Tomato Catch-Up

For the last two weeks I have been cold, damp, and windblown for much of the time. It had been difficult, during the family's UK sojourn, to remember that there were still parts of the world where it was hot and humid as a greenhouse and where the growing season could support more than cold-weather veg such as brussels sprouts and cabbages.

As a result, when I returned home I was confronted with a bumper harvest of tomatoes (both from my own farm and from the Gardens of Others) for which I was not adequately prepared. What with all the post-holiday tasks with which I was faced (thirty-four loads of laundry; a lawn as tall as grass on the high prairie; a mountain of bills to pay; and the usual laboratory duties besides) I found myself at 5:30 this morning chopping and prepping all manner of ingredients for my latest canning project, Very Ripe Tomato and Apple Relish, adapted from a recipe in Mary Anne Dragan's Well-Preserved.

The final condiment - finished well before lunch-time, I'm pleased to say - has the texture of a soft chutney and the flavour of extremely sophisticated ketsup. The apples, while retaining their shape, somehow soak up all the tomato flavor and color while at the same time releasing a certain sweetness into the mix, leaving one to wonder about secret and mysterious ingredients. Tangy and complex, the ruby-hued relish will be fantastic spooned atop scrambled eggs or as an accompaniment to fish.

Very Ripe Tomato and Apple Relish

• 8 cups chopped ripe tomatoes (I seeded mine, but didn't bother to peel them)
• 6 cups peeled and chopped Granny Smiths
• 1 cup chopped sweet onion
• a variety of finely-minced hot red peppers from the garden, to taste
• 1 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1 tblsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp each ground cumin, coriander, and cinnamon

Plop the tomatoes, apples, onion, peppers, and vinegar into your best non-reactive preserving pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partly covered, for about half an hour. Stir when you remember.

Add the rest of the ingredients and cook briskly, uncovered, until the mixture is good and thick and allows a channel to be made with your favorite long-handled wooden spoon. It took me about 45 minutes, during which time I was able to get caught up on my e-mail and do some ironing.

Ladle into jars and process for 10 minutes.

Yield: 4 eight-ounce Ball jars and 3 small Weck deco jars, whose volume is the subject of some dispute.