Turkey time

I got a 16-pound pasture-fed turkey and half of a much bigger one (cut down the middle) on Tuesday from Freeman Homestead. They deliver twice a month at a location in West Seneca and offer chickens, ducks, pork, and beef, as well as turkeys at Turkey Time.

To see their blurb on the Eat Wild web site, click on the link in this post and scroll down. The entries are alphabetical. Another farm in the list that we have bought from is Honeyhill Farm in the Fingerlakes region. Their chicken is amazing, too. Honeyhill has NOFA organic certification.

The Freeman folk are friendly and helpful, and their meat is excellent. The prices are competitive with other artisan sellers but much higher than supermarkets. The difference is, I want to eat their meat and cannot stand the garbage that the chains sell. As for price, a meal at a fast food place, for two, is the same price as I pay for a pasture-fed whole chicken or a pound of steak or a roast.

Recipes ... tomato paste/waste

I got a half-bushel of paste tomatoes at the Farmers Market in North Tonawanda on Saturday. I put half in the slow cooker on Sunday and finished it off this afternoon.

My recipe is five pounds of tomatoes, seeded and chopped. Heat to simmer and cook until soft. Run the pulp through a food mill to remove the seeds and skins. Cook for an hour or two -- until the paste stays on the stirring spoon. I like to use the slow cooker to reduce the pulp overnight, then finish on the stove burner.

Add 3/4 cup of vinegar of your choice. Freeze in ice cube trays. Put in freezer bags.

A double recipe will make about two ice cube trays of tomato paste.

I'm making a basic tomato sauce with the balance of the tomatoes.

There has been a high percentage of waste in these tomatoes. Mostly black spot problems. And the fruits are over-ripe.

The tomato sauce recipe is the one in Stocking Up, a Rodale Press book. Check Amazon.com for used or new copies. It's the best.