By Jeff Gilbert, Green City Growers
It’s going to be COLD this weekend. With the forecast
anticipating at least one night at freezing temperatures, and the potential for
multiple nights of cold weather, we will likely see the demise of many fruiting
crops. While hardier fall plants like kale and lettuce can hold up to a few
nights of cold, fruiting crops – especially ones like tomatoes and peppers –
will sadly become piles of mush. Tomorrow at the South Street Farm, right next
to Taza Chocolate, Groundwork Somerville will be harvesting out a ton of summer
vegetables! Join them for this event!
But what better way to hold onto this growing season than to
do one final pre-frost harvest and preserve and put away the fruits of your
labor for later on this weekend! This fantastic recipe, courtesy of The Preservation Kitchen by Paul Virant
for Sweet Pickled Cherry Tomatoes,
will help you make use of you. Simple to make, and tasty to boot!
Ingredients:
5 teaspoons dill seeds (cumin seeds could work as well)
2 ½ teaspoons black peppercorns
10 dill sprigs
5 garlic cloves
8 cups cherry tomatoes, hulled and pricked with a sterilized
needle
4 cups of Champagne vinegar (apple cider vinegar works great
as well!)
1 ¼ cups water
¾ cups sugar (I use organic sugar)
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
Directions:
1.
Scald 5 pint jars in a large pot of simmering water fitted with a
rack—you will use this pot to process the jars. Right before filling, put the
jars on the coutner.
2.
In a dry sauté pan over medium heat, toast the
dill seeds and peppercorns.
3.
Divide the spices among the jars, using about 1
½ teaspoons per jar, then add 2 sprigs dill and 1 garlic clove to each jar.
4.
Pack the tomatoes evenly among the jars.
5.
In a pot, bring the vinegar, water, sugar, and
salt to a boil. Transfer the brine to a heat-proof pitcher and pour over the
tomatoes, leaving a ½ inch space from the rim of the jar.
6.
Check the jars for air pockets, adding more
brine if necessary to fill in the gaps.
7.
Wipe the rims with a clean towel, seal with the
lids, then screw on the bands until snug but not tight.
8.
Place the jars in the pot with the rack and add
enough water to cover the jars by about 1 inch.
9.
Bring the water to a boil and process the jars
for 15 minutes (start the timer when the water reaches a boil). Turn off the
heat and leave the jars in the water for a few minutes. Remove the jars from
the water and let cool completely!
Not sure if you want to take the full-on canning plunge?
Concerned about botchulism? If you haven’t yet canned before, you can always
prepare the recipe as noted above, but just make sure to eat the pickled cherry
tomatoes in the next two weeks.
Groundwork Somerville will be hosting a Harvest Party
tomorrow from 8-10 AM, followed by an interactive event from 10-11, where you
can learn all about how to reduce your food waste. From compost demos to
grocery shopping strategies, you’ll walk away with plenty of new skills and
ideas to share!
More information here: http://somervillefoodday.blogspot.com/p/events.html and https://www.facebook.com/events/1626273447623189/
