I just don’t have time to can during harvest season. I’ve decided I need a personal chef during harvest season so I can go back to canning at home and to eating local produce all year long. The news about canned tomatoes added another to my “things to aviod” list. Oh my!

It is troubling, isn’t it? I haven’t found a solution to freezing either. I just put up 80lbs of tomatoes that we sauced this summer — all in ziplock bags. I, too, am careful to let defrost over night and then pour into a saucepan so that I don’t have to ever defrost in the microwave or bowl of hot water w/ the sauce still in the bag. I just don’t know another solution – glass? I guess maybe I could start canning instead of freezing, but what about all the other thing I freeze – pesto sauce, beans (I cook big batches of beans in my crockpot and then freeze in quart bags for easy use), meat that my husband buys in bulk, leftover soups, etc…?!

My latest troubling news was when I read in Prevention magazine last month that one of the biggest things we need to avoid is canned tomatoes. I don’t often buy them, but sometimes I’m in a bind and have to have them for a recipe. Here’s an excerpt from the article:

“The resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Unfortunately, acidity (a prominent characteristic of tomatoes) causes BPA to leach into your food. Studies show that the BPA in most people’s body exceeds the amount that suppresses sperm production or causes chromosomal damage to the eggs of animals. “You can get 50 mcg of BPA per liter out of a tomato can, and that’s a level that is going to impact people, particularly the young,” says vom Saal. “I won’t go near canned tomatoes.”

The solution: Choose tomatoes in glass bottles (which do not need resin linings), such as the brands Bionaturae and Coluccio. You can also get several types in Tetra Pak boxes, like Trader Joe’s and Pomi.”