By Michelle Fabio

In a sad reminder to tomato canners everywhere, 14 people were recently admitted to a Russian hospital, one of whom later died, because of an outbreak of botulism; the source was found to be homemade canned tomatoes consumed at a family gathering.

Botulism is an illness caused by the toxin “botulin” produced by Clostridium botulinum. As this toxin is one of the most powerful, for humans even one microgram can be lethal.

While botulism is a rather rare illness—there are usually fewer than 30 food-borne cases of botulism per year in the United States—and particularly in a food with high acidity like tomatoes, it can be deadly.

Here are a few things you can do to prevent botulism from affecting you and your family.

(1) As high temperatures Read the rest of this entry »

By Michelle Fabio

A lucky reader has scored some sun-dried tomatoes and stored them in a jar with olive oil—now she’s wondering how to best vacuum seal the jar.

For starters, if you’re jarring only in olive oil, just be sure to pack the tomatoes in as tightly as possible leaving some headspace at the top for expansion, cover the tomatoes completely in oil, and then seal tightly. Store jars in a cool, dark place for up to a year.

If you’re adding garlic and basil like my southern Italian mother-in-law does, follow the same process but then store in the refrigerator to guard against botulism.
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By Michelle Fabio

Maybe you’ve just squeezed some tomato juice or made some skinless sauce and you’re wondering what you can do with all those skins.

Here are some ideas:

• Keep them in the freezer until you’re ready to make a broth, which is also an excellent way to reuse peelings and other remains of potatoes, zucchini, onions, garlic, parsley, etc. Put them in a pot over medium heat, add some olive oil and salt, and once everything is softened a bit, cover them with water, bring the pot to a boil, and then let simmer for about a half hour. Strain well, and you have a great base for many stews and soups.
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By Michelle Fabio

Perhaps you just want to get a few more days out of those tomatoes so you put them in the refrigerator for storage.
Stop!

Take them out and set them on your counter (stacking them in bowls encourage bruising), stem side up and out of direct sunlight.
Now they’re happy

Why?
Refrigeration can cause what is called a “chilling injury” in a tomato because it just doesn’t do well in temperatures below 45°F (7°C).
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By Amelia Tucker

With the season drawing to a close, you should know which plants grew the best this year.

Why not save those seeds and get a jump start on next year’s gardening?

It is easy to do and you will be saving the seeds from the plants that grew best in your particular area, ensuring a better harvest every time.

Here is what you do:

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By Tomato Queen

I’ll admit that eying the stacks of gleaming tomato jars in my cabinet has brought almost as much satisfaction over the long, bleak months of winter as eating them in a delicious sauce or stew.

Canning (really, jarring) preserves the texture and flavors of tomatoes like nothing else, and is an affordable way to eat organic and/or heirloom tomatoes year-round.

But make no mistake: canning definitely takes time and equipment.

Those who haven’t canned find it daunting, but have no fear; following a few basic essentials—sterility, acidity, heat—will ensure safe and delicious tomatoes for 1-2 years.

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