problem to have, I know, but wow, it's so overwhelming that they're finally coming and all at once...lol. And of course when I'm really busy and have little time to deal with them. Anyone else harvesting a boatload of tomatoes from their garden? How are you dealing with them?
A dilemma -- OMG, sooooo many garden tomatoes to deal with right now. Not a bad
- Thread starter pat-nocal
- Start date
Here is what I do with my extra tomatoes...
I use any tomato, red, yellow, heirloom, cherry, whatever you have.
Line one or two sheet trays with non-stick foil.
Rinse your tomatoes, remove stem end, and cut tomatoes into chunks. Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Place on sheet trays. Take one head of garlic, cut a little off the top to expose garlic, and place in one corner of the sheet tray, that will be nearest the oven door. Drizzle a good olive oil over all, then kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Mix. Place into a 375° oven and roast until tomatoes are turning brown around the edges and tops. About 40 minutes into this process, check you garlic, if it has softened, remove to cool.
Depending on the type of tomatoes you have, you may get lots of juice. Just be sure they get nice and caramelized. Remove from oven. Working with one sheet tray at a time, and when cool enough to handle, dump the tomatoes, and any remaining juice into a food processor. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins into the food processor. Whiz away until everything is smooth.
I freeze 1 cup portions of this in those Ziplock containers with the blue lids, you can buy at any grocery store. Date the containers. This freezes very well. If your tomatoes were not the really juicy type, you will get tomato paste now and then. The tomato sauce will be thicker than the canned variety. We use it just like tomato sauce for most things....pasta, soups, pizza, cooking a veggie mix, like eggplant, onion, and zucchini. It is richer than the canned, so sometimes, I do use canned instead of my frozen sauce.
The beauty of this recipe is that you DO NOT have to peel the tomatoes and there is no skin visible after putting through the food processor.
I use any tomato, red, yellow, heirloom, cherry, whatever you have.
Line one or two sheet trays with non-stick foil.
Rinse your tomatoes, remove stem end, and cut tomatoes into chunks. Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Place on sheet trays. Take one head of garlic, cut a little off the top to expose garlic, and place in one corner of the sheet tray, that will be nearest the oven door. Drizzle a good olive oil over all, then kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Mix. Place into a 375° oven and roast until tomatoes are turning brown around the edges and tops. About 40 minutes into this process, check you garlic, if it has softened, remove to cool.
Depending on the type of tomatoes you have, you may get lots of juice. Just be sure they get nice and caramelized. Remove from oven. Working with one sheet tray at a time, and when cool enough to handle, dump the tomatoes, and any remaining juice into a food processor. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins into the food processor. Whiz away until everything is smooth.
I freeze 1 cup portions of this in those Ziplock containers with the blue lids, you can buy at any grocery store. Date the containers. This freezes very well. If your tomatoes were not the really juicy type, you will get tomato paste now and then. The tomato sauce will be thicker than the canned variety. We use it just like tomato sauce for most things....pasta, soups, pizza, cooking a veggie mix, like eggplant, onion, and zucchini. It is richer than the canned, so sometimes, I do use canned instead of my frozen sauce.
The beauty of this recipe is that you DO NOT have to peel the tomatoes and there is no skin visible after putting through the food processor.
heather_in_sf
Well-known member
Me too, being completely dirt free
however if I had some I would do this:
- make a tomato puree (uncooked)
- can peeled tomatoes in the puree
- can the extra puree and add horseradish etc for a bloody mary in a jar kind of thing
- make tomato soup and can that
- make tomato leather - had some at a restaurant last night and oh my was it amazing
- dried tomatoes packed in herbs and olive oil
- eat them until I became (more) tomato shaped !!!
however if I had some I would do this:
- make a tomato puree (uncooked)
- can peeled tomatoes in the puree
- can the extra puree and add horseradish etc for a bloody mary in a jar kind of thing
- make tomato soup and can that
- make tomato leather - had some at a restaurant last night and oh my was it amazing
- dried tomatoes packed in herbs and olive oil
- eat them until I became (more) tomato shaped !!!
I make passata.
Passata is a tomato sauce you can use as a base for almost everything that contains tomato sauces, like pasta sauce, pizza sauce and tomato soups.
Ingredients:
Tomatoes (- as many as you have)
2 bay leafs
A couple of sprigs of fresh thyme, oregano or rosemary.
Cut the tomatoes in two. Place tomatoes in a large pot with the herbs. Bring to boil, turn down the heat and let it simmer until the tomatoes are broken down and soft. This process can take anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the tomatoes you use (their size and water content).
When the tomatoes are all broken down and soft, you take the pot off the heat and pour the sauce through a sieve. I use a spatula to press the last drops of tomato juices out as I want to save as much of the liquid as possible.
Discard the seeds and skins, and pour the liquid back into the pot and bring it back to boil. Let the sauce simmer until it's reduced to a thick sauce.
Let it cool, and freeze the sauce in plastic containes.
As this sauce contains no fat it will keep in the freezer for months.
Passata is a tomato sauce you can use as a base for almost everything that contains tomato sauces, like pasta sauce, pizza sauce and tomato soups.
Ingredients:
Tomatoes (- as many as you have)
2 bay leafs
A couple of sprigs of fresh thyme, oregano or rosemary.
Cut the tomatoes in two. Place tomatoes in a large pot with the herbs. Bring to boil, turn down the heat and let it simmer until the tomatoes are broken down and soft. This process can take anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the tomatoes you use (their size and water content).
When the tomatoes are all broken down and soft, you take the pot off the heat and pour the sauce through a sieve. I use a spatula to press the last drops of tomato juices out as I want to save as much of the liquid as possible.
Discard the seeds and skins, and pour the liquid back into the pot and bring it back to boil. Let the sauce simmer until it's reduced to a thick sauce.
Let it cool, and freeze the sauce in plastic containes.
As this sauce contains no fat it will keep in the freezer for months.
I had a boatload of grape tomatoes, that we just eat. I overlook the advice of
not putting them in the refrigerator, and it hasn't seemed to affect the flavor at all.
For the larger ones, I remove the skins (after blanching them) and then squeeze out the seeds and pulp. I throw the seeds, but put the pulp (clear, yellowish substance) through a sieve because I heard that's where most of the healthy stuff is!
I quarter the "empty" tomatoes, add the juice back in, and either simmer until deep red for sauce, or freeze for later use.
Grapes were plentiful here this summer, but the large ones only "fair". I still have some heirloom ones, and am keeping my fingers crossed for a warm fall so they can finish developing and turn red! (They are now a light green!)
not putting them in the refrigerator, and it hasn't seemed to affect the flavor at all.
For the larger ones, I remove the skins (after blanching them) and then squeeze out the seeds and pulp. I throw the seeds, but put the pulp (clear, yellowish substance) through a sieve because I heard that's where most of the healthy stuff is!
I quarter the "empty" tomatoes, add the juice back in, and either simmer until deep red for sauce, or freeze for later use.
Grapes were plentiful here this summer, but the large ones only "fair". I still have some heirloom ones, and am keeping my fingers crossed for a warm fall so they can finish developing and turn red! (They are now a light green!)
mariadnoca
Moderator
Canning?
mariadnoca
Moderator
Canned tomatoes, sauce, salsa..thinking ahead for holiday gifts?
Have you ever canned "just" tomatoes, Maria? I'm thinking about doing that.
Not sauce, but quartered tomatoes? Or maybe it would just be easier to freeze them after I remove the skins and seeds.
I've already canned cooked tomato sauce, salsa, tomato jam, and frozen some tomato sauce too. '
'Getting a little sick of them by now, although you can't beat a slice of tomato with bread and mayonnaise. Sometimes that's my breakfast ;o).
Not sauce, but quartered tomatoes? Or maybe it would just be easier to freeze them after I remove the skins and seeds.
I've already canned cooked tomato sauce, salsa, tomato jam, and frozen some tomato sauce too. '
'Getting a little sick of them by now, although you can't beat a slice of tomato with bread and mayonnaise. Sometimes that's my breakfast ;o).