We set up to process another 140 lbs of tomatoes. We filled 3 x 18-quart roasters with puree and this time we added about 4 cups of tomato paste to each roaster so that we wouldn't have to cook it down so much and our yield would be higher. We filled 39 quart jars with tomato sauce with some leftovers. Not bad for a day's work. We also squeezed our "waste" through a second time to give us 5 1/2 quarts of tomato juice...I will probably freeze it for now and we'll use it to can or freeze diced tomato, or use it in vegetable soup this winter.
Megan - you asked about what we do with the kids during all this:
1st: I don't do it by myself; my husband helps all day. He knows I couldn't do it alone. They do come in to 'interrupt' a lot, but one of us can keep working while the other attends to their needs.
2nd: The girls help us pick the tomatoes; then they get to go play and the boys hand them to us while we're processing them.
3rd: Eventually, they all go outside to play - It is helpful to have a 7 and 6 year old who can keep an eye on the little boys when we're both working - and we take turns taking breaks to check on all of them.
4th: After lunch, they get to watch a movie during their 'quiet time'. The sauce is ready to put in jars and into the hot water baths, so it's nice to have them all out of the kitchen, then.
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