Last of the tomatoes

About a month ago we picked all of our tomatoes (green) before the frost hit. I put them in our garage covered up with blankets in hopes of saving some.

The result was jars and jars of delicious tomato juice, pureed tomatoes and diced tomatoes. Mmmm...I can't even begin to explain how much we have enjoyed them. I will never be able to buy canned tomatoes at the store again.

The funnest thing that I made is salsa! So good. It turned out to be a community effort really. As I made the salsa I had to laugh at all the things that went into it, given to me from others.

A big thank you to

• Tanya brought me the tiny little tomato plants she got from the farm she worked at, helped the kids plant them, and fertilized my garden with crystallized chicken poo (I know, sounds gross, but it is all natural and I got a HUGE crop of tomatoes this year because of it). I had the most colorful and unique tomatoes.
• Mom gave me the brandy wine tomato plant she got from Jenny Hallenburger.
• Grandma Smith provided the garlic from her friends garden and has taught me so much about canning. She always answered the phone EVERY time i called with another question.
• Grandpa Waggoner gave me peppers from his garden in Utah.
• Marni gave me onions from her garden.
• Dawn bought me some extra peppers.
• Carmela helped me peel endless amounts of tomatoes.
• Karin: I could not have made salsa without her blender and her big Stock pot.
• Michelle: I am especially grateful to her for letting me taste her salsa and giving me the recipe!

Thank you to all. Your garden veggies, and canning supplies made for a great salsa batch!! And I am so grateful for a stocked pantry.

Now I am going to have to actually go out and buy tomatoes at the store!

The day before we went out of town for thanksgiving I used up the last 5 tomatoes out of my garage. After canning I set a few out to eat. These were the last of them It is so sad to see them go. It doesn't look really pretty because the meet is still raw, but I threw them in my slow cooker with peppers an pork. It was so tasty. By the time Scott got home they were desolve into a nice yummy sauce.

Can't wait til next year when I can plant my tomatoes again.