We Make A Great Team...

Brynwood Needleworks - Smoky Paprika Tomato Jam

 

My productive weekend never would have happened without the help Handsome gave me. Before my surgery, we went to the Oshkosh area and purchased a bushel of tomatoes at a great price. Nearly fifty pounds of these red beauties yielded half a shelf of crushed tomatoes, many jars of tomato ketchup, and multiple jars of salsa. It was so nice to see all that goodness in our pantry, but only half of the tomato shelf was filled.

Brynwood Needleworks - Crushed Tomatoes In Pantry

 

One week post-op, I asked Handsome if he would help me with another bushel so that shelf would be full as we head into the cold weather. He agreed, so I contacted the same seller and we went back for another bushel on Friday morning. I need his help whenever anything over five pounds needs to be lifted, as that's my biggest restriction for a month after the surgery.

He lifted every single thing I needed all weekend (and beyond). He brought all the canning supplies I needed upstairs from my storage area in the basement, he measured all the tomatoes (20# per batch), and helped me load and unload my pots and the canner all day.

Brynwood Needleworks - Marisa McClellan's Canning Book

By the end of the day on Saturday, we'd processed just over forty pounds of red goodness, and added fifteen quarts of crushed tomatoes, plus two quarts of "mostly juice" (for soups or to add to roasts). Not only did we fill the rest of that shelf, but I had to move into another shelf space for the rest.

Sunday, I took four pounds and made a recipe I've been thinking about for months. I belong to the "Food In Jars" Facebook group, founded by Marisa McClellan, and they've all be raving about this recipe. I had to try it! I made her Smoky Paprika Tomato Jam (included in Marisa's Preserving By The Pint cookbook).

Now I know what all the other canners who've made this recipe know. It's delicious! Four pounds yielded four half-pints (one jar missing in the photograph, because that one was actually our test jar at dinner time last night) of tasty, smoky/sweet jam.

In case you're wondering, this jam can be used on a charcuterie tray as a condiment, on hamburgers or sausages, and after tasting, I can't wait to use it as a sauce on baby back ribs! Ladies in the group say it makes a great pizza sauce, too. So many applications!

So, we went through all those tomatoes, and I admit I'm tired. But, I can say, I'm not hurting, and Handsome was my hero as we did this project together all weekend. I'm feeling pretty chuffed at our shared accomplishments. We make a great team.