For a few dollars more

Last weekend we passed through the Asheville Farmer's Market, and my list had two must haves on it. Tomatoes and peaches. But, glory be! The produce was bountiful and cheap and I couldn't resist nectarines.... or purple!!! peppers.... cherries, oh joy! Even tomatillos beckoned from within their happy little paper wrappings.

So, I got tomatoes. 25 lbs of stunning little Romas who looked as blissful as a baby in a deep slumber. $8. I will confess to you that I have no idea - *officially* as to how to process them. Last year, I purchased the same amount and ended up with a bunch of water with tomato "coloring". I swore then that I would come up with a good recipe to draw salsa, pizza sauce, and spaghetti base from. I have a wonderful, wonderful web site that I am using as a go to, but even with all of her instruction, it turned out that I just didn't have the uninterrupted time to make a genuine go of it. So, as per my mom's instructions, I plunked them into the crock pot until they reduced by half. I removed the skins, and pureed the lot of it. It's definitely more potent than last years version, but we'll just see how it translates this winter.



Next, peaches. 1 basket of yellow and 1 of white, $14 a basket. Some are preserves, others have been converted into jam, compote, and pies. I think next year I'll have to get a whole basket of white purely for eating. They are unbelievable!! There's a white peach festival in Alabama that's on my bucket list- anyone out there want a road trip??



These preserves are ready for cobbler this December.

Super simple:

Melt one stick of butter in cobbler dish as oven heats up.
Mix 1/2 cup of sugar, 3/4 cup of flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 3/4 cup milk, and pinch of salt. Pour batter over melted butter and dump fruit on top. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. The crust will rise up over the fruit.
(Now that's the kind of science I could have gotten into!!)






The cast of characters:
Tomato sauce (run through the food mill, which I quickly lost interest in)
Stewed tomatoes
Peach preserves
Nectarine & White Peach Jam
Yellow Peach Jam
White Peach Jam
Roasted Tomatillo salsa
Cherry Pie Filling
Nectarine Jam
Peach Compote



Lest any of you think I am a canning wonder woman, I don't "process" , I freeze. Way quicker, and to me, a much more fresh taste. The jams are just the Ball freezer packets; so if you can make Jello, you are more than qualified. I worked a solid week, off and on, and bought my peaches "green" to buy some time. I also just peeled the peaches with my fingers. Usually you do a pot boil and ice water bath so that the skins slide right off, but I didn't have the time to watch all of those pots with 2 munchkins underfoot. So, the peaches didn't look gorgeous, and I probably lost a little too much flesh, but that's the price to pay.

Next year, I am looking for a ensemble cast to can alongside of: Anyone interested? It would be a 2 day venture and no kids allowed!!