Preserving tomatoes

Because of the month long heat (in 100s) the only tomatoes I have are the cherry ones and I’m thankful for those. I have juiced the first batch and it is thick. Not paste thick but a thick sauce. May I safely can this? Hate to think about watering it down but I will if necessary. What do you think?

Also I plan on freezing it as there is only a quart so far. May I thaw it and heat it and can per usual?

J from Missouri

Yes you can home can the puree from your cherry tomatoes; I do it all the time with extras. Process as if it were tomato puree or sauce. You can freeze it, but sometimes when you can pre-frozen tomato sauce it tries to separate in the jars and is not as pretty as if it were canned fresh. How about canning it in pints or half-pints? Won’t take long at all. — Jackie

Canning peaches

I am canning peaches; and the orchard I bought the cases from had all sorts of peach products and their products were so beautiful, the peaches had no pink/red coloring and none of the red fibers that surround the pit — how do you get those “fibers” out without tearing up the peach flesh? I’ve tried a melon baller and had some success but not worth the time to tear up the flesh–is there an easier way to come up with those beautiful peach halves?

Kathy Tignor
Hinesville, Georgia

Different varieties of freestone peaches have different degrees of red fibers around the pit. There really isn’t a way I’ve found to get rid of them and actually rather enjoy the red color. Try canning different varieties until you come up with one you like. Usually, the more red in the skin, the more red around the pit. — Jackie

Planting a recently excavated slope

Just last week one of the fellow seminarians from your May class at your farm visited us in Ohio. She lives in Virginia but was here on business. This is another great perk when one attends the seminars you host. You make lifelong friends and finally meet people who share your dreams, your goals, your values.

We have our garden fenced per your instructions and it is doing well. Have picked tomatoes and a couple peppers. The corn is seven feet high and tasseling. It is a beautiful thing.

Well, I have another question for you. I searched the web but could not get pertinent individualized information so I hope you can help me. As I write we are having a pond dug. One side of the pond is a steep northern slope that is recently excavated and I know it will erode if I don’t plant something fast. I was thinking of perennial plants or native grasses. The soil is clay and of low fertility and I was hoping you could help me decide what to plant and how to best tackle this situation. Hard to believe we were at the seminar just two months ago. You fulfilled an item on my “bucket list.”

Deborah Motylinski
Brecksville, Ohio

Hi Deb, I’m glad to hear everybody keeps in contact and is able to visit other folks who attended the May seminar. That’s really nice! You’re right; it’s great to make new friends who share like dreams and lifestyles.

What might work for your pond’s steep side is to tuck a few boulders in the ground at strategic locations then plant quicker growing perennials such as daylilies, coneflowers, etc. among them so their roots can help stabilize the soil. Other options include using quick growing ground cover such as crown vetch or making terraces in the soil held in place by rock or treated timbers. I’ll bet you’ll enjoy your pond as much as we do our spring’s basin. It gets bigger and better every year. Glad to hear your “bucket list” is one item less! — Jackie