Freezing Tomatoes and other resources for food preservation

Here on the farm we're just coming into our summer bounty. With all the beautiful food around us: tomatoes blushing red, new zucchinis bursting from the vine, cucumbers coming to size and lettuce growing and growing, it's hard to think about the times of year when all these things just don't grow.

In the past our mothers and grandmothers found ways to preserve food to enjoy during leaner winter months when harvests were scarce or nonexistent. Preserving: pickling, jamming, canning, and drying is coming back into vogue as the economy encourages people to find ways to save, and folks become more excited about eating locally produced products. Ball Jar has seen sales of canning jars go up by 30% since 2007.

Some of our neighbors are well ahead of the trend: many folks on the island have been canning and preserving for years. And we know many more of you are interested in getting started. We had a question on the blog the other day about preserving foods, so we've put together some resources to help.

In the coming months, we hope to compile the wisdom of other folks on the island to give advice on island-friendly techniques for storing onions, garlic, and other veggies to keep throughout the year.

Freezing Tomatoes

Here at the farm, we like to freeze extra tomatoes to use throughout the year in soups and sauces. It's a simple process that takes just an afternoon or evening to process the pounds of extra tomatoes we harvest and can't use up.

1) Rinse your tomatoes well, cut out the stem area and discard. You can leave the tomatoes whole, or cut them in chunks, according to your preference. (We leave them whole.)

2) Place the tomatoes in a large soup pot with nothing else. Bring them to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer them for about an hour, until they are mushy.

3) Put the tomato mixture through a food mill, and discard the pulp that remains. (It should be only a small amount.)

4) Put the tomato mixture in individual glass jars (we use quart-size ball jars with plastic lids) and set on the counter to cool. Then put in the freezer. This should last at least a year.

Other Resources
The San Juan Island library is a great resource for books on canning and preserving vegetables. Check out books near call number 641.4.

Here are some key references to check out (* available at the library):

• Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving (2006) by Judy Kingry and Lauren Devine*
• Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits and Vegetables (1991) by Mike Bubel and Nancy Bubel
• Putting Food By (1992) by Ruth Hertzberg, Beatrice Vaughan, and Janet Greene*
• Stocking Up: The Third Edition of America’s Classic Preserving Guide (1986) by Carol Hupping and the staff of the Rodale Food Center*
• Joy of Cooking: All About Canning and Preserving (2002) by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker

You can also check out these sites online:

• National Center for Food Preservation
• Freshpreserving.com (website of Ball Jar company)

Roasted Patatas Bravas

Patatas Bravas, or "brave potatoes," are a traditional Spanish tapa -- golden fried garlicky potatoes either topped with, or dipped into, a spicy, garlicky aoili. Tapas are Spain's snacks or appetizers, often taken with a drink in the afternoon, or late in the evening.

This version, which I made with new potatoes, is roasted in olive oil instead of fried, but the Bravas sauce is the same tangy, hot delicious mix you can find in many bars and restaurants in Madrid.

1 lb potatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
3 Synergy garlic cloves, minced finely
paprika and salt, to coat

Bravas Sauce:
1/2 medium onion
4 Synergy garlic cloves (6 if you use regular garlic, which is smaller)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup mustard aioli
1 tsp paprika (pimentón dulce)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Chop potatoes into 1/2'' cubes. Toss in a bowl with olive oil, garlic, paprika and salt until evenly coated, then transfer to a baking sheet. Cook for about 1 hour or until brown and crispy, but not burnt. Take the pan out of the oven and stir every 20 minutes or so to prevent sticking and make sure potatoes brown evenly.

In the meantime, prepare the bravas sauce. In a blender, mix together all the sauce ingredients until well-incorporated.

Serve potatoes hot, with sauce on the side for dipping or with 2-3 tbsp mixed in.

Late June Russian Borscht

Everything in the borscht takes on the deep fuchsia of the beets.

This soup can amazingly use mostly farm ingredients when made at the right time of year! Cabbage, carrots, beets, and new potatoes are easy to come by late June. We used some frozen tomatoes from last year's crop, and if you stocked up and stored your onions carefully, you might just have one still lying around come June. (That might also be the case for potatoes if you stored them carefully, rather than using the more tender and precious new potatoes.)

This year's farmer's market offerings on June 20th included carrots and beets.

adapted from The Moosewood Cookbook

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced potato
1 cup thinly sliced beets
4 cups chicken stock or water
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 scant teaspoon caraway seeds
1 1/2 tsp salt (or more, to taste)
1 medium sized carrot, sliced
3 to 4 cups shredded cabbage
freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons Bill's honey
1 cup crushed tomatoes
fresh dill and sour cream for garnish

Directions:
Place potatoes, beets, and stock in a medium-sized pot. Cover and cook over medium heat till tender (20 to 30 minutes).

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pot or dutch oven. Add onion, caraway seeds, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent (8 to 10 minutes).

Add carrots, cabbage, and 2 cups of the cooking liquid from the potatoes and beets. Cover and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are tender (another 8 to 10 minutes).

Add remaining ingredients, including all the potato and beet liquid, cover, and simmer for at least 15 minutes. Taste to correct seasonings, and serve hot, topped with sour cream and a pinch of fresh dill.

Peeling the beets.

Sliced beets and potatoes are cooked till tender in chicken stock.

The carrots, cabbage and onions are combined with 2 cups of liquid from the beets and potatoes.

Bowls of soup garnished with sour cream and dill and served with slices of Cafe Demeter walnut bread.

Creamy Basil Dressing

Synergy chicken tossed in Creamy Basil Dressing, served on a bed of lettuce leaves and sprinkled with toasted almonds.

On the farm, we first seed our basil in redwood flats before transplanting to a bed.

Based on a recipe from Gourmet Magazine

1 cup packed fresh Synergy basil
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped shallot
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons safflower mayonnaise
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Use as a dressing for salad of summer lettuces or sliced tomatoes or cold summer chicken salad.

Pure Cream of Tomato Soup

Based on a recipe from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook

5 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup chopped Synergy Stuttgarter onion
4 tablespoons flour
3 cups whole milk (or any combination of lowfat, whole, and cream)
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups fresh, or canned Synergy tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste

Melt the butter in a soup pot. Add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the onion is softened but not browned.

Sprinkle the flour over the butter mixture and continue to stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk, bay leaf, sugar, and salt and continue to cook and stir until slightly thickened. Stir the baking soda into the tomatoes. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste to the milk, and bring just to a simmer.

Remove from the heat and put in a blender. Puree until smooth then put back in the soup pot and over medium-low heat.

Bring to a very gentle simmer and taste and correct seasonings. Let simmer till soup has reached desired thickness and intensity of flavor.

Serve hot or cold with a generous sprinkle of fresh ground black pepper.

Though the farms tomato plants are only about two feet tall with tiny green tomatoes at the beginning of June, we are able to enjoy a pure cream of tomato soup since we froze some of the prior years harvest in mason jars!