Putting up Tomatoes last night at 9:30

Your neighbor sounds a real sweetie.

Our tomatoes haven't even begun to ripen yet. We have had some yellow squash, green peppers, and some zucchini from our garden, but that's about it. The corn looks good this year....so far, anyway (at least the critters haven't gotten to it yet). Our blueberry plants really produced well this year...we're still getting some berries.

I want a fresh tomato. When the tomatoes are in season, I take a salt shaker, go up to the garden, find a good place to sit and eat tomatoes. A good rub on my shorts is all that's needed for cleaning. Dad and I used to head out to the garden once it got a little coolish toward evening and eat fresh tomatoes. I do that with rhubarb, too....love to eat the rhubarb fresh out of the garden, but I don't like rhubarb cooked or baked in anything.

Did I ever mention tomato powder? We have a food dehydrator and when I use tomatoes in anything and have to slip the skins off, I save the skins and dry them as best I can with paper towels. Then I throw them into the dehydrator for tomato powder. It's good stuff. And I don't have to throw anything away.

I really want a fresh tomato now.

Oh My, we threw away all of the skins. We'll save them next time. I'll have to look for my food dehydrator in the attic.

I'll tell my Mom when she gets home.

What a bounty your received. I'm glad you are able to take advantage of fresh food and know how to preserve it.

We grow a huge garden, and put up lots of food. We always have more than I can handle, and it is very hard to give it away, probably because we live in the country and everyone grows a garden of some size. Even when my husband takes it to work in town, it sometimes doesn't get snatched up.

We don't have any ripe tomatoes yet, but getting geared up for the onslaught to come! will be making lots of salsa to can this year, as well as trying to make sauce for the first time. Usually just make juice, but really overstocked on that as of now.

I'm agree with PamelaSue72, nothing as good as picking a tomato right from the bush & eating it fresh with a little salt! I planted Brandy Wines (the best), Early girl, Big boys & Italian tomatoes (plums) and several different "grape" & "cherry" tomatoes! I have been making sauce with the bigger size (first time trying it & I love doing it), eating tomato sandwiches almost everyday, giving co-workers & a few people in town bags of them every week!

I also planted about a dozen different peppers! Giving away most of them. Have had yellow squash, scalloped squash and zucchini but they are about over with here. Would set a basket of them inside the General Store where I live for the ones that want/need fresh veggies.

Also planted several rows of Zipper peas, Italian green beans & a row of pinkeye purple hull peas and a row of Speckled butter beans! And had a small row of okra!! Very busy this time of year but it is all worth the effort!

when i make homemade tomato paste i just use the skins also. cook the tomatoes down with a little bit of butter, salt, and pepper......and when they are all soft i just use a hand blender and blend the mixture, skins and all. there is a lot of flavor in the skins.

i also just freeze tomatoes whole for use in stews and soups and casseroles. throw them into a ziploc bag and freeze. when you take them out to use the skins usually just peel right off when they begin to thaw.

Good for you. I don't can, but great idea, and how healthy is that!! Enjoy, my grandmother used to can. Not many do it anymore that I know of, but good for you!!