what’s better than a hot day in summer? a vibrant memory of a hot day in summer on a cold winter evening! one of my favourite stories is the story of Frederick the mouse. while his fellow mice collect grains, corn, and nuts for the winter, Frederick collects colours, warmth and words. and saves the day when the winter boredom creeps in on them. preserving tomatoes is a lot like that. it’s nutrition for both soul and body. we harvest a bag full of tomatoes every time we visit the garden. it’s beautiful! and while we use them fresh, we also have some to spare. an easy and useful way to preserve food is boiling it in glasses. fresh tomatoes turn into canned sauce, ready to be used for a variety of dishes (including Shakshuka).
how to: put tomatoes in a bath of hot water for a couple of minutes. take out, let them cool a little and skin them. take out the stem. you can either cut them into bigger pieces or blend them smooth – you might even want to pass them through a sieve to remove the seeds (we don’t). we don’t usually add any salt, herbs or garlic, but you could. press into a glass, close the lit tight and boil upside down in a water bath for at least 45 minutes. it’s important to work with clean glasses and tools (boil everything beforehand for at least 5 minutes). take out the glasses carefully and let cool down on a clean towel. after 20 minutes you should hear a satisfying “plopp” – that’s when a vacuum builds inside the glasses and they are ready for storage in a cool and dry place.
