A bit of video from this morning's live broadcast.  And yes, Tom, this coffee was absolutely worth waiting for!  

Thanks to everyone who came out to Chicago TomatoFest 2009.  We had some great dishes at the potluck and of course, lots of great heirloom tomatoes. 

Mr. Brownthumb, a local garden blogger came by with his camera and his notepad and put together this post:

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-garden/2009/09/tomatofest-potluck-supper-2009.html

While you are on his site, check out his post on the garden at the Cook County Jail.  He came to Tomatofest directly from the jail, which is fitting given that our host, the Chicago Honey Coop, was founded in part to create jobs for ex convicts in and around North Lawndale.  Amazing what a few seeds, some dirt and elbow grease can do, no? 

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-garden/2009/09/vegetable-garden-at-cook-county-jail.html

Tom and I are going to talk about canning on Wednesday, 9/16, so I thought I'd share a few pictures from a canning project I just finished.  I'll explain the steps on Wednesday morning. 

Only the sugar and the pectin came from outside our garden and local apple tree. 

http://picasaweb.google.com/damien.casten/AppleBeetRelish#

Here is the base recipe I used:

http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/recipe.cgi?r=5630&y=2

1 1/2 cup Sugar 1 1/2 cup Cider vinegar 5 cup Drained canned apple slices 2 can (1-lb.) drained sliced or tiny whole beets 2/3 cup Horseradish

Method : In a deep bowl, dissolve 3/4 cup sugar in 3/4 cup cider vinegar. Add 2 1/2 cups drained canned apple slices and 1 (1-lb.) can drained sliced or tiny whole beets and 1/3 cup horseradish. Cover and chill overnight. Good with broiled chicken, steak or roast beef.Makes 8 to 10 servings.

I made a few modifications:

1) I blended the sugar and  horseradish in a blender along with one white beet and three hot peppers, also from the garden.   I then blended roughly 3 more apples with a bit of water because we needed more liquid. 

2) We brought this mixture to a roiling boil, and then added a pouch of pectin, to give it the consistency of jam. 

3) I fought the urge to add cinnamon and cloves - the apples smelled like fall while they cooked and I was tempted - and am glad I did not.  The end result is delicious and will be wonderful all winter on turkey, chicken, pork and even just toast.