If you like to waltz with tomatoes....

The tomato production around here is... insane! We've been canning dozens and dozens of quarts of spaghetti sauce almost every day of the week!

Mom and I started picking tomatoes before 8 am this morning. We brought one van load home to the other girls, who started processing, then we went back to the garden, and picked a few more bushels, only to return around lunch time to the whole house covered in tomatoes. (All the pictures for this post were taken today.)

Tomato sorting -
This one to process immediately...
This one to ripen for tomorrow...
This one to sell...

Steve making tomato paste...

Liz and Joanna, busy with spaghetti sauce in the makings...

Dad just finished screening in our back deck and turning it into a summer canning kitchen! YEAH! Now instead of heating our whole house while we cook down things like spaghetti and apple sauce, pots can be simmering on the wood stove out there. The thermometer read 117 degrees out there when this picture was taken!

And now it's 12:20 am... There are 54 quarts of spaghetti sauce cooling on the counter and another 20 quarts still simmering. We'll finish those first thing in the morning... And hopefully we'll also sell the 8 crates of nicer tomatoes stacked in my office!

Liz wants me to remind anyone reading that you are always most welcome to show up with a couple extra kettles and a paring knife! : ) We can't promise to look impressive or be in the best mood, but we'll be thankful you arrived!