Every year for the past 35 or so, I have faithfully bottled tomatoes. I can never grow enough in my garden, so I always get 2-3 bushels from the farmer's market (or once, memorably, from Food Basics) and bottle them. That way I can have spaghetti sauce and macaroni-and-tomatoes all winter. It's always a handy thing to have available for a fast meal.
Two years ago, I got Romas for $17 a bushel. Last year it was $19 a bushel. This year it is $26 a bushel! So instead of going on auto-pilot, I sat down and crunched the numbers, factoring in the 50 cents for each canning lid. And discovered that, milliliter for milliliter, it's actually cheaper to buy the commercially canned whole or diced tomatoes. There is a no-salt-added brand that sells for $1.29 a can. Factor in also the time spent bottling, the energy use, and the fact that I have two grandkids underfoot, and I caved and went with store-bought this year.
There was always something beautiful and satisfying about seeing the bottles lined up on my storage shelves. It isn't as gratifying to look at rows of cans. But it makes financial and practical sense this year.
I don't think I can bear to eat store-bought peaches, though. They are always so woody and rough. I will hold out for bottling my own, and if summer runs out before I get a chance to do it, then I will do without this year, because some compromises are really just a step too far.
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