Sharing the Wealth of Tomatoes

This time of year we have the bounty of so many great fruits and vegetables. We hanker for the tomatoes and stone fruits throughout the winter and complain when we can't find them the first day of the farmers market.

As part of our education on eating local seasonal food, we need to know the key ingredients to growing the food that we love. Tomatoes and stone fruit need lots of hot weather, great soil and water. Mother Natues is finicky and may not provide all of this at the same time, or in quantities that are not very supportive of fruit growing.

Becuase of this, when I see a bounty I make sure that part of this goes into my freezer to savor later in the winter. Now many may be familiar with canning and I applaud those who can "can". I can't. It is not a technical thing, but a pyschological thing. My mother, bless her heart, tried canning tomatoes year in and year out. Every summer our kitchen looked like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Thus I have gotten more familiar with freezing.

For tomatoes I do two things: roasting and saucing.

For roasting, I take the smaller tomatoes like the Supice from Tree and Leaf Farms at the Falls Church Farmers Market or any other heirloom tomato. Heat the oven to 250 degrees, cut the tomatoes in half and lay them out on the bottom of a baking or roasting dish. I typically take the roasting dish that I use for a turkey - the more room the better. I drizzle olive oil over the tomatoes, salt and pepper and place in the oven for at least two hours. Let the tomatoes cool and then freeze in containers. The roasting intensifies the tomatoes sweetness and will add umph to sauces, stews or any dish later on in the year.

For sauces, I put everything in there. I belong to a CSA and sometimes I can't get to eat everything during the bounty of the summer. So whatever is available goes in with the tomatoes - chard, basil, zucchini, carrots, peaches, red peppers, hot peppers. Whatever is there, goes in and it doesn't matter the type of tomato.

Saute some garlic and onion in a large soup or stew pot. Add in whatever herbs you may have basil, rosemary, dill and brown slightly. Put in your "harder" vegetables like carrots and zucchini and let them soften. Slice up your greens and put them in. Finally dump in the tomatoes. No need to slice and dice them, just throw them in. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling take down to a simmer. The tomatoes will cook in their own juices and eventually break through their skins. Simmer for about 90 minutes. From time to time take a potato masher, and mash items up and then stir. Once completed, take and immersion blender ( the best kitchen tool to have!) and blend up the ingredients while still in the pot. No need to put things through the Cuisinart. Then freeze in containers that will serve either just one, your familiy or a big size for special occasions.

Items frozen will last up to 6 months but don't do what I have done and not use the items because you want to use them for a special occasion. I did that one year and waited until the next year. Sadly, I had to throw out gallons of sauce and roasted tomatoes.