Last year was a bit different. My time + focus were not so free for our garden, so I decided to be gentle with myself and not stress over tomato plants gone wild + tomatoes unpicked. When one of us picked a bowl full of tomatoes, I didn't process them like I had in years past (after we ate all we wanted). I rinsed them, threw them into a few freezer bags I've had for years + froze them. I wasn't sure they would be any good to eat, but it was the best I could do, and I simply wasn't going to feel guilty about any of it.
One cold day, when the time for fresh tomatoes had passed, I took some of those frozen tomatoes out of the freezer. I put them on a baking sheet with some sliced red onions + rolled them all in a bit of olive oil. They baked until they browned a bit + then we tossed them with pasta, parmesan cheese, salt + pepper flakes. They tasted so flavorful...like little caramelized orbs of sunshine + summer. I prized every single one of those frozen tomatoes...so glad I'd made the tiniest of efforts.
So...guess what? This is the way I am preserving tomatoes from now on. I cut the larger ones into pieces before throwing them into those same freezer bags. These tomatoes can be blended + made into pasta sauce, curry, soup, shepherd's pie, taco casserole or any recipe that calls for canned tomatoes...but I gotta say that the baking sheet method is my favorite way to eat them. Yippee! Simplicity!
Love,
Jane
P.S. Full disclosure: I whizzed this (pictured) gathering of goodness up in the blender with some onion, salt + a peeled lime to make the most delicious salsa (devoured immediately)!
One cold day, when the time for fresh tomatoes had passed, I took some of those frozen tomatoes out of the freezer. I put them on a baking sheet with some sliced red onions + rolled them all in a bit of olive oil. They baked until they browned a bit + then we tossed them with pasta, parmesan cheese, salt + pepper flakes. They tasted so flavorful...like little caramelized orbs of sunshine + summer. I prized every single one of those frozen tomatoes...so glad I'd made the tiniest of efforts.
So...guess what? This is the way I am preserving tomatoes from now on. I cut the larger ones into pieces before throwing them into those same freezer bags. These tomatoes can be blended + made into pasta sauce, curry, soup, shepherd's pie, taco casserole or any recipe that calls for canned tomatoes...but I gotta say that the baking sheet method is my favorite way to eat them. Yippee! Simplicity!
Love,
Jane
P.S. Full disclosure: I whizzed this (pictured) gathering of goodness up in the blender with some onion, salt + a peeled lime to make the most delicious salsa (devoured immediately)!
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