Good morning Rural Sprout readers, 

And it is a good morning! It’s 8:00 am, and the house smells amazing! Remember all those green tomatoes I picked back in September? 

Well, the last batch has finished ripening in the basement, and they are all now in my largest stockpot, cooking down. After I send today’s email, I’ll be chopping garlic and picking some basil from the covered kitchen garden. 

Then my red sauce will simmer on the stove, low and slow, all day long. 

Tomorrow it will be jarred so it can be frozen. (Too much olive oil in my sauce to can safely.) Now, before you start emailing me, I'll make it easy on you. I used my dad’s old trick to ripen green tomatoes off the vine. 

To be fair, I think it was Grandma’s, and he learned it from her. Regardless! If you’re not one for green tomatoes, no worries, you can ripen them indoors! (And yes, they taste great.)

And if you haven't read it yet, don't forget to check out this piece about Christmas cactuses. One of you folks, dear readers, helped to make it possible with some astonishing photos!

Finally, yes, you can safely freeze food in Mason jars, but there is a trick to it. 

I think that's it for today. I hope you all have an amazing weekend and I'll see you on Sunday. Maybe I'll invite you all over for a pasta dinner once my sauce is done.