Sauce made with Velox Tomato Press (Video)

The 2011 T-Farm tomato harvest peaked out in August and early September this year, and after much research, the Velox Tomato press was chosen to process much of this bounty.  We used this tomato press to process fresh tomatoes to make a perfect sauce without seeds and skins. We found that it works great on a granite or other smooth counter top and all the pieces go in the dishwasher when done.

We started with 5 pounds and 1 ounce of washed paste tomatoes (Super San Marzano) which were cut in half lengthwise.  Small whole tomatoes can also be used.  When done, we had 4 pounds 4 ounces of sauce and 7.1 ounces of skins and seeds that were not used.  This translated into 8 cups of sauce before being cooked down.

This press is a great buy and we sell it here in our Amazon General Store.

Here is additional information about the unit from Amazon.

The Velox Tomato Press removes seeds and peelings from tomatoes, leaving you with only the finest puree. The tomato Press can also puree other fruits and vegetables through its durable stainless steel screen. The vacuum pressure base with lever holds firmly to your counter top with over 220 pounds of holding power and is made of natural rubber that is designed to resist age. This unit completely disassembles for easy cleaning and is dishwasher safe. It is made of a non toxic polypropylene that never stains, and comes complete with a matching bowl.

Canning Tomatoes – Quick Start Guide

Here in the Midwest, August is the peak month for harvesting tomatoes.  While drying is a good choice to store the fruit, canning is also an excellent way to go, and will retain the original juices of the tomato.  If you are just getting started, there are a couple kitchen tools, like a jar lifter and canning funnel that you may not have that will be helpful.  Check out our home canning kit in the Canning section of the T-Farm General Store which includes a nice collection of canning tools.  A highly recommended book on the subject is the Ball Complete Book of Home Preservation which we also sell in our store.

An excellent resource for all type of food preservation is The National Center for Home Food Preservation.  If this is your first time canning, they also recommend that you read Using Boiling Water Canners before getting started. 

To keep things simple, I will cover the process of canning crushed or quartered tomatoes which requires only tomatoes and lemon juice, with salt being optional.  The original recipe goes into great detail, so I re-formatted the information into shortened, numbered steps in order to simplify the process. 

Quantity: An average of 22 pounds is needed per canning load of 7 quarts; an average of 14 fresh pounds is needed per canning load of 9 pints.

A bushel weighs 53 pounds and yields 17 to 20 quarts of crushed tomatoes-an average of 2¾ pounds per quart.

1. Wash tomatoes and dip in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or until skins split. Then dip in cold water and slip off skins and remove cores.

2. Trim off any bruised or discolored portions and quarter.

3. Quickly heat one-sixth of the quartered tomatoes in a large pot, crushing them with a wooden mallet or spoon as they are added to the pot.

4. Continue heating the tomatoes, stirring to prevent burning. Once the tomatoes are boiling, gradually stir in the remaining quartered tomatoes and boil gently for 5 minutes while coninuing to stir.

5. For pints, add 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice per pint.  You may also add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, if desired.

6. Fill jars immediately with hot tomatoes, leaving ½-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process.

7. Process times depend on the size of jars and altitude (see table 1. below)

Table 1. Recommended process time for Crushed Tomatoes in a boiling-water canner. Source: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_03/tomato_crushed.html
		Process Time at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	0 - 1,000 ft	1,001 - 3,000 ft	3,001 - 6,000 ft	Above 6,000 ft
Hot	Pints	35 min	40	45	50
	Quarts	45	50	55	60

  

Drying Tomatoes – Easiest way to preserve food

For those of you who have never tried it before, you may be surprised to learn just how easy it is to preserve tomatoes or other produce through dehydration.  Drying tomatoes also gives them a sweet, rich flavor that can be used all year-long to enhance your favorite foods. 

Once dried, you can also put the dried tomatoes in the blender and make a powder to sprinkle on foods. 

When using a dehydrator like the ones we sell in the “Food Drying” area of our general store here, there are only three simple steps to dry your tomatoes to perfection. 

1.      Wash your tomatoes and slice into halves if the fruit is small, making sure each piece is ½” or thinner.  Even thinner slices can reduce the time by hours, but try to cut them about the same thickness so that they are done at the same time.  You can use any tomato, paste or slicing, but the paste tomatoes will dry faster and yield more end product because there is less water in them.  In this posting, we used the Principe Borghese, an heirloom that is popular in Italy for drying because of their superior flavor.  The seeds may be hard to find, but we now sell them in our General Store.

2.      Place cut fruit on drying trays and set temperature to about 135 degrees or “fruit setting,” until dry.  (Note: Other types of foods like basil will use a lower heat setting. )  In our example, it took from 16 to 20 hours to fully dry them, but this can vary depending on how much moisture is in the fruit and how thick you slice them.  The photo below, showing them partly dry, was taken after 12 hours of drying time.

3. Store in zip-lock bags or jars with tight lids. You can store the dried tomatoes on the shelf in a cool, dry location for about a year. Freezing the food will extend their shelf life further. 

Drying is a simple, rewarding way to preserve all types of fresh vegetables.  For more detailed information on food drying you can visit this link at the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

This extreme closeup photo shows three small, mostly dried pieces of tomatoes.