…they just keep coming! This week Hallie began the process of canning tomatoes to try and keep up with our ever increasing supply. Yesterday the two of us finished up our first batch of 12 jars. It was my first time canning and so Hallie taught me the painstaking process of sterilizing each jar and lid. The hardest part was using the tongs to pull each slippery jar out of the vat of boiling water. We had special tongs for the task but it was still a challenge.  Funneling the sauce into the jars without spilling any on the rim wasn’t easy either. I drew up some Casa L Orto labels by hand and we taped them on so that the recipients of the jars will know where the product came from! We’ve given away a few jars already—one to Salvatore at Bar Mare and one to Pasquale the barber—but we’ve only just begun.

This afternoon Jordan and I made the trip up several flights of steps and through the Piazza San Luca to the hardware store; a tiny hole in the wall stuffed with all the hardware goods you might need.  We bought 30 more glass jars so there is sure to be more tomato sauce as well as some other canned goods on the way.