On 3/14/2021 10:48 PM, Snag wrote:
> On 3/14/2021 8:41 PM, Michael Trew wrote:
>> On 3/14/2021 9:25 AM, jmcquown wrote:
>>> On 3/14/2021 9:11 AM, Snag wrote:
>>>> On 3/14/2021 12:33 AM, Michael Trew wrote:
>>>>> On 3/14/2021 12:10 AM, Snag wrote:
>>>>>> On 3/13/2021 10:45 PM, Michael Trew wrote:
>>>>>>> Does anyone still can food in ball jars? I'm thinking about
>>>>>>> planting
>>>>>>> a lot of tomatoes this year and canning some. I never have before,
>>>>>>> but there's a first time for everything I reckon.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> We still have some tomatoes from last year down in the cellar - and I
>>>>>> have 24 tomato plants started for this year . Got jelly and jams and
>>>>>> pickles and peaches down there too ! Most from home grown or picked
>>>>>> wild
>>>>>> on our land . Tomatoes freeze well too , just rinse off , freeze
>>>>>> loose
>>>>>> on a cookie sheet then bag in gallon ziplocks . To use , just hold
>>>>>> under
>>>>>> hot water for a few seconds and slip the skin off . I'll be using
>>>>>> some
>>>>>> of our preserved tomatoes tomorrow for a big batch of spaghetti
>>>>>> sauce .
>>>>>
>>>>> I made a tiny batch of homemade tomato sauce for Italian style
>>>>> Margharetta pizza the other day. Do you normally blanch and peel
>>>>> tomatoes before canning them?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> The ones we put in jars , yes , they are blanched and peeled . The
>>>> frozen are just washed and frozen with no further processing .
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> I don't have a lot of land, and did a few container tomatoes last
>>>>> year. I have a pick and a small rototiller, and I might make a row
>>>>> of tomato and bell pepper plants along the southern side of my house
>>>>> before the hill drops off. I saved quite a few bell pepper and
>>>>> tomato seeds for the occasion! I'm in eastern Ohio, but I probably
>>>>> should start them off pretty soon.
>>>>
>>>> If those seeds are from commercial tomatoes , expect to be surprised
>>>> . They will most likely NOT breed true . Get a good heirloom variety
>>>> such as Rutgers or Marglobe if you want to save seed for next year .
>>>> Roma is a good variety for use in sauces and paste . If you aren't
>>>> going to save seed pretty much any hybrid variety will do .
>>>>
>>> The OP did say he "saved quite a few bell pepper and tomato seeds". I
>>> suspect he's starting off with seeds from what he grew in containers
>>> last year... at least, that is how I interpreted it when he mentioned
>>> containers. Whatever they were, they were good enough for him to save
>>> the seeds and want to grow them again. Just sayin'
>>>
>>> Jill
>>
>> Some of the seeds were saved from the container tomatoes last year. I
>> did same some commercial roma seeds as well, as I have never tried to
>> do anything with those. I didn't grow any bell peppers this year;
>> those seeds were also saved from store bought peppers. Should I dump
>> the store bought pepper salvaged seeds as well? I'm cheap, but not
>> THAT cheap... haha
>
> The pepper seeds and the seeds from the roma tomatoes should be alright
> . I have 3rd or 4th gen roma seeds growing in my kitchen window right now .

One of my father's friends had some tomato seeds from his father, that
were reserved for 40-50+ years. I wish I had some of those!