Little Veggie Patch February 2014 | Page 4

D.I.Y Sugo day is the Christmas of the edible gardening calendar and like Christmas it is something that builds well before the actual event. The key to enjoying the day to the fullest is in the preparation – drinking beer to vacate the bottles, knowing the best source of saucing tomatoes and when to time your run, and of course, having a Nonna on hand to set the scene and the mood. 1. make a day of it Years ago we started the day well before the crack of dawn - more as showmanship of toughness than out of necessity - however these days we make a full day of it starting at a leisurely hour. Not only does this give the youngsters a chance of seeing the process but it also pulls drinking hour closer to the action and this is victory for all involved. 2. THE star INGREDIENT The key to good Sugo is good saucing tomatoes and when the time is right the wise guys move in on street corners flogging ripe romas by the Styrofoam box load. Any self respecting saucer should pay no more than $1 per kilo and the trick is to look with your nose; the tomatoes should be on the point of fermentation, bringing the sugars to the fore that in the end will create the best sauce. Roma tomatoes are renown for their pulp content and if all goes to plan you will achieve a 75-80% yield, meaning that one kilo will produce one Australian longneck of red nectar. This should give you an idea of what kind of drinking habit is required leading into the event. watch the video