More Harvest.... YIPPEE!!!!!

My friend Lindsey shared with me some of her harvest of tomatoes... she was so cute when I picked them up saying "I hope they are ok to do canning"... I just giggled at her (these are the most beautiful tomatoes I have ever seen!!! REALLY, they are awesome!!!)

When she offered, I was elated there was some available, but felt guilty because I couldn't offer to go pick them at the time, I was so busy and that had to fall farther down on the list of priorities... so if I could get time before the freeze, it would be great, otherwise I would just remember and next year hit her up earlier in the season and if they had another bumper crop, I would go out to pick some.

What makes the story of the tomatoes more bloggable than her gift of giving, and the shear beauty of the filled jars, was the story behind it all... after she had offered me some of her crop, she realized getting them to me would me she would have to face one of her biggest fears.....

da, da, daaaaaa.....

Spiders!

She is really afraid of spiders, and apparently they live with her tomato plant crop. So up until now, she would go out on taco night or the irregular occasion to pick one or two for her family to eat with dinner... or I imagine her husband would go picking when they were ready to come off the vine, but he is a hunter and not home much this time of the season... so she ventured out and spent some close and personal time with the spiders picking this lovely batch just for me.

She did share there were more out there, but they were terrifyingly close to the ground where the spiders lived and her husband would most definately have to get those, a girl has to have her limits on facing her fears!

I love it... I was laughing at the wide eyed look she had telling me about picking them, which really only made them so much more special... what a friend! Thanks Lindsey, they are now salsa!

The famous tomatoes!

In the process... the skin comes off, then I put them through this fabulous cutting contraption my mother in law got for me that dices them up in a short snap....

Into the stock pot they go.... already looking like salsa...

I learned about Mrs. Wages mixes from my bff. I used to make salsa and dice up all the onions and roast the peppers and chop the garlic and cilantro... now I use the packet, and it is the easiest and best salsa I have made so far.... they also do spaghetti sauce and you just add the tomatoes. I think they have a couple other products, pickles and something else, but I haven't gotten that far in my canning ventures yet.

I read on the package you can even freeze the salsa if you don't can... I made up a batch one time and instead of cooking it, just put it in the fridge for 2J's to take to a class party in Spanish with chips, and he said all the kids raved over it.... wanting the recipe. Which means allot coming from a majority hispanic classroom.

This is what it looks like all cooked up....

Then I process the jars in the canner... I think I have mentioned this is the very most rewarding skill I have learned to do.