Polly you said you used the crockpot to cook down tomato sauce? Sounds good to me.How long? Any other particulars?

David said on another thread that you had good leek crop.Your climate is similar,tho drier than mine.When did you plant them?

Here's one back at you, from me. We use the old cusinart to whizz up the tomatoes,skins, seeds and all.Use this as a base for sauce,salsa,and bbq sauce.Very quick and less fuss.You don't even notice the skins after this process and it starts out thicker.

I used some yellow pear cherry, and italian drying tomatoes in the salsa base and they whizzed up chunkier.I liked that for salsa.

Finally anyone have a good sweet tomato sauce recipe, but not using peppers? I like garlic and basil instead.

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2001

Answers

Not going to be much help here, as I just cook it 'til it looks right! For spagetti and pizza sauce, I drop my 'maters in boiling water and then peel them, smush 'em up with my hands and dump in the pots on low. Add onions, saute'd in olive oil, sugar, peppers, garlic, basil, oregano and anything else that looks good. I cover the crock pots loosely with a cap of aluminum foil that has a long slit cut in the top - enough to keep the sauce from "plopping" all over as it cooks, but also to let the moisture out as it cooks down. Stir occasionally. Probably 18 hours or so, anyway. Then I can it in a pressure canner for 20 min at 10# in pint jars. I've got a victorio strainer, but it doesn't leave enough meat in the tomato juice to suit me.

(PS - wondered where you were; everything okay?)

-- Anonymous, June 15, 2001

I do it like Polly, never thought of the tin foil trick though, thanks for sharing that Polly, will try it.

-- Anonymous, June 15, 2001

Sharon, we planted the leeks the last week in February. We started with really nice plants (bought from Dixondale Farms at too high a price!). Next year we'll try growing from seed again, starting inside in January, or if we get our act together (HA!) we'll start them outside in fall and heavily mulch to overwinter for an early spring start. We figured this year that the cost doesn't mater, since we sell them at market till we more than cover the purchase cost, essentially getting our own leeks free.

-- Anonymous, June 15, 2001

Polly

Fine as frog's hairs.Thanks for asking.

-- Anonymous, June 15, 2001