What? You already have tomatoes?

         My wonderful husband loves to garden and can't wait until the ground is thawed enough to pull out the rototiller and begin preparing for his first seeds.  We have garden at the end of the pasture between the blue spruce trees, at the side of our house, below the quarter acre, and anywhere there is sun and ground.  Luckily we planted a lot of grass! :)   The nice part is that we get to eat all the delicious veggies and fruit.  His goal each year if eating a tomato sandwich by the 4th of July.  Last year we didn't get very many tomatoes, but this year WOW!!!  I just organized my fruit room and realized that I only had 9 quarts of spaghetti sauce.  So, I decided that I would can this first.  Usually it is during the first week of school that enough tomatoes are ready. 

 

Pot fit over two burners :)

 

 

Notice - US NASH 1987 and under it says 15 gallons

Last weekend I said, "Let's get up and pick the tomatoes on Monday because that is about the only day I can make spaghetti sauce".  Well, I arose at 6:30 a.m. and he had just finished picking them.  I was excited.  Caleb said he wanted to help and I was very thankful because we began at 6:45 a.m. Caleb did most of the cutting and I did the churning and washing and sending them through the Victoria Strainer.  Caleb said, "Okay Grandma, I'm just going to keep cutting until we get every one done."  He wasn't joking. We had filled one large pot and it was on the stove, filled another and it was on the stove, and then there was still more.  At 9:15 we were almost finished.  The problem, no more stove room.  Then the thought came to me, "The pot of all pots!"  It is one that I have had for quite some time.  I don't know where it came from.  I asked all the neighbors, but they said it wasn't theirs.  It just ended up in our orchard one year.  Anyway, I cleaned it out and started scooping out the tomato juice one pitcher at a time because the pots were to heavy to lift and dump.  After putting the two pots and the remainder in, there was just enough room to add the ingredients and be able to boil.  At 8:40 p.m. I turned off the last steamer.  I was so excited!!!  One full day and one big pot made 42 quarts!  10 1/2 gallons of spaghetti sauce :)
 

 

I need to be a little bit taller for this pot.

To celebrate, Dave and I went for a short hike until dark.  What a wonderful feeling to have spaghetti sauce finished for the year.  Thank you Caleb, you were the best!  I would still be cutting if it wasn't for you! I also can't leave out Chloe.  She woke up just as we were finishing straining the tomatoes so she helped wash the pans and strainer.  Reward?  Fun with the grandchildren and rootbeer floats for Dave, Caleb and Chloe.