Midweek Processing

I called Frank on my way home from the office to see if he had gotten out to the Minnetonka garden to pick tomatoes.   He really enjoying doing a few big pots of red sauce made from only Reisentraube and Joe Lauerer tomatoes and I had left the plants heavy with ripe fruit this weekend for him.  He and his wife had spent the weekend up north at a friend’s cabin and I had left the tomatoes unpicked.  Frank had a smile in his voice, informed me he had several gallons of tomatoes now on his counter to process, and that this should have him set for the winter’s supply of red sauce.

Now, I can start picking that garden’s tomatoes in earnest.  Stopped by,  just to assess where things are there, and by the weekend there will be quite a bit to pick.  More of the Victor Kucyk corn had dried down and I took a bag of that away from the garden, as well as a few more gallons of beans, some San Marzano tomatoes, and a bunch of fresh basil.

David called me when I was nearly home to tell me that Patti or myself needs to stop by and pick up eggs.  The chickens laid 8 during the day and Rebecca and he cannot eat them that fast.  Apparently he has a few dozen in his fridge just since last weekend.  Patti is going to head over there tomorrow with a bunch of empty egg cartons, and she needs to pick up some of her tools she had left there from building and modifying the coop.

While the kids played outside I blanched and packed up another 8 pints of beans, then Claire joined me and together we plowed our way through getting a good sized pot of red sauce on the stove and cooking down.  Dinner was simply pasta with pesto and the kids were (mostly) in bed by 9.  The tomatoes cooked down to another 7 quarts of sauce in the freezer.

Not going to have time the next two nights to do this again (probably).  I have a late appointment with a client tomorrow, and Friday evening I am supposed to go goose hunting with a friend.  That I am excited about.  Geese are one of the few birds that if things go right I can really put a lot of meat into the freezer.  We do love geese meats. <smile>

The weekend is supposed to be a combination of harvesting, processing, and deer stand maintenance with my brother Matt down in Red Wing.  The crush of fall is coming quickly and only a few more months to go to finish topping off the freezers and shelves.  On Saturday I need to pick up a few bushels of windfall apples.  That morning and evening will be watching the skies for geese.  Late drive Saturday down to Red Wing, then working in the woods and field for the day and back home late night.  Back to the office on Monday.  Need to make bread for school lunches in there somewhere.

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