Very much a tomato day today! For a week or so, nearly everyday I have been concentrating on the picking and processing of grapes and apples. The tomatoes in the tunnel have been left untouched and so today there was a lot to pick. I made a mistake a little while back, (just before it started to get much wetter), the seepage tube watering system that runs off the water buts and supplies the tomato plants should have been turned down or off. This heavy rain meant a lot of water going into the beds with the result there was a sudden surge of sap going up into the fruit. When tomatoes are close to ripening their skins are not so flexible and the increased pressure inside the tomato causes this skin to split. In the early stages the fruit is still fine to eat but if left mould starts to grow in the split and can ruin the fruit. Quite a few of the tomatoes particularly the cherry varieties had split. These tomatoes have to be used straight away or frozen. I cut the tomatoes in half through the split and pop them into a small freezer bags containing enough for 2 portions and then freeze them. These are very useful for when tomatoes are needed to be added to a casserole. With the larger tomatoes I halve or quarter them and freeze them loose on a tray, then when frozen I then put a lot into a bigger freezer bag and return to the freezer. Because they have been frozen separately they don’t stick or set together in a mass and can be taken out in the quantity required. I am defrosting a large bag of apples tonight to get the maximum juice from them tomorrow after the crushing and pressing. That’s tomorrows morning sorted!!
Posted on: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 19:48:08 +0000
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