#WW Tomatoes {Linky}

Processing tomatoes is almost an everyday thing. I'm pretty sure we go through the longest way to process them. 

1. Pick Them
2. Sun Bathe Them in the Windows
3. Slice Them
4. Boil Them
5. Put Them in an Ice Water Bath
6. Peel Them
7. Deseed Them
8. Put Them in a Big ZipLoc Bag
9. Deep Freeze Them
10. Can Them When the Deep Freezer is Full

I'd skip the deseeding part, but I'm an ultra allergy sufferer. I've read that the seeds are what bother many with allergies. They get stomach aches, and don't even know why. Tomatoes were on the list of foods to avoid - from my allergy | asthma doctor. I only am supposed to avoid them during the season, when they grow. The same goes with squash. 

If you are ever frustrated with - LIFE, just go through the whole process. Read my captions, and you'll understand. 

The Attack of the Killer Tomato

The Sacrifice

Bobbing for Tomatoes

Peeling Some Skin

Naked Tomato Nest

Squeezing Some Guts

Are you growing anything in your garden this year?

Processing #tomatoes

Per usual Travis has a lot going on in the garden.

Things we grew:

• Kale
• Tomatoes
• Corn
• Popcorn
• Different Types of Dried Beans
• Basil
• Oregano
• A few Types Peppers
• Strawberries

...and more

He plants it, and for the most part I process it. 

We have a system with tomatoes:

1. We bake egg shells, grind them in a coffee grinder to sprinkle on the ground, where the tomatoes grow. They love the calcium! 
   
   
2. I have 3 windows where tomatoes go. 1 is for green and yellow ones, another is for orange ones, and the last is for almost ready ones. Once the almost ready ones are ready it's time to move on to the next step.
   
   
3. I slice the tomatoes in a cross formation. That makes them easier to peel. It feels a bit odd, like I'm sacrificing something. Ha! I find that ceramic knives work so well to do this. They are sharper. I don't want to cut into the tomato, just the peeling.
   
   
4. I boil a big pot of water, to put the tomatoes in for 2 minutes. 
   
   
5. Then it's time for the tomatoes to move to an ice bath. They sit in there, for a minute or two.
   
   
6. They peel so easily!
   
   
   
   
   
7. After they are all peeled, and the peeling has moved into the compost pile I cut them, and deseed them. Anyone with allergies should deseed tomatoes. The seeds are what many are allergic to. You wouldn't even know that you're allergic to them. You just get common allergies all the more, with ingesting the seeds. 
   
   
8. It's time to cut them, and put them in a silicone reusable bag, or ZipLoc bag. 
   
   
9. There is a ton of tomato juice. Travis used to dispose of it. One year I was like, "Let's keep it!" I have to say that I'm glad we started doing that! I use the cubes for soups, and any dish that requires chicken or beef broth. It adds flavor!
   

About TigexPro Silicon Ice Cube Trays:

You can get them on Amazon: 

https://www.amazon.com/TigexPro-Silicone-Whiskey-Beverages-Popsicles/dp/B082KFJHRV/ref=sr_1_88?dchild=1&keywords=whiskey%20ice%20cubes&qid=1586811325&sr=8-88&fbclid=IwAR1zsh0KBuPWWK3Kl-PDlIFGEoFlogWXzIKOGfDawZFHADNnHKyTATj8cMw

Cost: $11.99 

Included: A red and black silicone deep ice cube tray, with lids. 

What Else the TigexPro Silicon Ice Cube Trays Can Be Used for:

• Homemade Baby Food
  
• Frozen Fruits for Smoothies
• Frozen Veggies for Soups
• Ice
• Alcoholic Drinks
• These are deep enough, where dried snacks could go in each one, for little kids

Popping Out the Cubes:

They easily pop out if you run the bottom of the tray under warm, or hot water in the sink. They do have lids to prevent anything from getting freezer burned + to cover the cubes, so they don't fall in the sink + to pop out the cubes. 

I pop them out, once they are frozen, and store them in a big ZipLoc bag or reusable silicone bag. Then use them when I need them.  

What would you use silicone ice cube trays for?

Disclaimer: I got the silicone ice cube trays, for a discounted price in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Random Tid Bits

1. I survived yet another busy midterm week: Grades are in, projects are accounted for, everyone earned their grades, they are all passing, except one that's dropping.
   
   I do have a non motivated student in my Design and Layout class. I kind of chewed him out when he presented. I told him that it's his job to get motivated. He can do that by working in what he likes to do. He sketches fun images a lot. I said, "Work those into your projects!" The other students backed me up. It was overall positive.
   
   I have a group of 3 students in first year that clown around too much. Sometimes I wish I could say, "Ok you sit here, and you over there." It's not elementary, so what shall I do? No one that's serious wants to hear them horsing around. They are spending way too much on their education to piss it away. I'm torn on how to handle this - always.
   
   I do have to hang a big project, and will hopefully do that on Monday. 


2. Our window sills are totally full of tomatoes. It got cold enough that it snowed in Omaha today. Nothing stuck. Travis pulled off all the tomatoes last night. Otherwise they'd be useless, with a freeze. It's like we skipped fall all together.
   
   
   
   
   
   I called in for pizza last night. It's been awhile, since I've had off from cooking something. I didn't escape the work. Tomatoes were waiting to be processed. I made a mess in the process, so I had to scrub the floor afterwards.


3. Things are about to get super hectic! This weekend my one and only niece Kailey is getting married, Isaak has two soccer games (one is a makeup game). Travis goes out of town to pick up some sculptures and his Mom is having surgery Monday and Tuesday. I have a Program Advisory Meeting on Tuesday after work. I leave work early on Wednesday to go to Mica's conferences across town. Thursday Isaak gets braces, we have Isaak's conferences, and I'm getting allergy shots. All the rest of this month is nuts like that. 


4. I had to confront the boss man with a not so nice email. I was going to confront him face to face, but the meeting we were supposed to have never happened. He wanted me to teach 4 classes next semester. The class he wanted me to take on is Web. Not something I feel like I'm qualified to teach. He wanted my co-worker to help me. I was supposed to be quiet, and not tell my co-worker. He doesn't take change well. He sits right by me. I brought up many points. The biggest one was that I dislike how employees are put against each other. I mentioned that we all have our assets. Without me things wouldn't be as creative as they are, without my co-worker things wouldn't work as well as they do, and so on. I still have the busy schedule of three classes, but that's much better than four! My college teachers always taught only one course. They'd teach it a few times, but it was a repeat. 


5. Isaak's gecko Sunny is always wiggly when he’s first held, but two nights ago he calmed down. I fed him when Isaak was doing his homework. He did seem to know food was coming his way. He got off his rock, and walked towards the front of his tank. His food just sat there. Isaak came in a few hours later, picked up his worms with a tweezer, and he ate it right up. Maybe he just knows I’m not his master. Isaak’s a good father to his gecko Sunny.

Tomato Invasion

Last week the boys and I took Friday off, and traveled to Branson, Missouri. We didn't have a vacation this summer because of Travis' art residency and my surgery, recovery, and Aspirin Desensitization. It was good to get away.

Before We Left:

Our garden is putting out more produce than we have time to process. Travis and I processed acorn squash, squash seeds, tomatoes, and cucumbers before we left. Then we had and have to process more once we got home! Yep during the time we were gone a few tomatoes juiced, and fruit flies occurred. Boo!

We have lots of cabbage, Spaghetti Squash, and kale as well. The Spaghetti Squash and cabbage I use in dishes. The kale we steam for breakfast. We're getting to the point where kale will be washed, dried, and ground for winter smoothies.

Tomatoes:

Travis picks tomatoes. I line the red ones up in 1 window, the 1/2 red ones in another window, and the green ones in yet another window. I rotate them. Once I have about a gallon of tomatoes I boil them, give them an ice bath, peel them, and deseed them. I make the boys help. Isaak's always been a pretty good helper. Mica on the other hand...well we struggle.

Travis pours the extra tomato juice in ice cube trays for vegetable juice. Once we have quite a few gallon bags of tomatoes we can them. We usually just can jars of tomatoes. Then we can use them for whatever recipe we want to down the road.

A 24 Quart Pot Ready to Can:

I've been making Sun Dried Tomatoes with the Cherry Tomatoes. 

Sun Dried Tomatoes are Really Easy to Make:

• Set the oven to 200 degrees
• Spray a pan
• Wash and cut the tomatoes in 1/2 
• Deseed the tomatoes
• You can season them how you wish - basil, salt and pepper is usually what I use
• Bake for about 5 hours, stir, check on them every hour after that - usually they end up baking for about 8 hours

Storing Them:

I just put them in a closed container in the refrigerator. I know people store them in oil to. 

Use Them:

We use them in eggs, on cheese toast (melt the cheese over them), and on salads.

I think I'm finally caught up on reviews. I got a ton of products to review all at once it seemed. The reviews were all due when, or right after I got back from vacation. Some of them I cut pretty close to their deadlines. That's not like me.

This weekend it's time to can relish. I want to try cinnamon pickles. We have lots of dill, and bread and butter pickles.

What would you make with lots of tomatoes and Cucumbers?

Canning and Preserving

Travis grew a ton of cucumbers, but no dill weed. This weekend I went to Ace Hardware to pick up more canning jars, and then to 3 grocery stores to buy dill weed.

Travis did the canning, but I helped with the prep work, meals and clan up.

Travis ran out of the pickle brine, so he decided to ferment the rest. He has a big fermentor crock I got him. 

Next we're going to have a ton of tomatoes. They're a little slow to turn red this year, but are well on their way. Last year I peels, and took the seeds out of the tomatoes, chopped them up and froze them. Then we canned in the fall a few times when it was cold outside. 

Do you do any canning, or do you grow your own food? I'd be lost without Travis. Especially this year I just couldn't be outside with my allergies. About the only thing I do is pick mulberries for 10 minutes each day when I'm at work. I get a small bowl full each day, but there is starting to be less and less of them. I just wash them, cut their stems off and add them to smoothies.