For a lot of us in Nigeria, this is
the great recession as we have never seen it this bad, I must
confess. Even in times of Operation Feed
the Nation, Austerity Measures, Structural Adjustment Programme alias SAP etc;
things were not this bad. How can we sustain the lifestyle of the average 9ja
family? I ask myself.
Back in the days, the average 9ja
could boast of at least TWO decent meals a day. Right now, we can hardly do
this as the number of things contesting with our meagre income is on the increase
at an alarming rate.
Growing up in the 70s and 80s, we
could still rely on almighty NEPA for power and The Water Corporation for water
unlike now when we do our own power generation and supply our drinkable water
ourselves. We even have to ensure adequate security for our neighbourhoods and
the list goes on and on. At times I wonder why we pay so much tax!!!
With the depletion of our foreign
reserves and recent hike in the price of petrol our burden has escalated. The cost
of food stuff has tripled and fake products now abound. Yet the Naija man keeps
trudging on, surviving against all odds!!!
Of special interest was the price of
tomatoes that rose a couple of months ago to an all time high of NGN500 for 4
pieces of lime sized tomatoes (compared to N100 a month ago) to the ensuing
cries of mothers nationwide.
This
was followed immediately by our ingenuity and creativity. Trust Naija women,
recipes started surfacing on social media - ‘how to cook without fresh tomatoes’
turned viral on social media.
Supply of tomatoes and other farm
produce have always been seasonal and we have experienced these shortages from
time to time. Granted this year was more severe because of the alleged
Tomato Ebola that ravaged our crops, coupled with issues of forex and fuel price
hike.
However, this does not in any way
remove from the serious issues of lack of planning affecting us as a country.
Every year agricultural produce are wasted due to lack of storage facilities.
We produce tons of tomatoes, oranges, mangoes and other perishable food items
and watch them rot before our eyes month on month on end because we cannot
preserve them.
When are we going to wake up to the
opportunities in canning and preservation of fresh fruits, vegetables and other
farm produce???
That is a business idea for someone
here, did I hear AMEN!!!!!
In my bid to share ideas on how we can
maintain same lifestyle or at least a semblance in the face of the changing
economy. I share below the first in the series.
How to
Can Tomatoes in the Comfort of Your Kitchen
Canned tomatoes can be a lifesaver if
you leave in a country like 9ja where power supply is irregular and you cannot
afford the wastage from food rotting away in your freezer.
I discovered canned plum tomatoes
which I use regularly before researching and finally decided to start canning
my own if for nothing but to be sure of what goes in it.
I don’t need to add salt nor sugar for
instance!!!
Items Required
·
Tomatoes - of course
·
Lemon juice for
preservation
·
Jam jars with air
tight lids
·
Big stockpot to boil
the bottles
·
Bowl of Ice
Steps to follow
·
Wash all utensils
thoroughly
·
Boil jam jars in hot
water to sterilize them
·
Wash your tomatoes, just to get dirt off - it’s easier to can them whole
which is what I do anyways
·
Remove the stem, on the bottom, make an x mark on the tomatoes for easy
peeling
·
Boil your pot of water and next to it place a big bowl with cold water
·
Boil tomatoes for a minute (the larger ones took slightly longer, two
minutes max)
·
Remove tomatoes with a slotted spoon and place in the ice bath for a few
seconds - the skins start to fall off, tug them off gently
·
Get your giant pot/s boiling again with clean water
·
Place the tomatoes in your warm jars up to ½ an inch below the rim
·
Press down with
a spoon to make bottle compact. Add more tomatoes to within ½ ″ of the top.
·
Now add lemon juice. They need the extra acidity to keep. For the ½
litre add a tablespoon, for the full litre add 2 tablespoons
·
Run your spoon around the edge to loosen up any bubbles and bring them
to the surface. If you need to, add boiled water to fill the jars within ½ ″ of
the rim.
·
Wipe the rim of the jar with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel to remove
any tomato, juice etc. Anything left on the rim could spoil your tomatoes.
·
Place the lid on top, and screw the rings in place. Or just wipe and
screw the lid on if you have plain lids
·
Now your tomatoes are ready for canning!
You’ll notice the seal on the lid is up; you can
push it up and down with your finger. Now we need to process the jars so they
are safe to store for up to a year. When we are done, the lid will be sucked in
and that’s when will know they sealed correctly.
So place your still-warm jars in the heating water. Submerge the jars entirely with water 2-3″ above the lids and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, remove the lid of the pot and start your timer for 85 minutes.
If you hear any jars rattling against each other,
add a kitchen towel in between. Check periodically to see that the water level
is still above the tops of the jars and add water if necessary.
Remove the jars after 85 minutes (or your increased
processing time if you are using your kitchen gloves or jar lifter if you have
one.
Place them somewhere no one will bump or touch them
and let them sit to cool, overnight is good. You may hear hissing when you take
them out of the water – that’s totally fine. The jars’ seals will still be up
at this point, they will suck in as the jars cool.
The next
morning, check your jars. Are the seals down? Any leaks? If not, you’re good to
go.