We plant 10 to 12 heirloom tomatoes every year. When they ripen, there’s no way we can eat them all before they go bad, so I save them for winter and spring when grocery store tomatoes are pale and mealy. Do I can them? Naw. I found an easier way.
First, I pick a few giant bowlfuls of deliciousness…
I chunk up the biggest tomatoes but usually leave the cherry tomatoes whole, I seed and cut my peppers, then throw them onto a big cookie sheet (with sides) with a whole chopped onion. A drizzle of good olive oil over top. Salt and pepper. ..
I roast a pan (or two) at 450°F for 30 to 35 mins until it looks like this and smells insanely good…
After they cool, I pour it all into a pot and use a stick blender to make it smooth…
If you feel strongly about removing tomato seeds, this is the point at which you’d want to push the sauce through a sieve with a big spoon. If you’re lazy like me, you leave them in. I usually chuck in basil or tarragon from my garden, maybe a few cloves of fresh garlic, and blend that in, too…
So there it is, all blended and ready to divvy up into freezer-safe bags for the season…
I label them so I know to finish the oldest bags first. Our freezer is already full and there’s about another month of harvesting left. Uh oh..
Come January, I’ll have fresh-tasting soup, pizza sauce, pasta sauce and a good base for chili. Yum.
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Before you ask, here’s our heirloom tomato list this year:
- Green Zebra (2)
- Brandywine (2)
- Mr. Stripey
- Sungold Cherry
- Black Cherry
- Garden Peach
- Peacevine Cherry
I could not locate Orange Oxheart plants this year. Sadface. They make the absolute best tomato soup ever. Will have to grow some from seed in the spring.