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["Lynda" <lurine AT softcom.net>]

The easiest way to make tomato sauce and even paste, is to plop the whole 
mess into a BIG roasting pan (I use a huge, and I mean, huge, electric 
roasting pan) and let it go overnight.  No muss, no fuss.

Lynda
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gene GeRue" <genegerue AT ruralize.com>
> I suspect I have tried about every way to get tomatoes up off the
> ground. This year and these tomatoes are just another experiment. So
> far, looks good. This particular soil has had the heaviest application
> of grass-leaf mulch over the years. Last year before I left I placed
> about eighteen inches on it. Just one more strong piece of evidence
> for the positive virtues of clean mulch.
>
> In one of the main garden beds I have four tomatoes in cages. So
> that's my safety net. I won't use a lot of tomatoes this year. It
> probably does not make sense to freeze and haul tomato juice to
> Phoenix for cooking down to sauce. Maybe some.
>
> Which starts a new train of thought. Rising energy prices will create
> motivation for new ways to reduce tomato juice to sauce. I have always
> cooked it down in the winter so that the heat and humidity helped
> house conditions. I have tried the technique of hanging it in a pillow
> case and letting much of the water drip free, but I think it adversely
> affects nutrients and flavor. The ideal is using a wood burner in the
> winter.
>
> Haven't got a wood stove or heater in Phoenix.
>
> Now feeling even more sorry for urbanites than usual.