Information and discussion about canning and dehydrating tomatoes and other garden vegetables and fruits. DISCLAIMER: SOME RECIPES MAY NOT COMPLY WITH CURRENT FOOD SAFETY GUIDELINES - FOLLOW AT YOUR OWN RISK
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September 11, 2017 | #76 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Den of Drunken Fools
Posts: 38,539
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I was logged in to but if you right click on it it will say view image.
when you do this it will ask you to log in again. It is strange. I on my phone and have to drive home but I saw the picture of your strainer and tomatoes. Will look more when I get home. |
September 11, 2017 | #77 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Alabama
Posts: 7,068
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We bought an electric motor driven strainer years ago that was made in Italy. It cost around 260 dollars and has been worth every penny. We only run cooked tomatoes through because it is much more efficient that way and much quicker. I really love it when it is time to make Pappadew hot sauce because removing all those seeds is so easy. It is better if I quickly use the blender on the cooked peppers to break them up more before running them through the Spreemy strainer in order to get more of the good stuff.
We like to put up more concentrated tomato puree and we do that by cooking the tomatoes first then draining off all the excess water and then processing the tomato pulp which leaves us with a much thicker sauce. Sometimes we use the drained water in soups but usually it is just tossed. We found through experience that cooking much of the water out results in tomatoes that don't taste as fresh and by eliminating most of the cooking before freezing the tomatoes they are much better than anything that can be bought at the store and so much fresher tasting. Bill |
September 11, 2017 | #78 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Den of Drunken Fools
Posts: 38,539
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I can see all the pictures in the other thread.
Bill I now may have a use for a tomato strainer. Hot peppers. Worth Here is the picture in question. |
September 12, 2017 | #79 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Alabama
Posts: 7,068
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I couldn't see a picture Worth. Here is a link to one similar to the one we have or maybe it is the same. If you shop around you might find it cheaper. It really makes short work of removing seeds from the soft cooked tomatoes and peppers.
https://www.amazon.com/Spremy-Electr.../dp/B001TV95D2 Bill |
September 4, 2018 | #80 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2013
Location: New Mexico
Posts: 2,052
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I used my Victorio mill to make Concord grape jelly yesterday and I was able to make it explode. I ran my grapes through it and thought I could get more juice if I ran the skin/seeds through a second time. Big mistake! It got hard to turn the handle, so, being me, I just put my back into it and cause the guts to launch about 3 feet across my counter onto the floor and all over the cabinets. At least it was grape juice. Add cleaning grape stains off the kitchen to an already busy job of making grape jelly and you have a fun Labor day of labor!
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September 4, 2018 | #81 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: SE PA
Posts: 972
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Grapes need that shorter worm to start with...I definitely wouldn't try a second pass! Did you break the lugs on the screen side?
I absolutely love ours, between raw tomatoes, heated pears, and really nice potatoes. The only issue I had was the set screw needed to have a dimple drilled to lock it down. Otherwise reversing it with the handle when jammed could unscrew it. |
September 4, 2018 | #82 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: ohio
Posts: 4,350
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Quote:
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carolyn k |
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September 4, 2018 | #83 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2013
Location: New Mexico
Posts: 2,052
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I don't have a grape screen so I just used the one I had which works great on tomatoes. I don't think I broke any parts. If I get a chance to run stuff through it twice, I'll pass it up. I'm learning. To make matters worse, my jelly came out runny so I reprocessed it today. At least I didn't have to run the grapes through the mill again. The jelly smells and tastes fabulous!
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September 4, 2018 | #84 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2014
Location: illinois
Posts: 281
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I also use the same strainer for both tomatoes and grapes. Grapes will clog after a couple passes, not tomatoes. Most of the grapes are used for wine and I don't strain them. But if you want to jump start your day nothing tastes as good as fresh grape juice. We cut it with water for the young grandkids as full strength is a bit much.
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September 4, 2018 | #85 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: ohio
Posts: 4,350
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there is a pumpkin screen and a grape screen for my victorio. not sure if the newer versions have them though. they have larger holes in the screens for the pulp to come through, but if you like multi use gadgets.. get a steamer juicer pan for making your grape juice. it is far easier than using the victorio and cranking it through. the pan is a 4 part pan. a lid a pan that has a seived ? bottom that holds a peck of fruit, a collector pan with a hose and spigot attached and the bottom pan holds the water to make the stem. you place your fruit in the top part fill the bottom with the water put the collector pan on and place the fruit on next put on the lid turn the burner on low/med and let the steam go to work. as the juice is expressed it collects in the middle pan and can be bottled directly from the pan (into hot from the oven jars and simmering lids) not boiling water bath to do. I usually do at least two bushels of grapes into juice with my pan.
and you can make the grape jelly as well from this juice.
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carolyn k Last edited by clkeiper; September 4, 2018 at 08:42 PM. |
September 5, 2018 | #86 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Den of Drunken Fools
Posts: 38,539
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I can still pictuer the thing blowing apart like a roots blower on a top fuel dragster.
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September 5, 2018 | #87 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Floyd VA
Posts: 771
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If the cranking gets very difficult the pressure is building up and can pop the screen off. I only had this happen once when trying a double run on the skins, so I only run the skins back through once now. The extra couple of ounces of juice is not worth it.
I usually run 30 pounds of raw tomatoes through before cleaning the screen (if needed). My Victorio has run beautifully for 10 years now and saves me a lot of time! |
September 10, 2018 | #88 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: SE PA
Posts: 972
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my favorite victorio fodder
Last tomato sauce of the season for me, tonight or tomorrow. I picked the rest of the tomatoes I have in the backyard, two 10x20s loaded with these little red beauties. I got the seed from the swap a few years back, marked stupice, and they look real similar, but they are all RL, and have been stable. So I dubbed them fauxpice and have been growing them every year.
Maybe I should have called them victorio specials. They fit perfectly down the hopper without cutting, they are all basically perfect with no waste, no cracks, no splits, they stay red ripe for a LONG time on the vine, and don't weaken at the stem and fall on the ground while still edible. If I wait too long they collapse completely and just leave the skin hanging. This was the third picking and smallest picking this year from my five cages. Previous years I let them run wild, but this year I culled to three leaders and they formed nice symmetrical trusses like a cherry tomato, usually 8 or so. I love them because they zip right through victorio without having to worry about bad spots or cutting to fit in, and they taste fine. I want to try these as my early tomato as well but I never remember to plant an early tomato! I also have the third picking from my big beef row, but they are more or less halfway to red with the normal late season cracks and splits. There is a big difference in the quality. I picked them to take down the row before bow season opens, and I think they'll probably go to waste if I leave them on much longer. We just had another 2.5" of rain the last couple days and many split while still pale. The big beefs by this time are smaller than they started out, and show some blight on the actual tomato, while the fauxpice are more like a cherry tomato in that they stay a consistent size the entire season. I took some pics earlier this summer when I made sauce with them. Call that early August. When doing sauce I keep some fauxpice reserved in case the mill backs up on different tomatoes, such as OR117, because a few of these "fopeechee" seemingly clean it out. The later pics are today, Sept 10. Fourth to last pic has a fauxpice ready to collapse, and the next pic is one collapsed. Very clean litmus test. The vast majority are just perfect though, and hold for a long time. The last pic with the okra, you can see some of the big beefs are speckled by blight and close to being worthless without ever turning full red. The big beef vines were about the same condition as those fauxpice cages. |
September 28, 2018 | #89 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Den of Drunken Fools
Posts: 38,539
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Quote:
Worth |
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September 28, 2018 | #90 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Near Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 1,940
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Yes, glad you had a wonderful crop this year - the weather certainly has been challenging!
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