Blog

Making Tomato Sauce

Making food from scratch can take time. One of the main reasons busy people don’t make food from scratch is this time commitment.

But, there is a way to fit home made food into a busy schedule. Here’s an example of how we did homemade tomato sauce in several stages to fit our schedule.

Think in small batches.

Almost no one has an entire day to devote to processing a large bunch of produce and completing it all in one day. If you do find yourself with a free Saturday and bushels of tomatoes, these steps can all be crunched into one day. That is a rarity for us, so breaking it down into small steps is a necessity.

Pick the tomatoes.


Don’t plan to do anything else. Just pick tomatoes. Tomatoes will keep at room temperature for 3-4 days depending on the ripeness when picked. It is ok to pick a bit underipe and finish on a window sill or kitchen counter.

Peel and seed.

Prepare a pot of simmering water and a pan or sink of ice water. Drop the tomatoes in the simmering water for 30-45 seconds, then plunge into the ice bath. Skins will slip off easily. Slice the tomatoes in half horizontally, squeeze out the seeds (sometimes it helps to dig them out with your finger), cut out the core, and quarter the tomatoes. Unless you are sensitve to tomato seeds, it is not necessary to get out every single seed. Cover and refrigerate the tomatoes for up to 2 days.

Sometimes we stretch this step out over a couple of days if needed to get all of the tomatoes peeled, seeded and cut.

Season and bake. 

 Yes, bake. Line a shallow baking pan with parchment paper, place tomato quarters in a single layer and drizzle with olive oil. The amount of olive oil is personal preference. At Five Feline Farm, a full baking sheet gets about 1/3 cup of olive oil. Then sprinkle with your favorite Italian herb seasoning. We like strong flavors, so we use 2-3 Tbsp.

If you have a convection oven, convection bake at 300º. If you do not, bake at 325º, and expect about a half hour longer. Stir every hour until the tomatoes are cooked through and most of the juices have cooked off. In the convection oven this takes about 2 hours.

This step sounds like a long time, but the actual active involvement is 15 minutes or so. In between stirring you can relax, watch TV, eat supper, or work on another household task. As a bonus, the aroma wafting from the oven is heavenly.

After baking, pour the tomatoes into a storage bowl and refrigerate. This will hold in the fridge another day or so until you have time for the next step.
Blend and store.

Use an immersion blender to quickly blend the baked tomatoes into a thick sauce. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender or food processor; however immersion blenders are fairly inexpensive and so versatile that this is really the way to go.

After blending, ladle into freezer baggies, seal and store. We typically freeze in 1 cup portions.

When ready to use, the sauce can be thawed in the refrigerator, defrosted in the microwave and added to a recipe or thoroughly heated in the microwave. You will be tempted to eat straight from a spoon.

 

Confessions of a Food Hypocrite

Do you ever feel like a food hypocrite?

I do.

Here at Five Feline Farm, especially this time of year, there are all sorts of fresh food options. I love fresh food. Green beans and potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, peppers. All of those are available a few steps from the door. Herbs to make every dish spark with flavor are growing just outside the kitchen. 

As I sit here writing this post, I’m eating McDonald’s french fries. 

How much worse can it get?

Life has been über busy this summer. Building a new business, learning the ropes as a vendor at a weekly farmer’s market, preserving summer bounty for winter needs, and oh yes, both of us have demanding full time jobs. As a result, meals have been hurried; too often going out to eat or carry out. We comment only half-joking about the crime of eating store bought donuts after a morning of baking scones for the farmer’s market. 

It is time for a change. 

As of today, I declare a moratorium on food hypocrisy.  

I will strive to make our meals healthy and fresh. Creativity optional. 

You, our faithful followers can come along for the ride. I’ll send out blog posts and updates on how this new plan is working. Let’s make some healthy steps together. 
Drop us a comment about what healthy choices you are making.

Shopping the Farmer’s Market

Farmer’s Markets are in full swing throughout the country. It is mid-summer and produce is bountiful. How do you make the most of your Farmer’s Market shopping?

There are a couple of ways to approach your shopping, depending on your cooking style. Do you like to have a plan for your week’s menus ready and shop for only specific items? Or, do you decide meal by meal what sounds good to you and your family?

For Planners

If you are one of those who starts out the week with a full menu planned, it will be helpful if you know what is in season in your area. In season crops will be fresher and typically lower cost. You can always swap out an ingredient or two if you can’t find what you want or if something else is more economical. 

Ask vendors what they expect to bring to market in the future. Most vendors will be able to give you an idea what is ripening in the near future.

For Impulsives

Take a quick walk around the market and review what is available. Then go back and make your purchases. Think about how much produce your family can realistically eat. 

Once you get home, take a few minutes to wash and store your produce properly so it will last through the week. While you do this is a good time to at least make a mental plan of what dishes you can prepare.

For Both

Consider preserving some of your finds. Early August has tomatoes and peaches plentiful in much of the mid-West. Make peach preserves. Can tomato juice. Peppers are also available and can be combined with those lovely tomatoes for fresh salsa. 

Talk to the vendors. Ask about where their produce originates. Did they buy somewhere else and are re-selling? Did the vendor grow their own vegetables, herbs and fruits? Also ask about how items were grown? Vendors should be able to tell you if pesticides or herbicides are used if they are growing produce themselves? Vendors will also give suggestions about how to use different items.

As you are looking around the Farmer’s Market, be sure to take advantage of non-produce offerings. Most markets include craft vendors as well. Handmade soaps, jams, jellies and baked goods are available offering an alternative to the big box stores. 

Shopping local Farmer’s Markets makes good nutrition and financial sense. Not only are you gaining a fresher product for your table, but your support of local farmers is a welcome boost to the economy. 

Grilled Sweet Corn

It is that time of year in Central Illinois for sweet corn to be available in ample supply. We are growing a lot of our own vegetables but we made the decision not to grow sweet corn. To do sweet corn well and in the quantity we like to freeze, it takes a good size plot. We have the room, but have dedicated our efforts to other crops. 

In our continued quest to eat more local and healthy, what better way than looking around the Farmer’s Market after we set up our own booth? There is plenty of sweet corn available at the 18th Street Farmer’s Market. 

One of our favorite ways to enjoy corn on the cob is to grill it. 

To grill sweet corn, remove the outer dark green husks, leaving the lighter colored inner husks intact. Cut off the exposed silks and any extra cob on the other end. Soak the ears in cold water for about 30 minutes. Just enough time to get the charcoal grill ready to cook.

Throw the corn on the grates, turning every 10 minutes or so until the husk is charred on all sides. Remove from the grill and carefully remove the husks and silks. The best way I have found to do this: hold the cob in one hand protected by a hot pad while stripping away the husk and silk with the other. 

Serve with butter, salt and pepper for a classic summer treat. There are a number of equally good variations to spread on the corn: equal parts butter and blue cheese mixed together, substitute seasoned salt for the salt and pepper, just to name a couple. Another option is prior to grilling, peel back the husks, remove silks and spread with equal parts butter and prepared horseradish.

No matter how you enjoy your corn on the cob, grill a couple extra for this rainy day dish.

Roasted Corn and Potato Chowder

3 medium potatoes, cut into small cubes

2 ears of roasted corn, cut off the cob

2 cups milk

3 Tbsp butter

1/4 tsp Penzey’s Chipotle (ground red)

1/4 tsp Penzey’s Roasted Garlic

1 tsp minced cilantro

1 Tbsp finely shredded parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Boil potatoes in salted water until fork tender. Drain. While the potatoes are draining, melt the butter in the same pot. Add corn and stir until heated thoroughly. Add Chipotle, Roasted Garlic, salt and pepper. Stir for about 30 seconds until the seasonings are distributed and fragrant. Add potatoes and milk. Heat through over low heat, stirring occasionally. 

Ladle into bowls and garnish with parmesan and cilantro. 

There is always something new to enjoy here at Five Feline Farm. Thanks for stopping by and check in often on Facebook and Twitter to see the latest.