You can cut the tomatoes in half and sit them in a stainless steel pan for half hour or so (you can squash the tomatoes to remove excessive water but it is optional). Then you use your Mouli to remove the skins. Do this a couple of times until the skins are almost dry: this procedure thickens the sauce but it is optional. Then you can use jam jars or bottles but you will need a bottle topping machine. With jars it is easy: first in the oven to sterilize, and once filled and topped, boil in water for a good half hour. Try to keep the boiling water below the lid. You can add a leaf of basil if you like it.
Morning all, another hot one 40 deg today and I'm making tomato sauce! It should be much cooler after today thank goodness. A lot of the trees are shedding their leaves now in the heat. Catch you all later if I haven't melted!
37° announced for here today, not quite as hot as chez @floralies , then thunderstorms tonight and down to an agreeable 25° tomorrow. Phew! It was 30° in my bedroom last night so I went to bed late again, when it was cool enough outside to open the window. Woke for the loo then not again until nearly 9am.
Not sure what to do today. Too hot to garden or paint the landing, done all the HW, apart from the ironing, too hot for that. Maybe I'll read a book and watch TV, but it will make me feel restless.
I had a couple of sweetcorn last night from the garden. They were perfectly ripe so I must freeze the rest before they go over. Too hot to boil saucepans and boil them. Does anyone know if they freeze without blanching? Maybe I'll do it tomorrow.
I've been trying to lose weight since OH left a week ago. I've put on too much this last year. I've been eating veg and salad from the garden, bananas and yoghurt, lost 4 pounds and feel fine, pleased.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
Morning all, a nice sunny day again by the looks of it. My cleaners arrived (two of them today) and are busily hoovering around me. She has inspired me to keep the house tidier and cleaner which can only be a good thing. Keeping weight down is always a problem for me @Busy-Lizzie ,I think I've been dieting on and off for most of my life. I was quite heartened though when the GP commented last week that my current weight was quite acceptable.
Not sure what to do today either, probably some gentle gardening.
I did mention my weight when I last saw my GP @Lizzie27. He patted his rather large middle and said it's to be expected when you get past middle age! I never needed to diet until the menopause.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
@Nanny Beach Good recipe given by @coccinella. I have one of these vegetable mills. I boil my roughly cut up tomatoes until they are soft - big pot - about 10 minutes and then I drain the tomatoes through a colander in a pot or bowl and bottle this "tomato water". It just leaves the skins, pulp and flesh which condenses the tomato puree down making it less liquid. Put this mixture through the vegetable mill until the skins and pips are almost dry then bottle as cocinella has indicated. I put the bottles of "tomato water" into the fridge for a light refreshing drink.
Hope @AuntyRach has decent enough weather to enjoy her time off!
Just had a nothing-to-write-home-about shower here and it is decidedly cooler. Perfect gardening weather but alas I must keep myself clean as we have to go into town for a bit of shopping and then present ourselves at daughter's for g'daughter's celebratory 18th birthday meal. But first - wrap her presents!
Hope Rob is taking care of himself @D0rdogne_Damsel. Perhaps we should get some advice from him about stage managing our Festival next year - two of the acts overran this year which meant one of the later ones having to severely curtail their set.
Hope @AuntyRach has decent enough weather to enjoy her time off!
Just had a nothing-to-write-home-about shower here and it is decidedly cooler. Perfect gardening weather but alas I must keep myself clean as we have to go into town for a bit of shopping and then present ourselves at daughter's for g'daughter's celebratory 18th birthday meal. But first - wrap her presents!
Hope Rob is taking care of himself @D0rdogne_Damsel. Perhaps we should get some advice from him about stage managing our Festival next year - two of the acts overran this year which meant one of the later ones having to severely curtail their set.
🤔 hello @didyw … Dove here 😉 🤣 oh yes, now councils are so hot on not allowing noise after the permitted time Rob’s stages run like clockwork … can’t have the headline act being cut off in their prime because earlier performers can’t be professional!
Apparently what you need is a big chap with a beard and a loud voice (who the performers know is prepared to cut off the mic) … and a countdown clock at the side of the stage where the act and crew can see it … isn’t that right @WonkyWomble?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Oh - I meant you Dove not D0rdogne Damsel! Yes, that's exactly what we need! I think our problem was that a couple of the earlier acts got carried away as they were playing to a packed house and got greedy.
But speaking of @D0rdogne_Damsel - hope all is well at the cafe and the new house.
Posts
You can cut the tomatoes in half and sit them in a stainless steel pan for half hour or so (you can squash the tomatoes to remove excessive water but it is optional). Then you use your Mouli to remove the skins. Do this a couple of times until the skins are almost dry: this procedure thickens the sauce but it is optional.
Then you can use jam jars or bottles but you will need a bottle topping machine. With jars it is easy: first in the oven to sterilize, and once filled and topped, boil in water for a good half hour. Try to keep the boiling water below the lid. You can add a leaf of basil if you like it.
Luxembourg
Pleasantly warm and sunny. Just seen the kingfisher again on my little walk.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
37° announced for here today, not quite as hot as chez @floralies , then thunderstorms tonight and down to an agreeable 25° tomorrow. Phew! It was 30° in my bedroom last night so I went to bed late again, when it was cool enough outside to open the window. Woke for the loo then not again until nearly 9am.
Not sure what to do today. Too hot to garden or paint the landing, done all the HW, apart from the ironing, too hot for that. Maybe I'll read a book and watch TV, but it will make me feel restless.
I had a couple of sweetcorn last night from the garden. They were perfectly ripe so I must freeze the rest before they go over. Too hot to boil saucepans and boil them. Does anyone know if they freeze without blanching? Maybe I'll do it tomorrow.
I've been trying to lose weight since OH left a week ago. I've put on too much this last year. I've been eating veg and salad from the garden, bananas and yoghurt, lost 4 pounds and feel fine, pleased.
Keeping weight down is always a problem for me @Busy-Lizzie ,I think I've been dieting on and off for most of my life. I was quite heartened though when the GP commented last week that my current weight was quite acceptable.
Not sure what to do today either, probably some gentle gardening.
How nice to see the kingfisher again @punkdoc.
@Nanny Beach Good recipe given by @coccinella. I have one of these vegetable mills. I boil my roughly cut up tomatoes until they are soft - big pot - about 10 minutes and then I drain the tomatoes through a colander in a pot or bowl and bottle this "tomato water". It just leaves the skins, pulp and flesh which condenses the tomato puree down making it less liquid. Put this mixture through the vegetable mill until the skins and pips are almost dry then bottle as cocinella has indicated. I put the bottles of "tomato water" into the fridge for a light refreshing drink.
Just had a nothing-to-write-home-about shower here and it is decidedly cooler. Perfect gardening weather but alas I must keep myself clean as we have to go into town for a bit of shopping and then present ourselves at daughter's for g'daughter's celebratory 18th birthday meal. But first - wrap her presents!
Hope Rob is taking care of himself @D0rdogne_Damsel. Perhaps we should get some advice from him about stage managing our Festival next year - two of the acts overran this year which meant one of the later ones having to severely curtail their set.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
But speaking of @D0rdogne_Damsel - hope all is well at the cafe and the new house.