# STEAM JUICER TOMATO PURÉE



## NorthernWinos (Sep 12, 2007)

Went with the garden club on a tour of a greenhouse/nursery/bare root/truck garden/Gladiolus farm yesterday. Aside from 2 acres of Glads they had 5 acres of garden vegetables. About an acre was red with ripe tomatoes....We discussed many ways of canning them....she makes a purée using the steam juicer....I haven't tried it yet, as I am in the grape/tomato juice mode right now....Thought I would pass the info along.
She fills the top basket with whole cored tomatoes, skins on. Steams them, throws away the accumulated juice and runs the pulp through the blender and boils that up and cans it....Sounds like another good way to use up tomatoes and get some Paste/Purée out of them....


Going to try it soon.


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## grapeman (Sep 12, 2007)

Sounds like a great idea to help eliminate excess liquids.


I need to ask though, where are the pictures of the operation at that truckfarm?


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## NorthernWinos (Sep 12, 2007)

I was bad....




Didn't take any photos...there was about a 35MPH wind blowing and it was COLD....There was 12 of us, we all had on winter jackets and hats...I had my hood up.....It wasn't a pretty site...Plus my purse was in the van that 6 of us had driven up in.


I think they plant all the vegetable plants that don't sell at the greenhouse/nursery...They had about every kind and color of peppers you could imagine, as well as many varieties of tomatoes.....I walked around the tomatoes and found one that hadn't split...now being as I didn't have my notepad can't recall the name...there was also a large paste type tomato that looked real interesting...it had a pointed little tip on the end. They had probably over 100-150 eggplant plants out there...as well as all the melons...etc....Unfortunately there aren't many local Farmers Markets, but they get to the ones they can and people go up there to buy and pick your own.


All the vegetables are planted in rows of plastic that he installs with a machine he copied and built that buries the edges of the plastic roll. Their soil was pretty sandy and he doesn't have irrigation.


As well as the Glads he grows hundred of Dalhias...hundred of varieties and when he'd ramble off the names of all the flowershe'd check the tags and was right every time. They had many boxes of cut Glads that she went off to mail when we left, they were going to California, South Dakota and Nebraska to florests...so they have a good outlet for their cut flowers as well as local markets. They also sell the Glad corms and Dahlia bulbs. When we left he was going out to cut about 1000 Glads that were showing color....the field wasn't very showy as they cut them pretty young and keep them in a cold room they fixed up in their old dairy barn. They plant and dig all those Glads and Dahliasby hand, keep them labeled and separated for sale.


Since Diazanon has come off the market they are struggling to find a product to protect the Glads from root maggots. I have problems with root maggots in my onions and this year in the garlic too. I tried Lorsban [I think that was the name of it]...but I didn't use much as it kind of made me nervous using it, so I did get some root maggot damage again this year. I will try it again next year and use more like they recommended.


They do well at their greenhouse as they are way up north and cater to the local people as well they advertise well. He wins every flower show they go to with his arrangements, very talented. I had been there a few years ago when they still had dairy cows....they are use to being under pressure and working hard...so they are doing pretty good for being so remote.


The greenhouse was about cleaned out, they don't heat or keep anything over winter....throw everything out and start fresh. In the nursery they had many potted perennial flowers, shrubs and fruit trees left over, but think they winter those over without any problem. I did score some new house plants...a chartreuse Boston Fern, a Staghorn Fern and a Iron Cross Begonia...was really surprised to see them way up there...so you just never know about these places....life is full of surprises.


I felt tired when we left there...that was just too much work for 2 people and only one part time employee....Hope it didn't freeze up there...Frost was predicted up North and in low lying areas...Thhis is just too early to think about frost...


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## NorthernWinos (Sep 21, 2007)

Well...the Steam Juiced Tomato Purée worked well....Just had a few ripe tomatoes left over so gave it a try...


Washed and trimmed the tomatoes and put them in the steamer basket...






Clear juice came out the spigot....






Nothing but the pulp and skins left in the basket.....






Ran the pulp, skins, seeds and all through the blender and got some nice purée...not as thick as paste...not as thin as sauce...






A good way to use up some extra tomatoes...one steam basket almost full yielded only 5 pints of purée.


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## rgecaprock (Sep 21, 2007)

Wow NW, I would throw in some garlic, basil, oregano and Romano cheese and pour that right over a steaming pile of sphagetti right now!!!


Ramona


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## jobe05 (Sep 21, 2007)

Could you make tomato wine with the juice?

I agree with Ramona, a few spices, some pasta....... Italian bread with cold butter, some Broccoli Robb fried in garlic with asiago cheese and a glass of hearty red wine..................

Wow.......... I'm satisfied just thinking of that.................


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## NorthernWinos (Sep 21, 2007)

Yes....I think you could make wine with that clear juice...there was lots of it....it had good smell to it....I felt bad pouring it down the drain.






However....in 2004 some friends gave us some tomato wine...they said it wasn't very good and that they were going to leave the rest ofit along the street near the collage.... We openedthat bottlelast night...it obviously hadn't improved with age....it was one of the first wines our friends had ever made...so it wasn't good to begin with.
I have heard others say they made tomato wine and liked it....so if you have lots of tomatoes....go for it...



*Edited by: Northern Winos *


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## jobe05 (Sep 21, 2007)

I only had one (1) experience with Tomato wine. It was when we went to see my aunt in Georgia. She made some 23 years ago and put it in a used whiskey bottle. I presume it was sealed to some degree for a couple of years but then she opened it, took a glass and closed it a few more times over the next 20 years (same bottle). Then she shared the last half a glass with me............. she didn't need to do that.......... really.... she didn't.....


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## dfwwino (Sep 21, 2007)

Oxidized puke?


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