad I am not the only one. I am too scared to plant zucchinis as everyone seems to get a glut.
Yes, but I had to buy mine Glenda 🙂 Would love to have your problems of excess instead. Only plant one zucchini, maybe two at the most, and you should be fine. We have started eating them smaller so we don’t have such a problem.
Hi Tania… Wow a load of tomato preserves, how gorgeous! We didn’t get many tomatoes this year, they fried on the vine when the temp hit 41!.Will be waiting to hear from you with the recipe for jerky… I want to try my hand at that too! Happy cooking love.
Thanks Lizzy. I am very happy with my stash 🙂 All of the tomatoes we planted in our garden also fried. The heat hit just at the wrong time. I will keep experimenting with the jerky. Just need to work through the dodgy batch first.
Tania, you’ve been so busy this month! All the tomato preserves look fantastic, and I’m so impressed that you made corn chips in the dehydrator! Your little tiffin is very cute, and thanks for the headsup – I didn’t know Hugh had a new book out! 🙂
I have finally managed to get up some enthusiasm Celia. I am happy with the corn chips but I think I will try baked ones next. Enjoy Hugh’s new book. Thanks again for hosting 🙂
G’day! How exciting re the dehydrator, true!
And being able to make passata with friend too!
Love your cookbooks!
Thank you for this month’s kitchen view!
Cheers! Joanne
The trouble with zuchinni is that they look small one day and the next day they’re monsters! Very impressed with your passata. I’m a bit wary about bottling and usually put them in the freezer.
I couldn’t agree with you more Anne. It is unwise to turn your back on them:) I’m unconcerned about the passata. It was boiled for over two hours so if any bacteria survived that. I also recook it before serving. I prefer to bottle because it gives me more room in the freezer for other things 😉
Your bottling and preserving is awe-inspiring. You must get great satisfaction when you look in your cupboards
Thank you Sally. Even though I usually grumble at the time when I am making things, you are right. I do get incredible satisfaction looking at it all 🙂